The penny drops's podcast – Details, episodes & analysis

In this new episode, I'm sharing a discussion with Lilly Balch from the Space Studio in Clapham, London and the Morning Ritual Podcast. 

In this conversation with Lilly, we mainly discuss how to rest, relax, and restore – including issues related to insomnia and sleep. 

These states may sound similar, but they are not. 

Together, we explore how they differ and how each one contributes to reaching a state of calm and peace, which is essential for feeling well and happy.

I hope you enjoy our conversation, and thank you very much for listening to my podcast. 

Sit back, relax, and enjoy listening to this episode. And if you're interested, you can also listen to Lilly Balch's podcast directly using this
link: https://www.lillybalch.com/podcast or subscribe to 'The Morning Ritual' on your favourite podcast platforms.

You can also watch the YouTube version of this episode here: https://www.youtube.com/@MorningRitual/featured

The final exploration on this breathing journey through the body is the head.

When we breathe, the beginning and conclusion of the flowing breath are held within the head as air passes through the nostrils, connecting us to the surrounding space.

Yoga philosophy believes that inhaled air carries 'universal energy', akin to a life force or prana. Conversely, when we exhale, we release 'biological energy'—the energy generated by our body.

With this episode's meditation, enjoy exchanging those energies, which fosters our connection with the universe and those around us.

Please note: If you want to receive Laurent's e-book, 'Touching the Body with The Breath', please join our mailing list, and we will email it to you at the end of this series.

In this episode, Laurent speaks about the benefits of shifting away from our ingrained habits of thinking frontally all the time, which can burden our bodies and minds.

Instead, he invites us to develop an awareness of the back of our body, which enhances the mind-body connection. By focusing on this area, you cultivate a deeper relationship between your physical sensations and mental state. Paying attention to the back of our body automatically brings us into the present moment and consequently promotes relaxation, which can be very calming.

In the episode, Laurent beautifully illustrates the shift of our awareness through a meditation that starts at minute 16'20".

In this episode, I had the privilege of being interviewed by Lilly Balch from the Morning Ritual Podcast, a dedicated meditation podcast that provides listeners with reflections and techniques for inner peace.

During our collaboration, we discussed embracing a slower pace in yoga, movement, breathing, meditation, and daily life. By consciously letting go and doing less, we explored how it can lead to being more present with ourselves.

The conversation was inspired by my blog post titled "Seven Tips to Do Less and Receive More", which I published in March 2023.

Throughout our discussion, we explored the challenges of adopting a mindset of doing less and shared various techniques and tips based on those seven tips.

Towards the end of the episode, I offered a guided meditation based on the tips mentioned in the blog and our conversation. If you want to skip to the meditation, go straight to minute 39:08.

Sit back, relax, and enjoy listening to this episode. And if you're interested, you can also listen to Lilly Balch's podcast directly using this link: https://www.lillybalch.com/podcast or subscribe to 'The Morning Ritual' on your favourite podcast platforms.

Pranayama and meditation are deeply rooted in the yoga tradition.

Together, and with other tools, they contribute to progressively more profound levels of meditative experiences. These tools are described in Pantajali's Eight Limbs of Yoga.

It is interesting to see where pranayama is positioned on this list.

It is placed after the physical yogic experience (asanas) and before the subtler practices of internalisation (pratyahara), concentration (dharana), and meditation (dhyana).

Patanjali tells us that breath is the only open the door to meditation and enlightenment (samadhi).

According to Yoga, meditation is about finding inner stillness, liberation, and spiritual enlightenment where the self, the mind, and the object of meditation merge into one.

To achieve this, we must patiently go through different stages and techniques where the breath is omnipresent.

A well-designed plan of numerous methods is required to experience a profoundly satisfying meditation day after day.

This plan has five stages, and we will experience them together in a 22-min meditation starting at 10':10".

In this episode, Laurent explains the difference between external respiration (normal breathing) and internal respiration (cellular breathing).

Although each of those different ways to breathe has specific roles in keeping us healthy, they are inseparable and feed each other.

The meditation in this episode shows us the way toward a deep place within ourselves and connects us to cellular breathing.

A place where our consciousness expands and connects us to the oneness of our infinite-celled landscape.
Cellular breathing generates life and energy and brings greater awareness of our true selves. Let's experience this calming and silent cellular breathing together.

The meditation starts at 12'25''.

If you are interested in learning Breathwork and Pranayama with Laurent, please click here for more information ›

In this episode, Laurent offers a short meditation to connect with our vital force, the breath.

This calming and explorative breathing technique can give us a sense of presence and a deeper awareness of how we feel in this moment.

It helps us to gain a feeling of ease and makes us more acutely attuned to our body and being.

Laurent understands the importance of teaching how to connect with the breath before we enterprise any other breathwork or meditation to stay safe and benefit significantly from our practice.

This meditation can be practised solely as a peaceful way to be with ourselves and experience some well-deserved calm.

The meditation starts at 00:05:36

If you are interested in learning Breathwork and Pranayama with Laurent, please click here for more information: https://yogalaurent.com/yoga-teacher-training-uk/pranayama-and-breathwork-teacher-training/

This episode is the first of a series of three talks about the practical and classic steps to learn in Yogic meditation.

In this recording, Laurent explains the importance of learning how to internalise and rest our senses before we start exploring the deepest stages of meditation.

After speaking about the essential art of Pratyahara (the withdrawal of the senses), you will experience a relaxing and soothing 40 mins meditation called: 'Resting your senses meditation' to help you detach yourself from the external distractions, noises, negative impressions etc.

This practical, straightforward, informative episode will help you start or refine your meditation practice.

Skip to minute 16:02 to jump directly into the practice.

In this episode, Laurent offers a 30-min simple deep relaxation yoga Nidra (conscious sleep meditation), which intends to rest the body and the mind for rejuvenation and building gentle energy. Laurent's simple guidelines and practices suggest bringing peace and calm into the most profound part of our being to encourage growth, recovery and strength.

This practice is designed to be accessible to all levels.

This yoga Nidra was recorded during Laurent's one day retreat at St Mary Church, Wimbledon Village, London – Winter 2022.

Have you ever heard the beautiful sound of chanting in Sanskrit?

Sanskrit is an ancient Indo-European language of India used in Hindu scriptures and classical Indian epic poems. The beauty of its sound has the power of enchanting and calming the mind and the soul!

In this fun episode, Laurent meets Elena Jessup, a native New Yorker who has been teaching Sanskrit to children and adults for over twenty-five years in the UK.

She is an author, a scholar and the founder of Modern Sanskrit Collective, which aims to promote Sanskrit in the wider community.
They speak about the origins, history, structure, uses of this language, but the highlight of this episode is Laurent's attempt to learn the Sanskrit's alphabet – worth a listen!

Learn more about Elena's work, teaching and events on www.modernsanskritcollective.org