My ability to stay present and in my body during a local news interview this month was like having a little victory party with my nervous system. A party celebrating that my daily breathwork practice has indeed been quietly building resiliency behind the scenes.

Not because I got to watch the meteorologist work their magic on the Green Screen (though, so cool!), but because when I sat down for the interview about the Camp LoveJoy Disc Golf Tournament Fundraiser, I felt the familiar flutter of excitement and nerves. But my breath kept me anchored. I could feel my feet on the chair, my voice steady, the trust in myself, in real time.

The Summer Solstice, at the end of June, marks the time when your lungs reach full capacity. This turning point in the seasons is a beautiful time to explore the transition from the inhale into the inhale hold.

In your breathing body, as you inhale, your lungs are maximizing the exchange occurring in the tiny air sacs called alveoli. Oxygen is crossing into your bloodstream while your cells release carbon dioxide back into your lungs, preparing for the release of the exhale. But in conscious breathing practices, you can extend this moment of retention mindfully, training your nervous system to find calm, even in the fullness of wholeness.

This weekend, I completed a Body By Breath Training with Jill Miller. One of the workshops shifted my experience at the gym so much that I want to share about it.

I’ve been trying this old habit of going to the gym through a new perspective as a breathing body first. This shift has unveiled a soft strength while teaching me to listen to my body in the sympathetic buzz of the music (hello Jesse Bloch!), bright lights, and high energy.

Sniff. Stop. Sniff. Sniff. Stare at the rustle in the grass.

As the phytonicdes—immunity-boosting airborne essential oils that trees give off to protect themselves from insects —integrated into my inhales and soon became a part of my exhales, I was reminded that my perspective that the walk was a slow pace was only because I am steeped in urgency.