Last month, we explored the shifting seasons—the blossoming vitality of spring across Australia and the golden, reflective descent of autumn in the UK. November sits in the quiet between-space of that global dance. Regardless of whether the air outside your window is carrying the first crisp whispers of winter or the warm breeze of impending summer, there is an interior climate we can return to at any moment.

It is the rhythm of the ocean. In Hawaiian, Nalu speaks not just to the physical ocean wave, but to the art of surfing the waves of thought, emotion, and life force.

When we practice conscious circular breathwork, we often begin by doing the breath. We consciously draw the inhale up and gently release the exhale without pauses. But there arrives a threshold where the effort vanishes. You stop breathing the breath—and the breath begins to breathe you.

The Lesson from Mexico: Flowing Without Friction

A number of years ago, during a training in Mexico with breathwork pioneer Dan Brulé, I experienced this shift in a way that permanently altered how I hold space and breathe. 

Dan spoke of dissolving the edge between the breather and the atmosphere until the circular pattern ceases to be a technique and becomes your state of being. Sitting by the Pacific tide, watching the swell gather, peak, dissolve, and pull back into the deep without a single stutter or hesitation, it clicked: The ocean never holds its breath.

When you remove the pauses between the inhalation and exhalation—allowing the breath to loop in an unbroken, rolling wave—the ego’s grip loosens. The boundary between the inner world and outer world blurs. You aren’t forcing oxygen; you are simply riding the current. In that surrender, you realise you aren’t “working” at all. You are entirely in flow, cradled in a profound wave of unconditional love, joy, and stillness.

Dropping In: Nalu Ha Breath & Wave Breath

In classical circular breathing, it can sometimes take thirty or forty minutes of conscious effort for the mind to finally step aside. Within Nalu Breathwork, we bridge ancient Hawaiian breath philosophy and somatic regulation to invite this transition much faster.

• Nalu Wave Breath: We visualise the breath as an unbroken swell. The inhale rises smoothly from the deep belly up through the heart space like a cresting wave; the exhale simply falls away with zero push or force, naturally rebounding into the next rise.
• The Sacred Ha Breath: By softly voicing the open “Hā” (the sacred breath of life in Hawaiian tradition) on the release, we bypass the vocal tension and jaw bracing that keep the sympathetic nervous system on guard.

Combining the fluid circularity of the wave with the somatic release of the Hā allows your nervous system to feel utterly safe. Within just a few continuous cycles, the analytical mind surrenders control, dropping you straight into that oceanic bliss state.

What Happens to the Body & Mind: The Alchemy of Bliss

When the breath becomes you, profound neurochemical and physiological shifts take place across every cell:

[ Unbroken Wave Breathing ]
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[ Parasympathetic Activation & Vagal Tone ]
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[ Transient Hypofrontality ] ──> Quiets the Default Mode Network (Inner Critic)
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[ Neurochemical Cascade ] ────> Anandamide + Oxytocin + Endorphins + Serotonin

1. The Neurochemical Cascade

• Anandamide (The “Bliss Molecule”): An endocannabinoid named after the Sanskrit word ananda (joy/bliss). As conscious connected breathing down-regulates survival vigilance, anandamide floods the receptors, creating a sense of boundless serenity, interconnectedness, and open-hearted joy.
• Oxytocin: Known as the bonding or love hormone, oxytocin surges as the chest opens and heart coherence is established, cultivating deep emotional warmth, trust, and self-compassion.
• Dopamine & Serotonin: These feel-good monoamines rebalance, clearing brain fog, lifting mood, and leaving you with an enduring feeling of grounded contentment.
• Endorphins: The continuous rhythmic flow triggers natural pain-relieving endorphins, melting physical guarding in the shoulders, diaphragm, and hips.

2. Down-Regulating Stress

As rhythmic tidal breathing stimulates the vagus nerve, cortisol and adrenaline plummet. Your heart rate variability (HRV) syncs into smooth coherence.

3. Quieting the Inner Critic

In neuroscience, this flow state corresponds with transient hypofrontality—a gentle quieting of the brain’s Default Mode Network (the seat of overthinking, time anxiety, and self-judgment). When the noise in the prefrontal cortex dims, the timeless, luminous space of pure awareness takes over.

A Daily Micro-Practice for November

Whenever your day feels fragmented or rushed this month, take three minutes to return to the sea within:

1. Soften: Place one hand on your heart and one on your lower belly. Drop your shoulders down your back.
2. Loop the Breath: Inhale through the nose or open mouth into the belly and chest, letting it crest smoothly.
3. Release with Hā: Let the breath drop out naturally on a sigh of “Hā”, without pushing.
4. Seamless Transition: The very second the exhale finishes emptying, let the inhale draw in again without a pause.

After 10 to 12 cycles, stop directing. Notice the stillness. Notice how the breath continues to move through you without your effort.

For those called to explore the global lineage and foundation of conscious breathing, explore Nalu Breath here or explore Dan Brulé’s Breath Mastery Training, whose transformative teachings continue to ripple through the heart of our practice.