Seeking out the California Institute of Integral Studies in San Francisco for my doctoral degree was important and has tremendously helped shape my practice today. Started by Haridas Chaudhuri, student of Sri Aurobindo and The Mother, this institute offered a lens into ways to address and help the whole person, not merely the mental aspect of the lived experience. Studying in India deepened my understanding of how art, music, body movement, and states of consciousness are as much an integral part of the practice of psychology as much as are the id, ego, superego, transference and countertransference. It was easy to see the archetypes personified before my eyes as I saw 50 foot statutes of Ganesha and Saturn.

The breath is a powerful process and can be understood even as a mind-body tool. It can both indicate an emotional/mental state as well as encourage one. For instance, when a person is calm and relaxed, often their breathing slows. It gets deeper, in the belly, and even out almost through the ribs and down the back. When a person is stressed and tensed, often their breathing quickens. It gets shallower and in the chest. However, you can also facilitate each of those emotional states by changing your breathing. Meaning if you start breathing more slowly, taking belly breaths, you may start to feel more relaxed and at ease.