What If Breathwork Hasn’t Worked for You?
You’ve tried deep breathing. Maybe meditation. Maybe you’ve done the apps, the guided sessions, the “just breathe” reminders — and your nervous system still feels wired. Or tired. Or both.
Here’s what I want you to consider.
It might not be that breathwork doesn’t work for you. It might be that you haven’t yet experienced what it feels like to fill the whole body with breath — not just the chest, not just the belly, but all three chambers, in deliberate sequence, from the bottom up.
That’s exactly what Viloma pranayama does.
By the end of this post, you’ll understand why it works, and you’ll have a full practice to try — including a seated twist where the breath itself becomes the movement.
The Three Energy Centers: Bandhas as Gathering Points
In classical yoga, the body has three natural gathering points for breath and energy. These are the bandhas — not locks in the rigid sense, but places where the breath pauses, gathers, and receives before continuing upward.
Mula bandha is the lower gathering point — the pelvic floor and lower belly, just below the navel.
Uddiyana bandha is the mid gathering point — the navel and solar plexus, the hub of the breath.
Jalandhara bandha is the upper gathering point — the throat and upper chest, where the collarbones lift and the breath completes its arc.
Not gripping. Not forcing. Just pausing. Receiving.
When we breathe in these deliberate layers — from the bottom up — we create something the nervous system can actually track. A rhythm it can trust.
Why Viloma Works: Your Vagus Nerve Is Listening
Viloma means against the grain. It works vertically, moving breath through the three chambers in controlled sequence — sipping in, pausing, gathering — then releasing in the same layered way. Or both directions. That’s what makes it so clinically precise.
Here’s the science worth knowing.
Your vagus nerve — the longest nerve in your body — runs right alongside your diaphragm. Every time your diaphragm moves, it sends a signal directly up the vagus nerve to the brain. That signal says either prepare for action or it’s safe to slow down.
When we breathe in segments — those small sips with pauses between — we create rhythmic, repeated diaphragm movement. More movement means more vagal signaling. More vagal signaling means more regulation.
This isn’t just relaxation. It’s a conversation between your breath and your brain.
And the segmented exhale — releasing in layers from the top down — activates what’s called the parasympathetic brake. Your body’s own built-in slow-down switch. Every time we practice this, we strengthen that switch mechanism from the inside.
Exploring Your Three Chambers: A Hands-On Guide
Before putting the full practice together, it helps to feel each chamber separately. Place your hands and notice. This is a listening practice, not a performance.
Lower belly (Mula bandha): Place one hand just below your navel. Without changing anything, notice what’s already moving. Then sip a small breath in and invite your belly to expand — forward, to the sides, and into the low back. Like a balloon filling in all directions. Feel the breath reach your lower back. That’s mula bandha territory.
Solar plexus (Uddiyana bandha): Move your hand to just below your sternum. Sip a breath in here and invite your diaphragm to expand all the way around to the back. Feel the ribs widen. The belly lift. The back body fill. This is the center of the breath — the hub of the wheel.
Upper chest (Jalandhara bandha): Cross your hands onto your upper chest, just above the collarbones. Those firm bumps are your uppermost two ribs. Sip a breath in and let it fill the upper chest — behind the shoulder blades, widening the upper back. Feel the collarbones gently rise into your palms. That’s jalandhara bandha territory — the crown of the breath.
The Full Viloma Practice: Three Phases
Once you can feel each chamber, you’re ready for the practice itself. Move through these three phases slowly. Stay curious. This is a regulation practice, not an achievement.
Phase One: Sipped Inhale, Full Exhale
Sit tall. Hands on belly and chest.
- Sip in — lower belly expands forward, sides, back. Mula bandha. Pause.
- Sip in — solar plexus lifts, ribs widen. Uddiyana bandha. Pause.
- Sip in — upper chest rises, collarbones lift. Jalandhara bandha. Pause. One more sip.
- Breathe out slowly, all at once. One long, complete release.
Repeat 3 times. Then pause and notice. Did anything soften? Did your jaw release? Did your shoulders drop? That’s your vagus nerve receiving the signal.
Phase Two: Full Inhale, Sipped Exhale
Now we reverse it.
- Breathe in fully — one complete breath from lower belly to upper chest.
- Exhale in layers, from the top down. Upper chest first — jalandhara bandha releases. Pause.
- Solar plexus draws in — uddiyana bandha releases. Pause.
- Lower belly draws gently toward the spine — mula bandha releases. Complete.
Each pause is a moment of regulation. Your nervous system is learning how to land.
Phase Three: Full Viloma — Both Directions
Sipped inhale. Sipped exhale. The full practice, both ways.
- Sip in — mula bandha. Pause.
- Sip in — uddiyana bandha. Pause.
- Sip in — jalandhara bandha. Hold.
- Release — jalandhara bandha. Upper chest softens. Pause.
- Release — uddiyana bandha. Solar plexus settles. Pause.
- Release — mula bandha. Lower belly draws in. Complete.
Repeat 3 rounds. Then let the breath return to natural and just sit. Let the practice land.
Viloma in Motion: The Seated Twist
This is where breath becomes the architecture of the body.
Once you’ve done the breathing practice, you can bring it into movement. The twist below uses Viloma as the engine — breath leads, body follows.
Setup: Come to your cross-legged seat (or sit in a chair). Place your right hand on your right knee. Stack your left hand on top. This is your anchor.
Inhale arc (three sips):
- First sip — mula bandha — lower belly fills — left arm begins to rise.
- Second sip — uddiyana bandha — mid chest expands — arm turns and opens toward the left.
- Third sip — jalandhara bandha — upper chest lifts — arm sweeps wide and down behind you.
- Retain briefly. Chest open. Heart open. Breath full.
Exhale arc (three releases):
- First release — jalandhara bandha — upper chest softens — arm begins to close.
- Second release — uddiyana bandha — mid chest draws toward the backbone — arm continues inward.
- Third release — mula bandha — lower belly draws in, back softens round — left hand lands back on the right.
Arc open on the inhale. Arc closed on the exhale.
Do three rounds on each side. Then pause with hands in your lap and compare how your left and right sides feel. Notice which side feels more open. More spacious. More alive.
That’s your nervous system registering the change.
What This Practice Is Really Teaching You
Every sip of breath in is your body learning to receive.
Every layered exhale is your body learning to let go.
And that arc — open and closed, full and empty — is what regulation actually feels like from the inside. Not forced. Not performed. Felt.
When you fill all three chambers, you’re not just taking a deep breath. You’re sending your nervous system a very specific message: it’s safe to land here.
You don’t need to meditate perfectly. You don’t need to quiet your mind. You need to give your diaphragm something rhythmic, predictable, and complete — and let your vagus nerve do the rest.
Working with Breath, Body, and Nervous System in Eugene and Beyond
If you’ve been living with chronic stress, tension that won’t release, or a nervous system that stays wired no matter what you try — you’re not broken. Your body has been protecting you.
I work with clients in Eugene, Springfield, Corvallis, Cottage Grove, and throughout Lane County who are ready to stop fighting their symptoms and start listening to what the body has been trying to communicate. I also offer virtual sessions for clients throughout Oregon and beyond.
If Viloma resonates with you, or if you’re curious what a full somatic evaluation and breathwork integration session might look like for you personally, I’d love to connect.
A Final Thought
You’ve been breathing your whole life. Your nervous system knows your breath intimately — through the good moments, through the hard ones, through everything.
Viloma doesn’t ask you to breathe differently forever. It just invites you, for a few minutes, to breathe completely. To fill the whole vessel. To release all the way down.
That completeness — that full arc — is what your body has been waiting for.
Soften before you strive.
See you Gaias later,
Dr. Melanie Carlone
🎥 Link to full length YouTube Video here
🪷 Schedule your in-person or virtual wellness appointment here