Pranayama: Control Your Breath To Calm Your Mind - by Leah Sugerman

COURSE

Pranayama: Control Your Breath To Calm Your Mind

With Leah Sugerman

Usually we follow our thoughts without any attention to breath. Over the next 10-days, through exploring the power of pranayama, you'll discover how controlling your breath can calm and soothe your mind. You'll delve into both the tangible science and the spiritual philosophy surrounding breathwork to understand its importance on a greater and more global scale. Working with different breathing techniques every day to experience their varying benefits, you will walk away with a toolbox full of techniques to use in daily life. From stress-relief to finding greater presence, connecting with the cosmic whole to soothing your nervous system, pranayama will help you to harness the power of your unique life-force energy: your own breath.

StressStress & AnxietyEnergy-BasedSpiritualityYogaPranayamaMovementSpiritualityBreathing MeditationAnxietyMindfulness

Meet your Teacher

Leah Sugerman
New York, NY, USA

Leah Sugerman is a yoga and meditation teacher, writer, and passionate world traveler. For over a decade, Leah has immersed herself in contemplative practices on a quest to explore greater depths. An eternally grateful student, she teaches a fusion of the many different styles of practice that she has studied with a strong emphasis on finding the balance between strength and surrender in all things and a clear attention to the all-powerful magic of breath. Passionate about sharing all the transformational practices that have affected her so deeply, Leah is an E-RYT 500 who teaches workshops, retreats, and teacher trainings both internationally and online.

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10 Days

22.8k students

4.7 stars

13 min / day

Stress

English

Lesson 1

An Introduction: The Power Of Breath

In this introductory session, we’ll explore the concept of pranayama and exactly what it means and encompasses. We’ll also look at how universally important breath is and investigate why we should care about something that our bodies are already programmed to do automatically. We’ll conclude with a simple breath practice to bring awareness to the power that we hold at our fingertips.

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Lesson 2

Prana: Life-Force Energy

Session Two will illuminate the powerful life-force energy that is prana. We’ll dive into the differing opinions about what establishes life and what encompasses prana across different cultures, religions, and philosophical schools. We’ll discuss the incredible power of prana and how we can harness its energy in our everyday lives. And we’ll finish with an empowering pranayama practice to create warmth and calm the mind.

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Lesson 3

Breathe To Find Balance: The Subtle Body

In Session Three, we’ll dive into the fascinating subtle body and explore the way that Tantric Yogis codified our energy bodies. We’ll branch out from prana—the building block of the subtle body—to discuss nadis, chakras, kundalini, enlightenment, and more. This session will culminate with a breath practice to balance the subtle body and, therefore, balance the physical body and mind as well.

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Lesson 4

Breathe To Soothe: The Physical Body

Session Four will introduce the power that pranayama holds over the physical body. We’ll examine different elements of the nervous system and the science behind why conscious and controlled breathing can have so many benefits for the body and mind. We’ll also look at the global epidemic of stress and anxiety and how pranayama can help alleviate these issues. We’ll end this session with a simple breath practice to soothe.

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Lesson 5

Breathe To Release: The Nervous System

Session Five will further investigate the physical body and the nervous system—specifically the parasympathetic nervous system. We’ll look at the “relaxation response” and specifically how to consciously and intentionally initiate this “rest-and-digest” part of the nervous system. We’ll finish with a meditative pranayama practice to relax and release the whole body along with the mind.

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Lesson 6

Breathe To Soften: The Yin Side

In Session Six, we’ll explore our yin sides and connect to our soft, lunar, cooling, and mysterious energy. We’ll connect everything that we’ve discussed about physical and subtle anatomy as we dive into the concepts of yin and yang and how they relate to our parasympathetic and sympathetic nervous systems. This session will culminate with a pranayama practice to soften the body and mind by stimulating the yin side of our bodies.

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Lesson 7

Breathe Into Cycles: Samsaras

Session Seven will introduce the concept of samsaras—the cycles of birth, death, and rebirth. We’ll explore some basic Hindu and Buddhist philosophy and, ultimately, the concept of enlightenment. We’ll also explore how and why the breath is the perfect metaphor for the cycles of life. And we’ll finish this session with a pranayama practice that emphasizes cycles to honor their inherent nature in all life and to breathe life into our own unique cycles.

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Lesson 8

Breathe To Connect: The Breath As A Link

In Session Eight, we’ll look at the breath as a link to connect us to all life as well as to our innermost selves. We’ll examine the common mantra "om" and how it is believed to connect us all. Then we’ll work with a breath technique that resonates at the same frequency as om to link us with the energy of the cosmos and to our own unique role within it.

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Lesson 9

Breathe To Meditate: The Dharana Of Breath

In Session Nine, we’ll delve into the deep, mysterious, and fascinating world of meditation. We’ll explore one yogic philosophy of how to both prepare for and ultimately practice real contemplation and reflection. And we’ll examine how we can utilize the breath as a focal point to help us reach deeper states of pure meditation.

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Lesson 10

Take The Time To Breathe

In our final session, we’ll wrap up everything that we’ve spoken about throughout the course and solidify why taking the time to breathe is so vital to our health and well-being. We’ll look at both a beautiful ancient Indian poem and an old Zen story about the breath to put its importance into greater context. This session will finish with an incredibly simple pranayama practice to prove just how easy and transformative it can be to take the time to breath.

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Ask your teacher

This course includes 129 community questions and 28 audio replies from Leah Sugerman. The community classroom and teacher audio replies are only available via the app.

129

4.7 (950)

Recent Reviews

Gaynel

December 22, 2025

Excellent!

Tatyana

November 17, 2025

Wow! That is an amazing course on the power of pranayama. I enjoyed every lesson . Thank you for sharing the deep wisdom and knowledge about the essence , the meaning and the benefits of pranayama . Much love and gratitude to you for taking the time to creat this course . I will come to it many time to practice it again and again . Blessings ❤️❤️❤️🙏🙏🙏✨✨✨

Warren

September 12, 2025

I am a beginner learning about breath for the first time. This course was excellent in explaining in straightforward language some of the philosophies and science behind breath and then doing practical exercises in breath to help my body connect to the learnings. I became aware that my breathing was restrictive and shallow but through these 10 days I’ve learned ways which have given me deeper breath which I now used in my life. Would 100% recommend the course. I will come back to it again as I’m sure I’d learn more doing it again.

Paula

September 1, 2025

Thanks for this beautiful course, Leah.

Robyn

July 23, 2025

A wonderful course with very thoughtful teachings around pranayama that are interesting for beginners and valuable for everyone.

Edward

April 14, 2025

fantastic course. well done.

Sarah

April 2, 2025

I have learned so much. I am going to repeat the ten day course starting tomorrow.

Shikha

March 4, 2025

I’m generally skeptical of white women instructors of ancient Hindu and Buddhist yogic philosophies but I found her knowledgeable, respectful, and most of all helpful.

Mark

February 21, 2025

Thank you. I have learnt so much over the 10 episodes, all presented in a calm and clear way.

Kyle

February 21, 2025

Amazing thank you!

Hilary

February 4, 2025

Thank you for this thoughtful and interesting course. It is an excellent Introduction to several effective breathing practices. I appreciated the connection to some of the more sophisticated concepts behind everything you were discussing. Thank you again.

Mila

January 27, 2025

This course changed my life. Thank you

Dave

December 17, 2024

Well thought out, and well presented. I learned a lot, and look forward to using the benefits I received from this class .

Mitchell

December 10, 2024

Wonderful introduction to Pranayama breathing and meditation for me. Highly recommended.

marjari

November 30, 2024

An excellent course. Thank you.

Randy

November 10, 2024

This course is such a gift - a way to learn and connect with the breath. It is more than just practice, it is an exploration of the power of breathing of Pranayama and its history and benefits. An excellent introduction. I’m am better off from taking this course.

Erin

October 3, 2024

Wonderful course on breath

John

September 25, 2024

An excellent and informative course. I loved the detail in explanations as well as the practice at the end of each day. I feel like I’ve learnt a lot about the power of the breath and how to apply it, yet also the esoteric nature and how to apply that as well. Thank you.

Jen

September 24, 2024

This is an amazingly beneficial and well planned and presented course. Thank you for your knowledge and generosity, Leah.

Donna

August 25, 2024

Clearly explained how it works in such a calming voice. What a gift !

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