I burnt out and hit a wall.

I was only in my late twenties, working long hours as an engineer in front of the screen. And even though I was enjoying it immensely, creating cool products I really liked, the pace and intensity wasn't sustainable.

So I found myself one day, on the bus home from work — almost dissociating and just needing to hold the seat in front of me tight to bring me back into my body. Suddenly I felt dizzy, fatigued and like something unknown was looming over me that I hadn't realized was there until now.

Fueled by caffeine and drive I hadn't noticed that I was spending all my time in my head, in my mind; and not in my body.

This experience slingshot me into a journey of reconnecting with my body. A healing journey that would take me almost a decade of experimentation and Yoga practice. To be honest it's still an ongoing journey, but I have learned a lot and am at a point where I want to share more of it and the tools I have learned along the way.

The Breath

One of, if not the most important aspect of being embodied — and by being embodied I mean staying connected to the visceral feeling sensations of the body at all times — is the breath.

Whenever I start to feel disconnected, unregulated or stressed, coming back to the breath and engaging the full dynamic range of the diaphragm is the most immediate way to bring regulation, ease and relaxation to my system.

This is something I often forget when I am deep in the zone in front of the computer, grinding out code, features, or even connecting to like-minded people through social media and DMs.

So I made an app that both guides me through visualized breathing exercises and reminds me to do them at my chosen times. It pauses during meetings, and through macOS Shortcuts integration it can even pause my music or change the playlist during breathing.

It's called Glimt and I am very proud of it.

If you are interested and want to test it out, there is a limited number of early access coupon codes available. Use the code EARLYACCESS30 during checkout for 30% off.

Sincerely, and with much love
@yornaath