Metta Breathwork

Instagram: @metta.breathwork

Metta Breathwork is a journey into the heart - a synthesis of Ayurvedic wisdom, conscious breathing, and the gentle power of self-love.

An Ayurvedic Approach to Breath

In Ayurveda, every person carries a unique balance of the three forces — Vata, Pitta, and Kapha. Each state of imbalance calls for a different rhythm, depth, and quality of breath:

    • Vata (air & space) — when anxiety or restlessness dominates, a healing breath should be slow, deep, and grounding, calming the nervous system and restoring inner stillness.

    • Pitta (fire & water) — for stress, frustration, or over ambition, cooling and releasing breaths help to soften the solar plexus and restore harmony in the heart.

    • Kapha (earth & water) — when energy feels heavy or stagnant, invigorating and uplifting breaths awaken vitality and motivation.

By honoring these natural rhythms, Metta Breathwork meets each person’s emotional and energetic needs — rather than applying one fixed technique for all.

The Practice

Each session weaves together:

    • How to chose the right breathing technique
    • Conscious connected breathing

    • Mindful body awareness

    • Loving-kindness meditation

    • Deep rest and integration

The experience is guided, safe, and nurturing — allowing emotions, memories, and tension to be released with compassion rather than effort or force.

Benefits

    • Calms the mind and balances the nervous system

    • Releases emotional blockages and old patterns

    • Cultivates self-acceptance and inner peace

    • Strengthens connection to the body and present moment

    • Increases vitality, clarity, and joy

    • Awakens the heart’s natural capacity for love

A Breath of Love

Metta Breathwork reminds us that healing does not come from doing more - it comes from being more loving toward ourselves. Each breath is a returning home - to softness, to stillness, and to the quiet truth that love is already within us.

Meet the founders:

Janesh Vaidya
Janesh Vaidya, MD and Managing Director of Vaidya’s Ayurveda Village in Kerala, India, is an internationally acclaimed Ayurveda practitioner, lecturer, and author of best-selling health books in Europe. Born into a traditional Ayurvedic family, he began learning the practice from his grandmother and extended his studies to Mana-shastra (psychology), Vedanta (philosophy), Dhyana (meditation), Kalari marma chikitsa (Kerala martial arts therapy), and Yoga chikitsa (yoga therapy) in traditional South Indian gurukulam schools.

Janesh holds a bachelor’s degree from Mahatma Gandhi University and a master’s degree in Human Resources Development. For over a decade, he has shared his knowledge of Ayurveda in Europe and the United States through lectures, columns, and books, with works translated into multiple languages including German, Swedish, Danish, Finnish, Norwegian, Dutch, English, Portuguese, and Hindi.

Malin Barrling
Malin Barrling, Ayurveda Yoga Therapist, has been teaching and practicing yoga worldwide for over 20 years. She designs individualized yoga therapy programs to support healing, while also educating students to become yoga therapists themselves. With a teaching degree from Uppsala University and extensive experience with clients, Malin blends theory and intuition to teach yoga in a pedagogic and approachable way.

She is co-author and translator of several books on Ayurveda and yoga, including Yoga Is My Therapy and Food Is My Medicine. Follow her on Instagram @malinbarrling.

Book a Metta Breathwork workshop

To book a Metta Breathwork workshop for contact office coordinator Chinju Rajendran: office@janeshvaidya.com

Our Philosophy: Metta Breathwork and the Wisdom of Ayurveda

Metta Breathwork is rooted in the timeless healing system of Ayurveda, the traditional Indian science of life. Ayurveda teaches that each person is influenced by three life forces - Vata, Pitta, and Kapha - which shape the body, mind, and emotions. When these forces are in balance, we feel vibrant, calm, and connected; when out of balance, stress, anxiety, fatigue, or emotional heaviness can arise.

The Breath as Medicine

In Ayurveda, the breath (prana) is the vital life force sustaining body, mind, and spirit. Conscious breathing allows us to guide prana where it is most needed, supporting balance and inner harmony. Metta Breathwork uses this principle to create a practice that is individualized, adapting the pace, depth, and rhythm of the breath according to the participant’s current state and which forces need support:

    • Vata (air & space): grounding, stabilizing breaths calm anxious or restless minds.

    • Pitta (fire & water): soft, cooling breaths soothe stress, intensity, or irritability.

    • Kapha (earth & water): uplifting, energizing breaths dissolve heaviness and stagnation.

The Five Elements and Emotional Balance

Ayurveda recognizes five elements — Earth, Water, Fire, Air, and Space — present in all of us. Each element corresponds to physical and emotional qualities, and Metta Breathwork consciously works with these energies:

    • Earth: stability, grounding, patience

    • Water: fluidity, emotion, compassion

    • Fire: transformation, motivation, courage

    • Air: movement, creativity, clarity

    • Space: openness, reflection, presence

By aligning breath with these forces and elements, participants experience emotional clarity, nervous system regulation, and a deep reconnection with themselves.

Self-Love as Practice

At the heart of Metta Breathwork is metta, loving-kindness. Every session is an invitation to turn toward yourself with care, to meet your emotions without judgment, and to become your own ally instead of the inner critic that so many of us carry. Through this gentle, individualized practice, participants nurture self-acceptance, inner peace, and resilience, creating a foundation for lasting emotional well-being.

Supporting Mental Health and Well-Being

Conscious breathing practices are known to reduce stress, regulate the nervous system, improve focus, and foster emotional balance. When combined with the heart-centered approach of Metta Breathwork, the practice becomes a powerful tool for self-regulation, emotional release, and awakening your inner strength and love.

A Journey Back to Yourself

Metta Breathwork is not about forcing change or reaching a goal. It is a return to home — to your body, your breath, and your heart. By honoring the wisdom of Ayurveda, the guiding forces of Vata, Pitta, and Kapha, and the medicine of loving breath, every session is an opportunity to meet yourself fully, cultivate compassion, and awaken the quiet strength and love that have always been within you.

The Meaning of Metta

The word Metta comes from Pali, the ancient language of the early Buddhist teachings, and means loving-kindness - an unconditional friendliness toward oneself and all beings. Its Sanskrit root is Maitrī, from Mitra, meaning friend. Both point to the same essence: the warmth of an open heart and the natural wish for harmony, safety, and happiness for all.

In Metta Breathwork, this ancient principle becomes a living experience. Each breath is an act of maitrī  -  a return to friendship with oneself. Through the guidance of Ayurveda, we learn to understand our own nature, to meet our emotions with compassion, and to become our own best friend - instead of the inner critic or enemy many of us are used to hearing in our minds.

When breath and love meet, self-acceptance begins to flow naturally. Healing is no longer something we do; it is something we allow.