Your sign for a second heart beat

I am in Ticino as I write, Switzerland’s southernmost and sunniest canton and yet it’s been raining almost non-stop for two days. All I can think about is that life feels strange without my second heart beat next to me. It’s not the first time I’ve had to leave my little Aussie shepherd Bouddi at doggo camp in the name of work and it’s not the first time I’ve missed her presence fiercely. But somehow this week her absence is more felt and I am convinced that it’s because it’s the first time since she came into my life where work hasn’t felt like an emergency response with a thousand urgent things to be ticked off the to do list. 

In this moment where I feel calm and regulated and not externally filled with stress, I notice the absence of her little doggo heart beat, usually beside me, sometimes glued to me, immensely. I notice that my own excitement waking up to a new day pales compared to the sheer joy she brings to 6.30am. I notice it’s raining so I see no reason to go outside without her to remind me that the planet is bliss to walk upon whatever the weather. My hands long for the soft, calming touch of her natural fluffiness and I note I don’t feel nearly as fluffy myself without her nearby. 

Bouddi, her name means heart in indigenous language, most likely that of the Darkinjung and Guringai peoples, arrived in my life, at the moment when I thought my own heart could not break any harder. She arrived to remind me that I could swap selfishness for selflessness, entitlement for humility, worry for awe, depression for self compassion, and to give me a giant dose of perspective. 

It's been almost four years of living together, living with a dog – with Bouddi, with my second heart beat, and I’ve always known that 90 per cent of the time her mood is a reflection of mine, of my energy. She’s my mirror to remind me to check myself, to regulate my emotions, that every second is an opportunity to choose joy. Bouddi taught me to speak to myself, the way I speak to my dog - everything and everyone is AMAZING – including me. From ‘sit’ to ‘place’ to ‘up’ – if I can reward my dog for such simple wins then I can most definitely reward myself multiple times each day. 

This week Bouddi is teaching me about co-regulation. Even though I know the science behind this technique, even though I intentionally model a calm and regulated nervous system for my clients, even though I practice this regulation daily, I have failed to notice just how much regulation I receive from my dog. And nervous system regulation is a gateway for health, longevity AND bringing your dreams to life – so it’s way more than just a ‘nice to have’, and more like an essential life hack.

Wake up sleepless - bad luck, let’s go outside and see the world! Snowing like crazy - not to worry, let’s go and enjoy the fresh air anyway! Feeling sad - not a problem, let me wiggle and cheer you up. Anger got the best of you - let the soft stroke of my fur calm you down. 

The presence of a dog is but a balm for all the hard and painful emotions that come with life and living. That second heart beat is the safe, steady co-regulation you’ve been seeking. Bouddi’s physical absence from my day to day this week reminds me that I welcome in every walk, every extra pee break, every early morning, every trip to the vet, every bark of excitement, every unreasonable demand for yet another treat. And that I genuinely prefer the time, the routine and the responsibility that having Bouddi in my life gives me, over the absence of her fast beating doggo heart beside me. 

If you have or have had a dog you know exactly what I mean. If you’re thinking about getting a dog, then yes - this is your sign! And for those of you still reading and who think wow what a crazy dog lady, may your life be long and laborious without ever knowing the pleasure of a furry friend and regulated nervous system. 

Can’t have a dog (even though you want one) but still want to learn how to live with a regulated nervous system? Breathe with me and enjoy the calm. You can practice with me today for free at Donnaprana Global

Mother Nature is our antidote to aversion

Welcome to the latest and last installment of The Rewilded Woman. Thank you for sticking with me and I hope from the bottom of my heart that you’ve found something to connect with, within these ten stories that makes you feel deeply rewilded and unapologetically you.

When people ask me for my number one wellbeing hack I always tell them to go meditate, as often as they can, ideally every day. And I know that very few of the people I tell that to, have any interest in sitting cross legged on a cushion, being alone with their mind. There is a severe modern aversion to being with our thoughts and a digitally driven addiction to algorithm induced, instant dopamine hits! Everything about that is the antithesis to rewilding, to wellbeing.

The ‘easy’ version of meditation is Mother Nature. The sound frequency of a running river and the calming impact that it has on our mind. The sound of birdsong and the regulating impact it has on our nervous system, signaling that we are safe. The release of natural oils (phytoncides) from trees and how when we breathe them in as we walk through a forest they lower cortisol, reduce blood pressure, decrease anxiety and strengthen your immune system - for real!

This is rewilding in its easiest and most primal form. This is what reminds me that we do not need to be fixed, we just need to remember. We know in our cells, with our body wisdom, with our innate feminine knowing that Mother Nature is the source of our strength, our power, our health and happiness and yet we turn away from her in favour of a version of wealth and wellbeing defined by everyone but ourselves.

The ancient science of Ayurveda is a pathway back to the natural world, guided by its elemental system of earth, water, fire, air and space. Yoga is the wisdom that helps us slow down enough that we can connect to what we truly need and remember that it’s not another hour of scrolling but a night of star gazing. Rewilding is the journey of the feminine Huntress archetype, the forest warrior, at home walking the planet, surrounded by animals, her home within, and deeply comfortable in her divine feminine power.

If you are ever lost and find yourself disconnected, come back to the land, turn your gaze to the sky, go watch a sunrise or a sunset, put your bare feet in the grass and remember the f%&k you are. Mother Nature has the incredible capacity to place us in a state of awe and remind us of who and what are truly important. All you have to do is let her in.

And with that, The Rewilded Woman is complete for 2025. You can find the other Rewilded Woman stories below and make sure you’re signed up to my Bliss Blog for more news on dismantling the patriarchy and re-becoming your most unapologetic self.

My wish for you is that you end this year on your own time, feeling completely rewilded and unapologetically you. And I absolutely cannot wait to rewild with you more in 2026. Thank you for having me in your world and I’ll see you very soon.

PS Come rewild with me in real life on my Wild Soul Retreat in May 2026 in Ticino, Switzerland - exclusive early access price is still available until 31 December 2025.

The innate power of our breath to rewild

I’m back with the penultimate, (I just so wanted to use this wonderful word today), story from The Rewilded Woman. And truly what could be more wild than the power of our breath. This absolutely free, innately human tool that provides us with life, moment after moment, is one of the greatest - and one of the most under utilized - miracles of our lifetime.

How we breathe, both naturally and in a controlled way, (called pranayama, one of the eight limbs of yoga identified in the yoga sutras and essentially how we direct life force around our body), has the power to completely change our health and how we feel physically and mentally for better or worse.

Conscious breathing calms the nervous system, reduces stress, lowers our heart rate, sharpens our focus, and helps us process emotions by activating the body's relaxation, (‘rest and digest’) response. Breathing and how we breathe is deeply connected to our ability to rest and the quality of our sleep. If you’ve read the wonderful book ‘Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art’ by James Nestor, you’ll have already explored all the arguments against ‘mouth breathing’ and its detrimental health impacts.

When we are not in control of our breath, we cannot feel like ourselves and this is because breathing is so intrinsically linked to the state of our nervous system. If our nervous system isn’t regulated, as in we are highly stressed, or we are in and out of the ‘fight, flight or freeze’ experience, or we are constantly in a state of hyper-vigilance then our breathing, our state of mind and our ability to just be ‘us’ is wildly and negatively impacted.

And this is why breathing is such a fundamental practice in the ancient Eastern sciences of Ayurveda and yoga. Western science is starting to catch up but you dear one don’t need to wait.

In yoga and Ayurveda, pranayama is defined as breath control and it acts as a bridge to our nervous system and can be summarized with the phrase, ‘when we breathe better, we feel better’. And when you feel better, you can relax into being unapologetically you.

Some of my favourite breathing patterns including counting the breath to maintain focus and reduce unhelpful thought patterns, sheetali breath, inhaling through the tongue or lips and exhaling out the mouth for cooling body, mind and emotions (#menopausehack), and nadhi shodhana or as it’s often called alternate nostril breathing for overall balance, focus and clarity. There are many many more breathing patterns (pranayama) available and they all create different qualities in the body and mind.

Breathing, in my view, is an entire system, an entire body of work which is so freely accessible to everyone and has such immediate positive effects on our wellbeing, that it is a vital practice to living unapologetically. Knowing how to control your breathing enables you to actively regulate your nervous system and that  means that you are no longer at the whim of external forces and systems that do their best to destabilize you. And let’s be honest, the patriarchy is entirely designed to destabilize women, to have us second guessing ourselves, to make us feel small, to traumatize us into inaction. When women know how to breathe, we have the power to reclaim our agency and throw off the shackles of oppression. All with an inhale and an exhale. Wildly powerful stuff right?!

As this year begins to draw to a close, remember that you can begin again as yourself in any moment with just a single breath. Tightness can transform to expansion with a big inhale, stuckness can be released with an intentional exhale, stress can be reduced with slow deep breaths and suddenly we see magic and miracles when our breathing becomes mindful.

Movement forces us to remember who we are

I hope you are having a beautiful week. In my last story from The Rewilded Woman I shared some of the juiciest Ayurveda nuggets that I believe are a fast track to helping us live unapologetically as ourselves, to live as rewilded women. The beauty (or is the word relief?) of Ayurveda is that its foundation is not about fixing ourselves but instead coming back to our truest essence.

Yoga and Ayurveda are often called sister sciences and if you go to an Ayurveda doctor it’s very likely you’ll walk away with a yoga prescription to get you moving. This is because yoga is believed to be one of the ways in which we can move prana (a Sanskrit word for ‘life force’) around our bodies and remove toxins and physical and energetic blocks that create diseases.

Bottom line? Movement is absolutely critical to rewilding ourselves and to tuning into who we really are so we can go be her every single day. It is physically impossible to 1) notice how you feel and 2) feel good by sitting on your sofa, at your desk or in your car all day. We’ve all done it, a 12 hour day at the office, a long roadtrip, a Netflix binge, and we all know that these are not our finest moments.

Daily movement is a literal life-saving component to good health and without good health it’s hard to be ourselves. According to the World Health Organization, the global estimate of the cost of physical inactivity to the public health care systems between 2020 and 2030 is around USD $300 billion or $27 billion annually. The benefits of regular physical activity are undisputedly and scientifically both physical and mental.

There’s three key elements here that are worth speaking out loud.

1. When we don’t move our bodies we don’t know how we truly feel. Mindful movement where we connect breath and movement together intentionally is one way of helping us notice where we feel good or where we feel pain or tightness.

2. Inactivity means our brains don’t have the chance to increase endorphins, the brain’s feel-good neurotransmitters, or reduce stress hormones which are things regular exercise offers us. Think of a daily walk or 15 minutes on your yoga mat as a way of making sure your mind has exactly what it needs to feel good.

3. Most people think ‘if only I was in a better mood then I’d go out for that run’ but the opposite is true - (good) mood follows action rather than your mood being the thing to change how you feel. Basically you can’t think your way out of a bad mood but you can move your way into a good mood!

Movement is one of the four systems and bodies of knowledge that I use to rewild myself regularly. In fact the full title of my Bachelor Degree is ‘Bachelor of Health Science, Human Movement’. Yes I was obsessed from an early age! And there are days I wonder if I would still be earthside without movement and the positive impact it has had on my mind. I have yoga’d, run, hiked, walked, danced and swam my way back to sanity over and over again. When I am moving my body I remember who I am, I feel most like myself.

If you are not moving in your favourite way every single damn day then it might be hard to feel like yourself every day too. One of the things that stops me moving - almost paralyzes me - is the idea that it has to be a 90 minute yoga class, or an hour long run or a complete tour of the neighbourhood with the dog. This feels like time I don’t have and makes me feel overwhelmed - maybe it’s the same for you too. New motto? Everything thing counts - absolutely all kinds of movement count, including a morning dance party with your kids, that bike ride to work, 10 minutes on your yoga mat, a walking meeting in the sun, skipping rope  - whatever the thing is, as long as you’re moving you’re also rewilding your body to be in its natural state and your giving your body, mind and spirit the absolutely best chance to feel like you.

I shall now step off of my soapbox and leave you to it. But I would absolutely love to hear what kind of movement you’re into and how it makes you feel.

Sending you much love and please keep reading for the last two stories from The Rewilded Woman which are yet to come!