Change.

healthwellnessyogameditationmindfulnesshealing

Nov 10

"Let go of the battle. Breathe quietly and let it be. Let your body relax and your heart soften. Open to whatever you experience without fighting."
-Jack Kornfield

How are you? Are you holding your breath? Are you waiting for the shoe to drop? Are your shoulders tense?

There are many reasons for our collective stress and distress, our worry and our tension. Today is an election. Today is a pandemic. Today is a storm, somewhere; a sadness somewhere; an uncertainty somewhere; a loss somewhere. Today is also a joy. A beginning, in a sense, because each day is a falling away and a coming home. And as we face change and unpredictability, of this day, of this year, of our place in this world, can we actually hold on gently to some sense of grounding; a space where we feel enveloped and held; solid and safe, even amidst the turmoil and uncertainty.

Where can we feel anchored and rooted, even when storms are raging all around us? How can we navigate this life-quake, this disruption, as we adapt, adjust, and course correct?

There is something predictable that we are doing right now. There is something that has been with us since birth, that we can actually feel empowered to control... our breath. It sounds simple; perhaps too simple..."yes, I'm breathing, what's the big deal..."

But here, for just one or two of the 20,000 breaths you take today, actually feel it. Notice whether you are inhaling or exhaling. Notice the predictability that this next breath is coming. Notice not having to reach or grasp for it. Now trust that you can take conscious control over this automatic system- and further, you can actually regulate the neurotransmitters that control the ratio of CO2 and O2 in your lungs- right now, in this conscious breath. You can play with the neural machinery that controls how your brain interacts with your body, your mood, and your responses. This is just science. Not woo-woo. Our breath is a tool and our neurobiology has the patent.

PRACTICE Right here: 2 inhales, then a long exhale.

Try it. INHALE - INHALE - EXHAAAALE.

The double inhale expands alveoli and pulls CO2 out of your bloodstream. The long exhale stimulates the calming mechanism in your brain.

This simple practice is available to you all the time, wherever you are. Try it. Because remember, trying to control your thoughts doesn’t work. Use your biology and neural circuitry, evolved over thousands of years. Focused breath- deliberate decompression. It’s more than a tool right now; it’s a necessity.