«Back to Calm Mind
Get to work or school. Have coffee or pop. No breakfast. Go. Go. Go. No rest. Lunch gobbled. More tasks to get done. Home. Supper. Housework and chores. Brought work home. Other responsibilities, too. Collapse on the couch, to shut down mind and watch TV. The stress of the day still held tight in the body.
Bed. To fret and toss and turn, until morning.
Sound familiar?
I won’t tell you about the risks of stress. You know them already. Instead, I’ll give a new perspective.
Stress is like a demented, aggressive Siamese twin. It has its own agenda and it is a part of your body. Alarmingly, you try every which way, but realize you can’t get rid of it, even though stress is trying to make you do crazy things. Well, if science has found a way to separate Siamese twins surgically with good results, we can learn how to separate stress from our lives. And we’ll probably be much more successful because…well no surgery involved here.
But don’t take this to mean you should pause suddenly in the middle of a hectic day, suck in two quick breaths, then take off running again into the rat race. Give yourself a couple of minutes. And don’t be afraid. That anxiety twanging inside you at the prospect of trying to relax will actually lessen with each slow, deep breath you take.
Here’s how to do it: Sit down. Pause. Become aware of the breath moving into your nose. Take a few breaths. Then notice the incoming air brush by your nose hairs and move into your nasal passages. Take a few breaths to get used to this newfound sensation. Feel your breath flow down your throat and into your lungs. Inhale and exhale a few times, being aware of the path of your breath. Then go deeper. Feel the breath continue, in a more mystical sense, into your abdomen, as your belly expands and contracts with each inhalation and exhalation. Continue breathing this way for a few minutes, experiencing the natural rhythm of this inflow and outflow.
This is ‘your’ breath. From the time you are born to the time you die, your way of inhaling and exhaling air is unique to you. This is the breath of life that is so vital for your existence. It is also a credible and powerful method to use in slowly separating that Siamese twin, stress, away from you.
Try this simple de-stress method for a few minutes each day. Sit peacefully and breathe.
Photo Credit: Gareth Weeks
«Back to Calm Mind