Don't Forget To Breathe

Hi!

I don't know about you... but life has been intense for me this last couple of months! I've been confronted with lot's of transition, letting go, meeting new challenges, stepping into new roles and parts of myself. It feels like more needs to happen in less time. Which means less time to get it 'right', and more diving into the thick of it and figuring things out as I go. 

This has been very stressful and has me dreaming about running away. A day on the beach or in the woods sounds amazing right now, but is not something I can do at the moment.    

When I get stressed like this I forget to BREATHE!

And breath is one of the quickest ways to create that relaxed vacation vibe without actually going anywhere.  You know the one where you feel all gooey, full of love & gratitude, and the world looks like a better place again?

Stress (the unhealthy kind), is one of the biggest destroyers of our quality of life. It makes everything tight... reeking havoc on all of our systems, throwing things out of balance, and showing up as headaches, body pains, digestive problems, not to mention impacting how we show up in our relationships. It eats away at our patience, creativity, peace, and ability to bring more of our divine qualities to the people and situations that are important to us. 

So what to do with these bunched shoulders, clenched butts, and tight jaws? 

First we become aware. Next we breathe.

Sounds simple enough right? So why do we forget to do this? 

Breathing like many other auto-mated parts of our lives, gets forgotten and almost taken for granted because it's just happening… With or without our attention on it. So our breath goes largely unobserved until we make a practice of observing it, like in meditation or yoga. 

But you don't have to wait for a meditative moment.  You can make a practice of it just by creating SPACE in your day TO WATCH your BREATH.

Especially in moments where you feel reactive, stressed, pressured, scared…. these are some of the best moments to pause and watch your breath:

Has it become tight and shallow?

Can you breathe into your belly? 

How does that change how you feel? 

Watch the sensations in your body… 

Look at what's happening in your thoughts. 

Take a few moments and breathe yourself in.

Then let the breath, which is also life, fill you up. 

Let it work its way to the tight spaces. 

Let it bring back some harmony. 

And you can do this at any point in your day. The most important thing is to make it consistent, make it a practice. And see how much closer you get to that vacation vibe.