Tiny Resolutions January 5: Take a breather

Monday, Monday...

thoughtful breath leads to joy

After a couple of work weeks broken up by holidays, most of us are facing a month or so of workworkwork, with brief collapses on the weekend to do the laundry, get the groceries, deal with the  personal busy-ness that gets shoved to the side.  School's starting again for others.  So before things get too crazy, take a few minutes today to engage in some mindful breathing.

Probably most of you are familiar with belly breaths (diaphragmatic breathing) or other techniques to help get the old used up air out of our lungs so that the good stuff can get in.  You don't have to get to fancy about this.  Just breathe a little slower and a little deeper than usual.  Let yourself rest in the space between exhaling and inhaling and exhaling again.  Let your chest be soft and your belly rise with the inhale.  Don't get too worried about doing it right; you've been breathing all your life.  You know this.

assisted breathing in the forest

If you like, take it a little deeper.  Be a curious observer of your body breathing.  Notice the air going in and out.  Notice your thoughts come and go, then go back to observing the breath.

Breathing in this calm, relaxed way works as a biofeedback to your brain, telling it everything is under control.  It isn't important at this juncture to believe it; your body will do the convincing.  Like a baby being rocked slower and slower until she falls asleep, your brain will follow your body's lead that life is safe and all is well in this very moment of breath.  But feel free to pipe in with the same mantra if you want to talk about it.

There's a related challenge tomorrow on this nifty body mind trick-- be sure to check back.  But just for today, take a breather.

Videos if you'd like guided help:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7wFX9Wn70eM  
Guided breathing meditation for stress relief.  9 minutes and a narrator whose voice is liquid Valium

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=67SeR3LxtdI
I like this narrator a lot.  10 minute observational breathing meditation with low cheese factor

http://youtu.be/BDQKFXeC2Dc   Full monte, with music, fish and an accent.  16 minutes.

See if you can get yourself to sit still and experience one of these today.  Notice how it feels later-- did it change anything for you?

Song of the day which refused to embed.  Click and enjoy.  Alexi Murdoch:  Don't Forget to Breath.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wCEzoOpG1

See you Tuesday, breather