Wow. Who knew? I can calm my own self down, for goodness sake, super easily; anywhere, any place, at any time.
I’ve apparently been living under a rock. I haven’t fully figured out until now that I can take command of my own mind and body, at least in regard to lessening the tension in myself, particularly in my neck and shoulders. It’s as remarkably easy as breathing.
It was beautiful from the first yoga class.
Follow me:
Blow all of your breath out
Close your mouth, and fill up with air through your nose to a slow count of six
At the top, draw one more breath and hold for a second or two
Slowly blow out your breath through the back of your throat, mouth closed, to the count of six. Blow it down the back of your throat so that it has a bit of an ocean wave sound affect.
Fill up with air again to the count of six, and repeat it all
That’s it. It’s called your ujjayi [ooh-jah-ee] breath.
They just taught the thirty-six volleyball referees from five continents, who worked at the Rio Olympics, a five-step process, in preparation for the games. It included things such as yoga, meditation, role-playing, breathing and visualization techniques. The point was to have the referees keep themselves calm during such high pressure conditions. Says Dan Apol, 44, of Denver, one of the few full-time volleyball referees, “A lot of people are watching, and when things go wrong, it gets noticed. I know for a fact there’s one camera from NBC that’s pointed at us at all times.”
According to the Wall Street Journal article published on August 17, 2016, volleyball officials said they are happy with how things have played out at the Olympics, stating that “The referees are showing a lot of tranquility.”
When I do a few rounds of breathing, during my breath out, my exhale, I can literally feel tension dissolve kind of down the back of my neck, then where my neck meets my shoulders, and then across the tops of both of my shoulders at the same time. It almost has a similar effect at that moment as having the area massaged.
I recommend trying it.
And of course, when there is time for indulgence, it is glorious to do some meditative breathing, in a comfortable seated position, with a candle burning in your space, and the following album playing in the background, Spiritual Cleansing, by Asian Zen Spa Music Meditation on Spotify, or the song Purification Mantra of Five Elements by Drukmo Gyal on SoundCloud.
You take charge of so many things in your day, perhaps take charge of at least some of the dissipation of your own stress.
I think you’ll like it. I do for sure.
Photo and quote pictured, from Karen Salmansohn, notsalmon.com
Somebody Else's Wisdom 