Exercise--with your Breath

The first thing we do when we are born: breathe.  The last thing we do before we die: breathe--to say nothing of the jillions upon billions of breaths in between.  The fastest path to feeling grounded and centered and in the moment is to take a deep inhalation and an equally deep exhalation.  Unfortunately, we forgot how to do this in modern, technology-driven busy life.

The work of the mind is to think, rethink, worry and wonder.  Some say that 95% of our thoughts today are the same ones we had yesterday.  This is tiresome and boring.  Unfortunately, knowing this is not enough to keep it from happening.  We have to engage the body to relieve the mind.  The breath is the fastest track.  By inhaling deeply through the nose--and exhaling equally deeply through the nose we engage the relaxation response in the body.  Whew--now we are out of the "monkey mind" of the head just by mindfully breathing.  The heart rate slows down.  We drop into the present moment (the body is always in the present moment).  We massage the internal organs.  The diaphragm pulls down on the inhalation; the rib cage expands; the internal organs get a massage all by breathing deeply and intentionally.

Modern life is hectic.  It keeps too much energy in the mind with the breath at the top of the chest.  We benefit from redirecting that energy downward--inside the body--so that we can literally get out of the mind and promote and protect our own health.  We don't need a gym membership for this. We don't need equipment.  We can do this in meetings, driving in the car, talking to difficult people.  We all have time for this.

When I teach yoga, chi flow and meditation, we work on improving our deep breathing.  We then move our bodies with the breath.  That means we create the "mind-body" connection.  When I go to my gym, the trainer coaches us to use the exhalation to lift challenging weights.  I notice the irony here. The weight is heavy.   The breath is invisible and weightless, yet it is the breath that is going to help me?  Why, yes.  That is just how powerful it is.

Exercise your breath.  Place your hands on your belly and inhale deeply through the nose.  Notice the belly expanding as the diaphragm presses down.  Notice your chest rise as your rib cage expands. Pause for a second.  Then send that breath back down as you exhale through the nose.  Notice a wave-like feeling as you continue to do this.  By tonifying the breath, you are promoting and protecting your own good health.

I highly recommend this form of exercise.  

A Lesson from the Solar Eclipse

On Monday August 21, 2017, the "once in a lifetime" opportunity to see the solar eclipse in the continental United States came and went.  I knew I would be working at the time, but I decided I was going outside to see what all the fuss was about.  I don't know much about astronomy, but anything that might happen once in a lifetime automatically merits attention.   My uncle, a retired physicist, sent the special glasses and a solar eclipse guidebook explaining what to expect.  In this book, I read about how ancient peoples viewed the solar eclipse with fear because they thought the end was near.

I stood in the parking lot with other "sky gazers" and watched through some cloud cover as the shadow of the moon passed over the sun--and eclipsed it.  In Minnesota, it was 83% eclipsed.  Afterwards I was listening to the radio when people from all over the country were talking about their experiences.  Poets were writing poetry.  Astrophysicists, scientists, school teachers, librarians, thrill-seekers were absorbing it.  In the evening, I saw photos of friends around the country experiencing the eclipse.  Truth be told, I love the snaps of people in their special glasses looking up.

This whole experience made me think of two things specifically.  One, it was a great moment for a lot of people in the continental United States to anticipate and then participate in something so "other-worldly" from "outer" space.  It wasn't a reality tv show or you tube video.  It was real, and it has been going on forever...just not all that often.  This event directed our energy and focus upward (as in positive and hopeful).  This reminded me of when my daughter and lots of other readers of all ages were consumed with the Harry Potter books.  I didn't read them myself, but there was a time when it seemed like the whole world was concentrating on the same thing.

The other thing this eclipse made me reflect on is that while the dark (shadow of the moon) was eclipsing the light--the sun was still shining just as brightly as it always does.  It was just as hot and just as normal as usual, but only a tiny "collar" of yellow light or a crescent was visible.  We didn't have to be scared that the light wouldn't return.  We knew how quickly this would pass.

As we move through life, there is too much that is fake that is pulling our attention away from what is real.  It ends up feeling unfulfilling.  While it might sound like a fun idea spending time on social media, too much time on social media leaves us empty.   It actually takes something away.   By returning to the things that are important, the people who are significant, the activities that give us joy, we return to the heart.  The heart is real.  We return to a source of happiness that cannot be duplicated.

When we are happy, we want more for ourselves.  When we are happy, we seek out other happy people and attract them effortlessly.  We want more of that great energy  When we are happy, we are more resilient and can cope with stress and unexpected setbacks.  When we are happy, we don't dwell on the darkness and forget that there is light behind it because we are grounded in the knowledge that darkness chases light while light chases darkness.  Things are always shifting.  That is the natural order of life just like the yin/yang symbol.

Misery will eventually force us to make a change.  We can't take it anymore.  However, it is happiness that keeps us motivated to continue.  I encourage everyone to slow down long enough to notice the wonderful moments, big and small, that come along in the course of a day.  From the ritual of the morning coffee to the accomplishment of a great workout, to the bliss of a gentle yoga class, to the time spent walking the dog to cultivating the summer garden and to the people who make it all worthwhile, take a moment to notice what you are surrounded by.  Take a moment to savor the things that make your days special no matter how small they seem to be.  Grand moments, big, fancy vacations, once in a lifetime trips are occasional.  The everyday is what we get most often.  For that reason, we deserve to make it more than just work and obligation and chores.  We deserve to cultivate a happier, more contented lifestyle so that we can attract exactly what we really want.  Our heart is the arrow, literally the direction that will guide the way.  The mind will govern our actions.  The body will bring the energy to take it on.  

Choose more happiness for your day, for your life, for your people, for your heart's desire.  It is healthy.

Separating Myths from Facts

There are many myths when it comes to weight loss.  Because we hear them so often we start believing they might be true.  For starters, let's consider this one:  it's too hard to lose weight after a certain age. While I have even heard tell that some doctors say this to their patients, the fact is this is not true.  The truth is that we lose muscle mass as we age--starting in the late twenties.  Muscle tissue burns calories even at rest.  If we aren't working to build muscle mass as we age, this can be a contributing factor to weight gain.  Stress is also a major factor in weight gain.  When we are stressed, the body secretes cortisol into the adrenal glands which helps retain belly fat while bringing about cravings for sugar high fat foods.  Overconsuming sugar and high saturated fats contribute to weight gain.  Stress also helps the mind continue to ruminate over the past and worry about the future.  This often results in sleeplessness. People who don't sleep well don't lose weight well and have a harder time with metabolism.   As we age, the stressors mount with family responsibilities, job pressures, finances.  In short, is it harder to lose weight as we age--yes.  Is it impossible--NO.

I have just debunked but one of the weight loss myths that we might buy into.  The problem is this could become a self fulfilling prophesy.  In that case, we might not even try to shed unwanted pounds because we think it is a lost cause.  It is not--it is a "losing battle" that we can win if we face it one moment at a time.  We can't be perfect, but we aren't aiming for perfect.  We are aiming for better.

Being healthy at every age is a worthy pursuit.  Finding new ways to live well, new foods to try, new cooking methods and gadgets (spriralized zucchini "noodles"), new physical activities and new hobbies that bring fulfillment are all part of what keeps us wanting more for ourselves.  We are never done evolving unless we give up.

Consider the myths you may be telling yourself that are holding you back.  Consider whether they are based in reality or are just something to release so that you can get what you really want.  You can have more fulfillment.

Fulfillment is ageless.

What YOU Think is What Matters Always

Getting caught up in what other people think of us is a colossal waste of time, but let's think about how regularly it happens in today's world, especially with social media.  Everyone is an author.  Everyone is a critic. Everyone gets to have an opinion.  Everyone can weigh in (ha ha) on everyone else's activities, photos, thoughts, pets, vacations, baby's names, etc. There is no end to this madness.  In fact, with the rapid fire pace of too much information coming at us, we are actually conditioned to have an opinion about every single thing.  This includes things that may not even matter to us.

Let's come back to what's really important--YOU.  What is the voice of the inner critic saying these days?  What is the voice that runs through your mind day in and day out telling you about how you are in your mind?  What is that voice telling you about how you are in your fulfillment?  What is that voice telling you about how you are in your body?  And finally, what is that voice telling you about how you are living your precious life now?

The answers to these questions are what really consumes us and captures our attention.  This is what really matters.  How you feel about yourself--in any aspect you choose to consider is what makes you happy or content or miserable, hopeful or despairing, clear and focused or cluttered and distracted, energized or fatigued.

We cannot now or ever control what others think of us.  We cannot control their thoughts or their behavior or their comments.  However, we can control our own.  We can control what we choose to believe about ourselves.  We can replace negative feedback with positive and affirming words.

We can't control our feelings.  Because they exist, they are legitimate.  Period.  However, we can control how we react to our feelings.   For example, when we are upset about something at work or with someone at home, we can notice that this is a normal part of life.  It's not the fun part, but it is normal.  We can tell ourselves that we are not going to eat our feelings in an effort to deal with the situation.  We can retrain our brain and our bodies to react differently by choosing a positive coping tool.  We can rewrite our very own script and begin a new conversation with ourselves--one that we can be proud of.

Have no fear, life will bring plenty of challenging situations to our doorstep giving us an opportunity to step up, stand tall, be clear and talk straight to OURSELVES.   This week, listen for the voice of reason that supports positive change.  Listen for the voice of fulfillment that wants so much more.  Listen to the best of you.  You deserve that.  It's you.  It's you.  It always was you.

Get Up and Go Sometimes/Slow Down and Notice Other Times

When I was at my Chi Gong teacher certification training a few weeks ago, we enjoyed a tea ceremony every day after lunch.  In this ceremony, a special tea from a special place in China is served.  It's called puer tea.  It is the gold standard in the tea world and sells by the small brick for many thousands of dollars.  It can be presented in a wooden box for safe keeping and is aged over years.  It is precious, but it is also an every-day thing.  There is a lot more to the story, and I am still learning.  However, like wine--it has a special place of origin that carries with it the properties of that geographic place.  This is part of what makes it life giving.  By partaking of this tea, the earth energy and all it brings with it, comes to you. 

During the tea pouring, we sat in a circle as Master Lee broke off (sometimes with a sharp blade) some of the tea leaves from the block of puer tea.  He placed them in a small tea pot after pouring boiling water over the pot (marking cleansing) and let it steep and quickly discarded this first small pot.  Then he did it again.  The tea cups were slightly larger than egg cups.  No handles despite the fact that the tea is very hot.  (It may have been the British ladies who added handles to their tea cups.) Very little tea gets shared at one time, because the cups are so small.  We learned that by having a small cup, you are forced to pay attention to the tea, how it makes you feel, to what is going on, to what you are doing.  No one is getting jumbo anything here.  After the first pot is poured and drunk, then the pourer makes another pot with the same puer tea leaves still in the tiny tea pot.  Now the leaves are getting yet another steeping and distribution.  This could go on for quite some time--perhaps even twenty steepings of the same tea leaves during this one ceremony.  The pot itself gets refreshed with hot water--cleansing. 

The tea is served on a wooden tray with a built-in drain that keeps that clean as well.  There is talk.  There is joy.  There is feeling differently because of the properties of the tea.  Most importantly, there is noticing.  This was such a nice way to slow down and enjoy the moment, to find balance.  I have to confess that I miss this ritual. 

I start the day with one cup of strong black coffee that I make at home.  I still like that single cup of coffee for the day, but that is for "getting going."  For calming and relaxing and enjoying, it's tea.  I am committed to learning more about this ritual and how it can help create balance in daily life.  Let's face it, that is when and where we need it the most. 

Master Lee Holden also talked about the polarity in all things.   In modern life we are faced with an overabundance of choices.  From the 200 food decisions we make regularly to what to watch on our devices to what to block out on our devices, we are swamped.  It's too much for the brain--and too much for the body to take in.  By slowing down long enough to notice your tea, your wonderful strawberries, your body and how it feels today, you can create a mini shift into a much happier existence.  This, we have at our disposal.  It comes from our desire for more.  Paying attention to both the form and the formless--as in the clouds in the sky and the space between the clouds-- allows us to notice all of what is there.  Sure, I may not be having as many cocktails as my friends--but look at what not having as many cocktails as my friends does for me.   I may not be eating portions as large as I used to--but look at the "room" that creates in my life to get more of what I really want.

The more I know, the more I keep learning.  I am glad to share this with you.