Expect stress levels to be high for many if not most of us over the next few weeks!
As if we are not busy enough. As if there aren’t already more than enough things to do. I just breathed with a guy who was pressing to finish a number of work projects before the year’s end. And after work, it is all about shopping and cooking, office parties, religious duties, and family gatherings
Between traffic jams, packed airports, and long lines everywhere, there’s the traditional increase in credit card debt. Heck, just trying to figure out what to get certain people can be a source of great stress! When will you find the time to send out all the Christmas cards? And at Christmas dinner, do you hold your tongue as usual or do you finally speak your mind to your Aunt Lucie or your Uncle Harry?
For many, the holidays will be marked by lost loved ones. And yet, under it all, behind it all, after all, it is a very special season of appreciation and celebration. It is a time to connect more deeply with our family and friends, to spread peace and good will in the greater community.
Where will your attention be this season?
What will be your focus?
What will you be doing with your energy?
Here is a simple lesson from the soon-to-be-released Breath Mastery Fundamentals Program. A way to help you coast through the holiday season with a relaxed body, a quiet mind, and a peaceful heart!
Inhale, exhale, pause…
Inhale, exhale, pause…
Inhale, exhale, pause…
Sounds so simple, doesn’t it? And it is! In fact, it is nature’s way of breathing us when we are at rest. It’s the way your body breathes itself when nothing is disturbing your comfort or peace.
Try it now. Do it consciously. Breathe the “Triangle Breath.â€
Inhale, exhale, pause…
Inhale, exhale, pause…
Inhale, exhale, pause…
Practice a 4-4-4 pattern for a minute or two right now.
Count 4 on the inhale.
Count 4 on the exhale.
And count 4 on the pause.
How do you feel doing after six to twelve Triangle Breaths where each side is equal?
By the way, if you have been counting in seconds, that’s a rate of six breaths per minute—a proven “therapeutic zone†guaranteed to trigger relaxation and to release stress.
At our live breathwork events, I train participants in two directions: comfort and challenge. And so, I encourage you to do the same. Discover what is comfortable, and explore what is challenging.
Start with a 3-3-3 or a 4-4-4 pattern, and then adjust it in the direction of ease and comfort. Change the size or shape of the triangle. Maybe you make the inhale longer or shorter, or the exhale longer or shorter. Maybe you adjust the length of the pause.
Go ahead and practice right now. Breathe the Triangle Breath for a full minute or two, and adjust the inhale, exhale and pause in a way that feels easy and natural, interesting or pleasurable, relaxing or energizing.
Practice now for one or two minutes and identify your most comfortable Triangle Breath. Is it 5-5-5? 4-2-6? 8-4-4? 3-6-3? Whatever it is, it could be your unique way re-focus and destress, a way to clear your head, settle your stomach, and calm your nerves!
The second direction of training is challenge. For example: is it difficult for you to enjoy a long pause after the exhale? Then practice in that direction! If your comfortable pause is only 2 or 3 or 4 seconds, then practice until you can enjoy a comfortable pause of at least 6 or 8 or 12…
Some training tips:
1. When you breathe, don’t use any unnecessary muscular effort. Make the inhales conscious but not forced.
2. While inhaling, consciously enjoy the feelings of expansion. And while you are exhaling, focus on deliberately relaxing your body.
3. And as for the pause, let it be like coming home. Make that pause after the exhale a comfort zone. Don’t rush into the next inhale! Linger in the quiet open feeling of inner stillness.
Good luck in your practice, and many blessings on your path!
May your holiday season be filled with healthy comfort, and natural joy!