Hoping Toku doesn’t mind me quoting his blog post for Day 3’s challenge!
In his post, he gave us 6 techniques we can use to “get to know our breath.” They are: 3 Deep Breaths, Thankful Breath, Vibrant Breath, Letting Go Breath, Waking Breath, and Meditative Breath. See his post for descriptions.
I like the thankful breath the best. What a great way to change your perspective!
Instead of “Ugh. More reimbursements?” Breathe and be thankful that I have work to do.
Instead of “I really don’t want
Instead of fuming at how messy my house is, breathe and be thankful I have a roof over my head.
What I did: Inhaled deeply and as I exhaled, said a prayer of thanks for whatever popped in my head – my family, my home, my life.
How I felt: Wow. Yeah, I need to do this more often. It has a very calming effect and shifts my perspective to more a positive outlook.
The “Letting Go Breath” and “3 Deep Breaths” seem very similar to me. They both give the opportunity to pause, relax, and refocus. I can definitely see using either (or both) of these during the day.
One of the things he said is that, sometimes when we’re stressed, we have a tendency to hold our breath. I haven’t noticed whether or not I hold my breath when stressed. I do, however, know that I tense up. Even lying in bed at night, about to go to sleep, I have to think about making the muscles in my legs, arms – whole body – relax. In those moments, I typically close my eyes, breathe, then as I exhale I think/say, “Relax” and imagine feeling the tension release.
I have a degree in Music Therapy. I don’t really use it and I’m okay with that. Mostly. At any rate, for practicum and internship, I used to lead some relaxation groups. My favorite was the “tense and release” version. Focusing on each muscle group, tightening it, then releasing that tension. Extremely relaxing! Guided Imagery is also good, but be sure no one in the group has a history of visual or auditory hallucinations. Don’t ask. Just trust me.