May 29, 2020
So we find ourselves living a real life zombie movie, locked away in our homes, wearing masks to go shopping, our lives as we know it got flipped turned upside down and I’d like to take a minute just sit right there, I’ll tell you how I become the Prince of a town called Bel Air. Oops sorry about that, you see- lock down life... it makes you go cray cray! What can we do about this?
Let's have a look at a few simple things we can do to keep ourselves feeling calm, balanced and present during these unsettling times.
Our breathing affects how we feel. Our emotional state and our breathing are connected. When we are under stress our breath quickens, when we are sleeping our breathing is deep and calm. By controlling our breathing patterns, we can affect our emotional state. Most people do not use their full lung capacity, so we start with a workout for our lungs.
Get yourself comfortably seated or lying down. Cross legged, on a chair, whatever feels best.
Breathe through your nose, slow, let your inhalation reach your side ribs and your back ribs. So really feel a 360 expansion of your lungs. Keep the rest of your body as still as possible. We are training our intercostal muscles, those little muscles in between each of our ribs that make our rib cage and lungs puff up and down. Do 10-20 (or as many as you want) deep inhales and exhales.
Once you've mastered your expansive breaths there are a number of different Pranayama (breathing) exercises you can do that give different results. . Look some up, see what works for you. Alternate nostril breathing is very effective for calming the nervous system and clearing a busy anxious mind. Here’s that yoga babe Adriene that everyone likes explaining how to do it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8VwufJrUhic
If you do find yourself in a flap, wondering if you’ll be able to go out for french toast and a flat white ever again, here are 3 of my favorite simple grounding poses to bring you back down to earth.
Invite energy to your root chakra and let your mind dissolve. You can put a block, cushion, rolled up yoga mat or bolster under your shoulder blades to open up your chest, this is then a good position for your breathing exercises too.
A yoga classic, there’s a reason for that, a deeply restorative and cooling pose. Let your heart sink and your mind shhh...
Direct your energy down, blood flows to the pelvis and your roots shoot down into the earth, ahh!
Creating a special place to invite good vibes to your quarantine den can be very soothing and powerful. Ideally located where you do your meditation and yoga practise, make a little altar with some of your favorite things. You could even make it on a tray so you can move it around. Crystals, candles, incense, shells, stones, feathers, flowers, photos, plants- whatever brings you joy, represents love and connection, or makes your heart sing can be part of your altar.
