Staring at the computer screen, a feeling of uncertainty left me unsure of how to begin this post. I knew what I wanted the topic to be and had an idea brewing for how I would develop it, but a fitting title and intro evaded my mind.
So I put aside the world of active thought for a moment to take a few mindful breaths. My mind attempted to continue its wordsmithing and planning, but I shifted my attention to where I noticed my breath most strongly tonight: the tip of my nose. I noticed the intake of cool, spring, evening air and felt the contrasting warmth of my exhalations. Within a few moments, I was fully focused on my breath and anchored in the present, my mind having let go of its questioning. Then, the inspiration came, and what had been previously nameless and somewhat formless emerged, outlined and titled. Much can be said about the breath. A presenter at a recent class I attended noted how we could survive for a few days without water and even longer without food. Yet, take away our breath for just a few minutes, and we will perish. In addition to keeping us alive, our breath has a quiet, powerful potential to help in other ways as well. Indeed, our breath--in mindfulness practices and in life--can be a great ally that often goes unnoticed and sometimes is taken for granted. Because we always have it with us, our breath can be used at any moment to help root us in the present. I first read about the idea of an "anchor breath" in Daniel Rechtschaffen's The Way of Mindful Education: Cultivating Well-Being in Teachers and Students, my first official "mindfulness read." The analogy of our breath being an anchor that can keep us grounded even when the seas of life get stormy stuck with me, and I began to explore using my breath as a focus point whenever I felt a surge of stress or worry ride over me. My breath continues to be a great ally for me in this regard, in times of any powerful emotion. As I've gotten to know my breath better, however, it has begun to serve as an indicator as well as an anchor. As Baron Baptiste notes in Perfectly Imperfect: The Art and Soul of Yoga Practice, "As you become conscious of your breath, you begin to notice it reflects your thought patterns, energy, and emotional moods like a mirror." The breath, and taking notice of it, supports both our self-awareness and self-regulation, in simple, but powerful ways. Deep breaths can literally and figuratively clear the air. They can bring a sense of perspective that opens up new possibilities in any given situation. When our minds or emotions spin out of control, our breath can bring us back home to our bodies, where we can take comfort in the present and "just be," and from there aim to be our best selves. A few deep breaths can make a huge difference in helping us respond reflectively, rather than react reflexively to stressful situations. And when we can use our breath to support more compassion for ourselves and more empathy for others, then, I believe, we have begun to unlock the breath's full potential. Although I've only recently discovered what a powerful ally my breath can be, it's been serving me well all along since my very first cry as a newborn. I see how it's helped me in life, and I know I can turn to it whenever I need or want to for support. What might you discover if you befriend your breath? Or perhaps you've already long known and sensed its potential? Whatever the case, I invite you to close your eyes for a few moments. Take a few deep, conscious breaths. Where do you feel them in your body? What do you notice? Can you bring your attention fully to the present, even for just a few moments, to get to know your breath better? In what ways might your breath be your ally? Breathing in and breathing out, LAH
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On a recent riverside walk with the family Sheltie, I found myself singing the lyrics to one of my favorite songs. Unless you, too, were a teenager in the '90s--or, also like me, are a fan of the ska band No Doubt--you've, perhaps, never heard of it. When "Don't Speak" became No Doubt's top hit from their Tragic Kingdom album, however, it was Track 12 that "spoke" most to me.
Backed by their signature sound of trumpet, saxophones, and an unmistakably accented bass, the lyrics of "World Go 'Round" open like this: "In the quickness of our haste/ It seems we forget how to live/ The old blueprint/ No longer manifests itself/ As the correct way to exist/ So wipe the grime off the view hole/ And please take a closer look..." The song goes on as a kind-of prompt to listeners to open their eyes, to stop and think about their lives, their choices, and the effect of those choices on others. I've always loved the song, which speaks to my more philosophical side--a side that's been integral to me for as long as I can remember. After beginning my exploration of mindfulness in 2015, the song took on new meaning as I listened to Gwen Stefani's unmistakable voice. I began to hear in this "call" to listeners a call to be more mindful, to open their awareness to their own lives and world: "Our individual roles we think/ Not so important to the plot/ The big picture unseen/ Leaving life in between/ Destroyed and overwrought..." I find meaning in this song, just as I find meaning and potential in mindfulness practices themselves. Even as a teenager, I had begun to experience life's ever-pressured, hurried pace. Such a pace is easy to get caught up into, and sometimes our lives can be moving at such a speed that we go through our days with hardly a moment to pause, let alone time to reflect on what brought us meaning, what made us tick, what opened our eyes--on any given day--to the magnificence of the world around and within us. The search for meaning has been an ongoing quest for humans, though "meaning" takes on different definitions in differing times and places. Recognizing and honoring our quest for meaning, however, may be taking on new relevance, suggests Daniel H. Pink, who sees meaning as an "essential aptitude" of our current age and believes circumstances are creating the "perfect storm" in which the quest for meaning is taking on greater significance. In addition to relative abundance in our lives, "Other forces are also at work...the mammoth baby boom generation is reaching a demographic milestone. The typical boomer now has more of his life behind him than ahead of him, prompting the searching of souls and the reevaluation of priorities. The specter of terrorism hovers, offering reminders of life's fleetingness and raising questions of its purpose. Meantime, technology continues its unrelenting march, deluging us with data and choking us with choices." The will to seek our own meaning, he suggests, is key to helping us thrive. For being known as a "business thinker," Pink is also philosophically oriented, which is, perhaps, why I've come to respect his work so much. No Doubt's song ends with the refrain "We've got to find another way/ To make the world go 'round." Mindfulness is only part of the answer, but I believe the more mindful we become, the better our chances at finding this other "way." I've found in my own experience that when I prioritize some moments of stillness and some space for reflective contemplation--even if only for five minutes--I'm better able to put things into perspective, even on the most stressful or harried of days. When things are in perspective, I remember what matters most to me, what brings my life meaning and rejuvenates me every day...things like family and friends, a beautiful sunset, a silent snowfall on a winter's evening, or the sound of waves gently marking the ocean's cycles on the sand. These are what make my life rich, and taking a moment to reflect on them brings a sense of gratitude. "Bad" news in the world and in our lives can, indeed, be overwhelming. We can't change it all in the ways that we might like to, but we can change ourselves. By taking a moment to remember and seek solace in what gives our life meaning, I'm guessing we're bound to stumble upon some sense of the interconnectedness that unites all life, which can be an incredible source of peace and strength, leading us all to "better" our days in whatever little ways we can. Perhaps mindfulness can help us "find another way to make the world go 'round." What do you think? With meaning, LAH |
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