We all need peace and calm in our lives. But how do we find, access, and keep it with our busy days and never ending responsibilities?
I have an answer.... Breathing. It may sound trite and silly to you ("Breathing? I breathe all the time, and it doesn't calm me down.") or perhaps it's eliciting a "Duh" reaction. There's a reason it's so well known and kind of clichéd; that's because it's a worldwide truth. When our breath is used in a mindful, helpful way (rather than simply being an automatic system) it's one of our most accessible resources. We can use it when we're stressed out or experiencing higher than normal emotional activation levels and need to decompress some, keep our cool, and keep going.
One of my favorite exercises that I've learned from the Somatica® curriculum is a breathwork and visualization exercise. This particular exercise has a few purposes: to connect to our breath and realize it's capabilities, to increase body awareness, and to visualize, hear, smell, feel, or recall something that brings us safety, peace, and calm.
I invite you to try it out:
~Take a few minutes for yourself
~Get comfortable on a couch or in a chair
~If you'd like, close your eyes
~Focus on your breath and breathe deeply into your belly a few times
~Go inward
~Think of or imagine a place that feels safe/ calm
*If you can't: consider thinking of a thing, a person, a song, a smell, a taste
~When you have this in your mind, go deeper into your body, paying attention to what your body is telling you
~Continue taking slow, deep breaths; letting your grounding breath expand your body
~Notice any tension within you
~Send your breath wherever it needs to go to help ease that tension
~Release that tension into the ground and universe; it isn't serving you
~Repeat breathing and releasing tension as many times as needed, while thinking of your soothing thing
~When you're entirely relaxed, you may return to reality
~Bring with you the place or thing that brought you peace and safety, remembering you can revisit your breath and safe space anytime you need to
If you tried the exercise, consider how it felt and if it worked for you.
If it worked, consider using this in the future to help settle you in times of stress or big emotions.
Feel free to drop comments down below! Lots of love,
~Lauren