Remembering to breathe, to take a moment to recenter in the middle of chaos is the most singularly fascinating trick I've ever seen. Most days our bodies, subconsciously, take in breath, keep us upright, maintain the balance of inhalation and exhalation as simply as trees swaying, no effort, without thought. And yet, I find myself short of breath, shallow chested, lungs half full of fear and air as I am constricted by the mounting woes that surround me.
Is my life more difficult than countless others? Certainly not, but this is my one and only life and I must acknowledge the trials so that I can learn from and move through them.
Fortunately, a dear relative provided some financial assistance that will make the next few months less terrifying. Asking the universe for help can, in ways you never imagined, yield blessed and beautiful results.
But now I need to turn my head and heart inward and work on my own reactions, learn to receive and accept the most scary moments, moving through them, rather than exhausting myself on the resistance of them. It's all happening either way, better to let go and experience it all than to fight and miss what might be breahtaking.
So hard to do. I think often of the advice of my Catholic parents: the right thing to do is often the hard thing to do. I don't *always* agree with that, but often, I do. Good luck with your breathing!
ReplyDeleteOh! And when I first started teaching yoga, I used to practice yoga breathing: inhaling into the belly, then into the ribcage, then into the chest; exhaling from the chest, then the ribcage, then the belly, every night in bed. It's a great way to fall asleep, and a nice, quiet, uninterrupted place to really connect with the breath. I hope it gets easier! I still struggle with breathing sometimes, even with years of practice!