A Refreshing 2 minute Break

Many studies show that taking short breaks increases your efficiency. Keep that heavy, drowsy, achy feeling at bay by getting more breath, water and stretching. It may decrease headaches and anxiety as well.

Give yourself a 2 minute break every 30 minutes, you will help your body and mind out a lot. Setting a timer helps tremendously. You can download one here: Interval Timer

REFRESHING 2 MINUTE BREAK

1. Drink a glass of water . 30 sec. Get 8-10 glasses a day. At least half a glass per hour.
Have water available at your desk.  Preliminary research indicates that 8-10 glasses of water a day could significantly ease back and joint pain for up to 80% of sufferers. A mere 2% drop in body water can trigger fuzzy short-term memory, trouble with basic math, and difficulty focusing on the computer screen. (BYImassage.com) See sample stretches here

2. Breathe Deeply – 30 seconds - 3 to 5 deep, slow breaths.  Breathe into belly, then rib area, then chest. Be relaxed and easy, enjoying the brain food.

3. Stretch/Stand - 45 seconds Pay attention to aches, numbness, tired muscles. Do stretches that target these areas throughout the day. Stretch and rest BEFORE they start bothering you. This helps to avoid Repetitive Stress Injuries like Carpel Tunnel Syndrome. Pick 3-5 of your favorite stretches, and add them to your breathing (inhale, exhale  duringneck stretch., inhale, exhale, during shoulder stretch, etc.) 

4. Close eyes or look at distant object - 10 seconds. If closing your eyes, hold your hand over your eyes to block the light.  This gives your eyes and brain a rest from the quickly flashing computer screen, and cleanses your eyes since we blink less when looking at the computer.

TRY IT! Enjoy a productive, energy-filled day!

More Oxygen Gives you More Energy

Without oxygen we die in a few minutes. It is the most essential vital nutrient for our body. It is like good food. Oxygen aids digestion, skin function, brain function, lightens the workload for the heart, helps the immune system work better and is critical in the production of ATP, the basic energy production for cells.

If it is one of the main needs in producing energy, guess what you'll have more of when you get more oxygen into your body? Something that really helps us have days of productivity and positive outlooks - ENERGY. People just don't seem to have enough of it these days, and things like energy drinks have become a hot commodity. These energy drinks have negative effects and can really jack up your system though, loading the blood with caffeine and sugar. This has been shown to increase the heart rate and blood pressure, causing insomnia, dehydration, over-stimulation of the nervous system, and a big crash afterwards while your blood sugar tries to catch up.

Learning how to breathe deeply, and get more oxygen to your system gives your body more building blocks of energy while soothing the nervous system, lowering heart rate, lowering blood pressure, and helping you sleep. It is a wonderful tool to use if you are starting to feel sluggish, irritable, sleepy or nervous, to give your whole system a toning boost.

Getting more oxygen is as simple as deciding to learn how to breathe more fully and regularly throughout the day, and writing down a time to do it. In my weekly class on BREATH: A Class to Relieve Stress and Relax on Tuesday evenings in Santa Rosa, starting Jan. 27th at 5:30pm, (www.squidoo.com/breathingtips) we will practice breathing techniques for energy and stress management and also design a plan to fit your breath work into your life in a way that will work for you.

Here is a simple exercise to start your new habit:

Sit on the edge of a chair or couch with a straight, relaxed back. Slowly breathe in through the nose, allowing at least 3 seconds for your in-breath. Breath out through the nose or mouth, whichever feels better for you, allowing at least 4 seconds for the out-breath. The longer you sit and focus on your breathing in a session, the longer the inhale and exhale will become. Allow them to naturally expand to longer and longer periods. No need to force it, your body will find its rhythm and its comfort zone. Notice the lengths of the inhale and exhale and realize that it is just right for that moment, whether your breaths seem short, medium or long. The exhale will naturally be a little bit longer than the inhale.

Bring your attention to the belly, and place your hands on it for a moment. Breathe in, and with softness and little effort, allow the belly to puff out with the air coming in. As you breathe out, allow the belly to naturally fall back into place. Feeling this movement with your hands helps to bring awareness to this process.

Breathing from the belly like this allows the diaphragm to do its work, creating space by pushing down into the abdomen to make room for the lungs to expand. (more on the diaphragm later!)

As you breathe in, say to yourself, "in". As you breathe out, say to yourself "out". It is a slow, gentle rhythm you will start to feel. It is like rocking in a boat. You can give into it, let it take you to a place of rest. You give your mind a break, all it has to do is think "in" and "out". Of coarse other thoughts come in too, but you are giving it an easy job, you are allowing it to do less.

The more minutes you can give to this practice, the greater the benefits will be of oxygen in the blood and the relaxation of your body. The more often you practice, the easier it will be for your body to remember this new way of breathing and being.

Good job! Devoting one minute to this will still be a gift to your body. Enjoy this simple way to give yourself more energy and more peace!

How Breathing Well Changed My Life

I'm really excited about offering this series on Breathing because relieving stress and anxiety has been such a lovely journey in my own life.

Part lecture and part practice, you'll learn all about the function of breathing and then physically practice breathing all together. The results are wonderful!

 Right out of college I started an intense job at Shelter Services for Women, an agency that dealt with the problem of domestic violence. For most of my time there I spoke at Health classes in high schools about healthy relationships and abusive relationships. I gave groups at Juvenile Hall and probationary schools, and I loved being with these kids, they taught me so much about life; they had already been through so much. Almost immediately after taking this job, however, I started having stress reactions. I would have have cramps and sweat with pain and be left exhausted. The doctors couldn't figure it out.

After a couple of years I discovered yoga, and was amazed at how much breathing deeply for an hour relieved my symptoms. I became a devoted class member, and a more relaxed person. My husband noticed the change, and never let me skip class! One night I met a massage therapist at the intermission of a play. Her job sounded so good to me - working in a quiet space with one person at a time, lighting a candle, meditating, and I signed up for my certification that week.  I knew my job was hurting me, and starting a career that was focused on relieving stress, and would be peaceful itself, was perfect.

A year or two later I  discovered a book by Thich Nhat Hanh, a Buddhist monk who teaches the joys of meditation in very simple terms.  (The book was Peace is Every Step.) I went to his retreat and learned that BREATHING, of all things, is the key to meditation, to peacefulness, to life. Breathing in, and breathing out, with awareness, changes the coarse of your thinking, and changes the way your body reacts to situations in life. It taught me to release the stress and pain I didn't need in the out-breath, to receive nourishment and replenishment in the in-breath.

Learning breathing and stretching and massage led to learning about eating and moving and thinking differently, and I changed at a deep level, in small steps.

 It's funny that at 32 I feel much healthier than I did at 21 but it is the truth. Where once I was low in energy, sickly, tired, I am now the person that rarely gets sick, that enjoys a good long hike with my husband, and knows how to handle stress.

The old stress reaction still comes up for me from time to time, and I can recognize it now and listen to it. If I feel it rising up, I know what to do. Be kinder to myself. Slow down, breathe, meditate, all the things I have learned are such a healthy tonic to my body and soul. It sounds like a lot of work, but it's not. Here is MY routine, just for you to see and perhaps you can create one for yourself.

Upon rising in the morning, I grab my journal and write 1-3 pages of whatever comes out, without thinking too much. Let my mind unravel, expell thoughts that might just keep going all day unless I get them out. Next, I unroll my yoga mat and stretch for about 10 minutes. My favorites are hamstring stretches and bridges, they're great for the low back. Next, 10 minutes of sitting meditation and deep breathing. At this point my mind is a little more relaxed, my body awake from stretching, for the sacred minutes of meditating. If I have more time I do more, if less time, I skip an element. But if I am able to do all three at a time, I have started a good day. The good day has more to do with my body and mind glowing rather than the things that happen. Which is a good way to live. With a 30 min. routine 3 times a week like this, you'll definitely see changes.

I'd love to see you at my breath class! Spread the word to anyone who would like to reduce their stress and enjoy life more.