I know, I know... You've heard this one already. If you've done just about any kind of meditation, you know that the common way to center ourselves and focus our attention is to focus on the breath, observing each inhale and each exhale in the body. What if there was another way to "focus" on the breath?
Breathing is just one on a lengthy list of things our bodies do automatically without us consciously thinking to do it or being aware it's happening. When your body is breathing in the oxygen needed to survive, your brain is not forced to focus each second on the actions of inhaling or exhaling - it just happens. Our body intuitively knows that as soon as it's filled up to capacity on the "good stuff," it immediately begins to release the toxic and unusable carbon dioxide through our body's filtration system. Our muscles know how to take in what's needed and get rid of what's not. There is no hesitation or second-guessing the decision to rid themselves of carbon dioxide, only moving right along to take in the next dose of oxygen.
Too often, we like to focus on the negatives that come into our lives. The stress, worry, anger, or sadness comes to the surface quicker and stays in the forefront longer than reflecting on the issue at hand from a place of clarity and calm. There is an equal-and-opposite-reaction balance that our bodies have figured out already but we have yet to internalize psychologically. For each intake of good (oxygen), there is a release of bad (carbon dioxide). We can take a page from that book and practice our release of the negativity that doesn't serve us and focus on taking in all of the positivity that is coming our way at the same time. Giving your attention to ruminating on the regrets of the past or the worries of the future is like holding your breath - you're keeping in the toxins as well as the oxygen, but your body can't live on that breath alone. It needs you to exhale so you can take in the next needed dose of life-giving air or you'll suffocate. Bask in the good - the love you have for your awesome self, the resilience you've shown through each challenge so far, the care and support of your friends and family that sustains you, and all the wonderful things beyond.
How can you be more aware of your ruminations? Perhaps when you catch yourself in a deep whirlwind of thought, ask "Is this helpful or is this ruminating?" Breathing exercises throughout the day can help you become more mindful of your breaths and remain clear and calm when a new negative stimulus comes around. How are you going to remind yourself during the day to check in with yourself and focus on your breath? If you aren't a Post-It note person like me, try using a mindfulness app like Calm which has multiple techniques depending on your intended result, a calendar reminder, or a built-in app on your smartphone or smart watch (i.e. Apple's Breathe app).
If you have any additional thoughts or have recommendations on apps/techniques you like to use, please share if you feel so inclined!
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