The 3 Minute Mental Vacation

I get it,we’re busy. Between work, school, appointments, laundry, finding the right kind of apples in the grocery store…well it’s easy to forget to take care of ourselves.  Over the years I have found myself in bed with migraines or aches and pains because, quite frankly, that was what it was going to take to get me to slow down and rest. The irony of it all is that when we are rested, healthy, and focused we can get much more done in a shorter period of time.

So open the window of your mind, and promptly throw out the old adage “No

 Pain No Gain” because feeling better can be quite simple and fast.

Begin by sitting comfortably. With your next breath in, inhale as low as you can, allowing your belly to expand like a balloon outward.  As you exhale, gently draw your navel back towards your spine, letting go of any remaining air.  Not sure if you are doing it “right”?  Place your hands on your belly and practice feeling your stomach expand into your hands.  Try this simple belly breath a few times.

The next time you inhale, allow your belly to expand, but then continue breathing allowing the breath to rise up and expand outwards through the sides of your ribs.  Exhale the air from the ribs and then the belly.  Try this 2-step breath a few ties.  If it feels unusual that is OK, in fact it’s a good reminder that you may not take advantage of all the room your lungs have every day.

The final step is to inhale into the belly, let the air rise to fill the ribs, and finally continue to inhale as high as you can into the chest.  Exhale, letting the air release from the chest, ribs, and then belly, in that order.  Inhale from the bottom up – belly, ribs, and chest.  Exhale from the top down – chest, ribs, and belly.

Notice after just a minute or two that your mood may have shifted.  As you oxygenate your blood stream, every cell you have as more nourishment to work with.  Likewise, your nervous system is calmed by the simple repetitive focus of your mind on each stage of the breath in and out.

Article as featured in Our Berkshire Green Magazine (Dec. '09-March '10)