Pause, sit, breathe.

It is now February of 2022, and this is what I do to remind myself that everything will be OK. To breathe in and out sounds simple, but over these last few years, I have learned that we sometimes take advantage of our breath. We don’t give it enough attention.

I marvel at people as they have navigated back in and out of the pandemic, masks, no masks, shots, no shots. Whatever their preference was or is they just do it to move forward. And I ask myself, are they really breathing? Do they understand how to take a profoundly deep breath from the bottom of their belly?

Taking in the 4 -4 -4?

While attending a class instructed by my girlfriend, Stacie Orsagh, a Yoga & Oils extraordinaire, Stacie was the first person to teach me how to take a deep breath. The first time I truly listened and felt it, I was like ~ “How have I been alive all this time?” Of course, sitting in a still space with no distractions helps.

As we moved through 2020, finding our breath was more important than ever, but a new awareness came into being. Breathing in or around others may be dangerous. The very thing we needed and moved through was now playing a trick on us. We sat still, dared not to cough, or sneeze. Our breath was now something we were leaning into and having to manage.

It’s been a few years of this, and many of us are experiencing pandemic burnout. We are tired and weary trying to work, raise our families, and keep up with the ever-changing mandates. Layer on top the grieving people who need a shoulder to cry on, and breathing has a whole different meaning. When you grieve, your breath is part of your healing.

In the last quarter of 2021, I leaned into genuinely learning how to breathe with my Coach, Diana Duncan. She showed me how to help myself through breath and body awareness, so on the days when I start to feel overwhelmed, I stop. If I am driving, I pull over and park. Close my eyes and take in a deep breath and simply breathe. And when I do this, I allow that little zone of sadness, joy, and gratitude to seep in to remind me how lucky I am.

So do this~ close your eyes,

4 seconds breathe in, 4 seconds hold, 4 seconds exhale 

Repeat

And let your mind go.

2022 ~ we are ready for whatever you bring.