Breathing

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.

Don't Give up Now.

Don’t give up now.

As we enter into September, I can vividly see back in March when we first entered into COVID19 hibernation and pandemic when Dr. Fauci said, “we could be into this for months at least until August”…  AUGUST?!!!  My kids and I freaked! Good grief how will we ever make it? Toilet paper, paper towels, food limits, could we do this for the next 5 months?

As we entered into May, we had conflicting messages ~ it’s ok to go out, don’t wear a mask, wear a mask, open up restaurants and bars, shut them down, go back to work, go home.  Need I go on?

In our sweet Texas town of San Antonio, so blessed with many people who are friendly and love our Mexican food, (mainly tacos) we started the summer with Memorial Day. Families gathered, friends got together, and graduations began like none other before. New ways of celebrating life’s most important moments were captured on social media. I have to hand it to families with high schoolers graduating, they made some really cool moments.

 In late June, our numbers of those infected crept up and our community was clearly under attack. Precautions were taken and we slowly went back to our homes being cautious.

 For LOLA, I have to admit I have witnessed and listened to families grieve like NEVER before. While some people may take this post as a political message, I say to you this ~ Death is not political. Death will take us all and does not care whether you are young or old or relatively healthy or not ~ Death is sad. 

 Families are hurting, families are struggling to balance home schooling, work and life.

 Families are watching their loved ones die on Facetime or Zoom. They cannot wrap their brains around this reality. Families who were in need of hearts, had cancer or some major illness, are grieving their loved ones who are also dying during this muted time. Families are struggling and sad.

 My message is simple ~ No matter what the media shows you ~ DO NOT GIVE UP NOW.

 Continue to do everything to protect the ones you love as well as strangers.  Now more than ever is a time to be Selfless. 

 If you know someone needing support during this time, please let us know, we are here to help.

 www.lossoflifeadvocates.com