Breathing

Springboks

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Have you ever seen a Springbok in the wild?

They live in the now. Alert, guard never down. The routine is the same. Eat grass, freeze, flare nostrils, smell wind, look around, go back to eating. Keep moving, no time for zoning out. 

They stay with the herd. The herd is a connected force shield. When the energy in the bush changes they feel it. A startled bird or a quick movement in the peripheral sends a lightning fast energy ripple through the herd. The herd body is one – muscles tighten, ready to explode in different directions in a split second. 

Stay fit, stay connected and smell the wind. 

Day Dreaming 

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In Praise of Dreams

In my dreams
I paint like Vermeer van Delft.

I speak fluent Greek
and not just with the living.

I drive a car
that does what I want it to.

I am gifted
and write mighty epics.

I hear voices
as clearly as any venerable saint.

My brilliance as a pianist
would stun you.

I fly the way we ought to,
i.e., on my own.

Falling from the roof,
I tumble gently to the grass.

I’ve got no problem
breathing under water.

I can’t complain:
I’ve been able to locate Atlantis.

It’s gratifying that I can always
wake up before dying.

As soon as war breaks out,
I roll over on my other side.

I’m a child of my age,
but I don’t have to be.

A few years ago
I saw two suns.

And the night before last a penguin,
clear as day.

Wislawa Szymborska, View with a Grain of Sand

Uvivi

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Uvivi is a Zulu word which means the darkness before the dawn. It’s true. It’s more so in the bush, but I sometimes get the same experience in the city. 

My son woke me up this morning at 4am. After I had tucked him back into bed and coaxed him back to sleep, I paused for a second and looked out of the upstairs window. It was pitch black outside, the city was quiet…a rare moment in a busy and growing city like San Francisco. The moment felt like no mans land – a shift between midnight and dawn. 

There are gateway places out there with thin membranes. Places like Point Reyes, north of San Francisco and Big Sur, south of Monterey. Places with thin membranes, where it’s a lot easier to feel connected to something greater than yourself and ‘tap in’. I felt a similar connection at 4am this morning. The moment passed and the next thing I knew I was crawling back into bed as the first hints of sunlight started to appear. The moment had passed but the impression remained. 

Sometimes a connection to something bigger isn’t about being in a place it’s about being in a state of mind.  

yt?

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Turn off notifications and alerts on your phone and control when you interact with people. This includes all text messages and social media. Take back control your schedule and don’t let other people control your day.

Imagine if people felt it was okay to bang on your door at any time of the day or night with the expectation that you answer and be present with them. That’s not sustainable. Why should it be acceptable on your phone?

Fit to make a Decision

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As we enter the first days of Spring, there’s an urge to make big decisions about the upcoming season. It’s anything from career, family, finances and personal growth. Before we make a big decision, we get physically and mentally fit.

When we are fit we have less stress and are more present. Our muscles and brain are oxygenated and we think more clearly. Worries and fears are less magnified and we have a good sense of what is real vs. imaginary (most of it’s imaginary, by the way).

Going for a walk, meditating, taking deep diaphragm inhales and exhales…as well as toe breathing, where we feel the inhalations inflate our toes – are fun exercises we enjoy to breath more deeply.

When fit, we find decisions emerge from a more grounded and present place.

Today

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If Winnie the Pooh could tweet then this would be his version of Kalidasa’s Look To This Day…all tidely packaged within the 140 character limit:

“What day is it?”

“It’s today,” squeaked Piglet. 

“My favorite day,” said Pooh.

Now here is Kalidasa’s non tweetable version. Same message just as beautiful. 

“For it is life, the very life of life.

In its brief course

Lie all the verities and realities of your existence.

The bliss of growth,

The glory of action,

The splendour of achievement

Are but experiences of time.
For yesterday is but a dream

And tomorrow is only a vision;

And today well-lived, makes

Yesterday a dream of happiness

And every tomorrow a vision of hope.

Look well therefore to this day;

Such is the salutation to the ever-new dawn!”

– Kalidasa

Clean out the Canister

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After a stretching session remember to drink a glass of water. Avoid the temptation of drinking while stretching, but stay hydrated before and after the session.

Try the following exercise when you have a drink of water at the end of the session:

Slow down and take a deep breath. Wiggle your toes and feel the floor supporting you. Relax your shoulders and jaw.

Imagine each sip of water swirling through your body from top to bottom.

Focus on the brain with the first sip and feel the water washing through your head onto your brain and the sides of the skull.

The next sip of water washes over your shoulders and into your lungs. The next sip sloshes down your arms and into your finger tips You get the drill? Elbows, buttocks, knees. Rinse out your body. The cold water moves through your body and dilutes the toxins.

It’s like rinsing out a dirty canister.

With the final sip imagine all the water slowing seeping out of your feet and into the floor. Let gravity be gravity. The floor is thirsty and will drink it up.

The exercise slows you down and makes you conscious of your body from your nose to toes.

It’ll clean you out, ground and recharge you.

Guides

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When I go for a hike in new territory I take a map or consult a guide. When I’m driving to a new location I pull out my phone and turn on navigation. It makes no sense to get in the car and start driving before I have directions.

When it comes to a spiritual journey most people do the opposite. Maybe they read a book, watch a film or speak to someone who inspires them. They make a decision to investigate and explore which is awesome, but they forget to pick a guide.

If you’ve woken up and are searching for answers, the first step is realizing that having a guide will keep you on track when you lose your way. This path has already been trodden by poets and mystics – take someone’s hand and follow. If you reach out, someone will hold your hand.

Extend and Open Up

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Here’s a quick morning stretching exercise. Actually you can do it anywhere, while waiting for a bus, standing in line for lunch or cooking over the stove.

Stand up straight and imagine a string attached to the top of your head. The string slowly tightens and lifts up your head and extends your neck. You are getting taller and taller as your neck and spine extend. Keep your eyes level and shoulders and jaw relaxed.

At the same time plant your feet firmly on the ground and apply pressure to your heels rooting them to the floor. Wriggle your toes and feel the ground.

You now have your head and neck extending like an ostrich and are anchored to the ground like an oak tree.

As you grow taller, every joint opens up from your knees, hips, spine, chest and neck.

Take 3 deep inhales and exhales while in this posture.