{ Unknown Artist }

“Notice how breath and body move together when you breathe. You may add different breathing practices to yoga postures, tai chi or martial arts movements or other activities, like walking and hiking or even doing dishes and other routine chores. Consciously adding movement to the breath turns this practice into a moving meditation. Movement combined with breath can enhance the circulation of healing energies throughout the body.  Radical Self Care by Dr. Beth Hedva

John reflects on how this seems obvious but how we don’t bring breath and body movement together typically as a focus.  John sees this as a practice to be more and more aware of combining breath and movement. John echoes a similar message to his stopping smoking clients; stopping to breathe, taking time out to breathe. Consciously adding movement to breath is a great and worthwhile goal to focus on throughout the day to become more present and aware of their union in a moving meditation.

Thank you for sharing John.

{ Unknown Artist }

“We come home to ourselves by breathing.  Breath can be a natural tranquilizer as well as a stimulant or energizer.  The healing impact depends upon the pace with which we breathe.  While it is natural to hold the breath for a moment when concentrating on a task, or when doing detail work to steady one’s hand, holding the breath may sometimes indicate a startle response or a fear reaction.  Breathing patterns often reflect one’s emotional state.  Shallow or rapid breathing may indicate emotional upset.  Long, slow, deep breaths are often signs of relaxation.
. . . .You can use breath work to over-come obstacles, maintain clarity of focus, energize your spirit, relax your body or calm down when you are over excited.  Learn to support yourself with your breath.”  Radical Self-Care, by Dr. Beth Hedva.

Debra says the quote that stands out for her from Chapter 4 of Radical Self Care is: “Secure Your Own Oxygen Mask Before Assisting Others” Cathay Pacific Airways.

I have spent a lot of time, especially as a mother, assisting others before myself. For a while now I have been concentrating more on self-care and seeing how much more available I am to everyone when I look after myself first. If its yoga or breathing it helps me be so much more present with everyone around me; friends and family. This is really, really truly important…..it’s essential.

Thank you Debra

Iain also speaks of the importance of breath, Chapter 4 of Radical Self Care  ” When it is remembered that the greater portion of prana acquired by man comes to him from the air inhaled, the importance of proper breathing is readily understood”. Yogi Ramacharake, The Science of Breath Copyright 1905.

This really brings home how important proper breathing is. As I read through all the types of breathing, some for calming, some energizing, we think about what we eat and how it nourishes us. But it’s really the air, and quality of air,and how we bring it in to ourselves; and, how this air nourishes us, nourishes our energy.  It’s more important than food. It’s so important to breathe properly, to take time out, and breathe,  not react, to reflect and become centered.

Thanks Iain.

“Many of us who are naturally intuitive may have been trained to stifle our  imagination – as though using imagination is cheating or makes something phony or ‘fake’.  Imagination links us with an inner source of creativity. Creativity allows us to generate not only fantasies or ideas; it allows us to create health, healing and wholeness. You are not ‘cheating’ if you use your imagination. In fact you are cheating yourself if you do not use imagery to engage your creativity and embody your intuitive gifts.”  Quote from Radical Self Care by Dr. Beth Hedva

~ I see lots of people, especially working in health care system, where it seems like here is the box… go get in the box. What do you mean you don’t fit in the box? Then where is the other box you might fit in?  There’s no box? Okay I don’t know what to do with you.

It is that expansive; that individual treatment of the person in front of you…or that you are connected to that may or may not fit into the box and we ourselves don’t fit into the boxes that we tend to create in the world. It really irks me, the idea of skills that we have and someone tells us not to use those skills, I think it’s so detrimental to people’s health; to their wholeness. If you have it… why not use it? If you have a very active imagination why should it not  be engaged? Why can’t it be a tool?

Thank you Lara.

Found art Calgary mailbox 14 ave SW Artist Unknown
{ Photo by Mardi Dauphinee }