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The art of the breath

Have you ever had a moment when you leave your body, look down and ask, 'Who the hell are YOU and what have you done with my more pleasant, focused, calm and friendly self?'

Me either, very often, anyway. But lately that's happened a couple of times. And I do not like that person I'm looking down on and querying, no sirree.

That person is tight, stressed, serious, and has lost her sense of humor.

That person needs to find some lightness, to calm the hell down and refocus. On the important stuff.

That person is learning to work on overload and manage the pressure and keep all the balls in the air at all times.  Well, most times. She's learning that she can gently rest a ball or two while she focuses on the highest priority events in her life, but she's stubborn and a little slow. Fortunately her friends and family are understanding and supportive, and most days she's able to mend any fences she's accidentally backed into during frenetic activity.

When the push and pull of career and kids and school and life in general forms a ten ton blanket, keeping a simple solution at hand is beginning to pay dividends.

The breath, ah the breath, is really all it takes to refocus. To recenter, to take a step back, regain perspective, banish the muscle tightness and clear the mind.

No matter how overwhelmed or behind the eight ball I feel, ten minutes of calm, deep breathing is all it takes.

Cleansing, yes. Calming, yes. Soothing, yes.

The lovely, lowly breath will be the safety net I need to balance it all for the duration of this marathon.

The hard part is just remembering that it's right there with me always, just waiting to be appreciated, waiting to heal, and waiting to reframe.

Happy Weekend, and please join me in a few soft, deep breaths.

Hugs,

Stevie

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