“ Listening is an attitude of the heart, a genuine desire to be with another, which both attracts and heals.” – J. Isham

Dirgha or 3 part breath is a breathing exercise that you can do in any setting and time to feel centered. It’s calming and restorative.

Imagine the mid body as a container divided into 3 sections: naval, rib cage, and heart center up through the collar bones.  Even though divided into 3 sections, the breath you take in and release will be one continuous action of inhale with a pause followed by one continuous exhale.  The breath  stays steady while the mind does the visual work to guide the breath deep into the physical body with quiet awareness. Controlling the inhalation and exhalation in this way will work to create a gentle focus and ease.

Guided Script:

Breathe deep into the naval and lower back behind the naval center.  Continue filling with air into the ribcage and intercostal muscles of the back.  Let the breath fill your heart center and lift into the collar bones while your shoulders stay at ease and relaxed.  Pause for a moment.  Release the breath gently and slowly from the naval area first, on a slow steady stream.  Release from the ribcage slowly and gently. Let the breath release from the chest, upper back and collar bones.

Repeat as desired.

One of the wonderful things about being mindfully aware of your present moment is that you get to be selective too!  Once you’re aware of where you are, what you’re doing, and what’s running through your mind, you can pause and select what is going to be next in your experience.  Let’s say you bring yourself into your present moment with a deep breath into the low belly and realize that you’ve been doing something on autopilot.  That will be the moment you can choose to stay with your action or thoughts.  In the decision to stay present, you are then able to choose the nature of your thinking and acting.  Is the thought or action helpful?  Is it positive?  Is it productive?  Could it be more of any of those: more helpful, more positive, or more productive?

Be awake to the moment before you.
Be awake to your life.

Affirmations for this practice:

I choose to be awake.  I choose to be aware. 

I choose to breathe deeply and notice myself deeply.  I choose to breathe deeply and notice others deeply.

I choose to be selective in my thoughts and actions, allowing more positive thoughts to come forward and be highlighted.

“There are only two responses to the world, fear or love. Your life depends on which one you choose.” – Deepak Chopra

My guys were visiting baby chicks the other day.  Their first attempt to hold them was a fury of ‘fast grabbing’, excitement and not much success.  They quickly realized as everything ran away from them in fear and REACTION that if they simply lay a gentle open palm the chicks were instantly fearless and curious, seeking food.  Within seconds they each had a chick to hold and the chicks were not stressed or scared and came to them easily after that.

And so….today, is your attempt fast and desperately grabbing?

Is your palm gently open?

Lots of people are looking to get outside more often now and perhaps counting on exercise as a release.  Something to think about when walking is your activity of choice, is the use of your foot.  Bring awareness to the way your feet connect to the floor and/or earth and take a moment to notice the tripod like design, three main points in each foot to bear the weight of you (assuming limbs are in place.)

It could be interesting to spend some time to walk around your home or outside without your shoes and to take note of how your feet interact with the surface below and how that interaction transfers into your ankles, legs, hips, spine, neck, and head.  It’s a simple exercise and the only task you have in it is to notice what naturally occurs for you.

If you want to get acquainted with your feet, here are some questions to ask yourself as you go through the process:

Am I using my heel?

Do I begin movement in the heel or elsewhere?

How is the arch of my foot participating or not participating?

What happens with the ball of my foot?

How about my toes?  Are they relaxed?  Do they feel balanced?

What happens if I begin movement from the heel, rooting into the supportive floor or earth below me, and let energy move from there across the arch and into the ball of the foot with an easy lift in the toes as my other foot takes the action?

Where does the movement of my walk begin? Is it in the knee?  Is it in the hip? Is it in the naval? What happens if I think of the movement as starting from just below the heart center, at the psoas muscle? Does my posture feel different?

During the days of VHS and recording shows from the TV to watch later and as many times as you wanted later, I recorded the mini series Anne of Green Gables.  I didn’t know what it was, not having read the books by L.M. Montgomery or heard about the storyline before.  So when I watched the tale of the orphan girl taken in by an older pair of siblings who wanted a hand around their farm,  it was a fresh unfolding that grew to become a beloved treasure in the box of VHS tapes.  I loved Anne as do many people who come across the books, movies, and now perhaps with the Netflix series that lays a harder edge on the original presentation; to use her words, I’d say she felt like a kindred spirit.  I made all of my friends watch this because it was an absolute favorite and the lovely one (Jess) that’s still hanging around and writing these blogs with me, can attest to that fact.  The recording from the early 80s is my inspiration for today, because there were two quotes that I first heard there that have stayed with me all these years: 

1.Tomorrow is a new day with no mistakes in it… yet.

2.The Truth Will Set You Free.

Number 1 – I like having always been drawn to silver linings and optimism which is a part of my personality I’m forever grateful about, especially given the turns life can take.  Number 2 – has been on my mind a lot the last few weeks.  It’s traced back to the Bible.  I’ll add that to the end of this post where you can take a look and let it be for yourself whatever it is or is not.  I believe the indication in the Bible is pointing beyond what I’m aiming to share with you today.

For this day, I’m looking at truth through the reflection of others.  Connecting with others however you can now and allowing them to be a sounding board for your thoughts is a marvelous gift.  Being able to mull over ideas and plans with a supportive person can be very helpful! It’s possible to believe something to be true and not to see it otherwise until it’s said out loud – how many times and to which people can all shift the understanding.  You don’t have to have everything figured out on your own or know your mind before you speak.  It’s good to give space to explore yourself through others, while maintaining a healthy sense of where you begin and they end.  Truth can blossom and change through connection.

John 8:31-32

31 Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. 32 And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”

There was a time when I would have only related the word fasting to food and possibly religious devotion as suggested here but this past week I decided to have a fast of sorts applied to media. Many of us are practicing social distancing and possibly under orders to stay home.  It could be easy to spend more time scrolling through news articles, taking in streams of hopefully positive but perhaps negative social media, and gorging on some fear inducing report.  If you’re inclined to worry, as I used to be, I’d like to suggest that you take time to separate yourself from anything that doesn’t feel like it’s feeding your soul. You may not want to do this for a week but reserving a time period in each day as your reverent screen free space will nurture your well-being.  Take that time to 1. focus on good feeling thoughts, 2. speak kindness, and 3. cherish what you love!

From Thich Nhat Hahn:
If in our daily lives we can smile, if we can be peaceful and happy, not only we, but everyone will profit from it. If we really know how to live, what better way to start the day than with a smile? Our smile affirms our awareness and determination to live in peace and joy. The source of a true smile is an awakened mind.

How can you remember to smile when you wake up? You might hang a reminder–such as a branch, a leaf, a painting, or some inspiring words–in your window or from the ceiling above your bed, so that you notice it when you wake up. Once you develop the practice of smiling, you may not need a reminder. You will smile as soon as you hear a bird singing or see the sunlight streaming through the window. Smiling helps you approach the day with gentleness and understanding.

When I see someone smile, I know immediately that he or she is dwelling in awareness. […] Our smile will bring happiness to us and to those around us. Even if we spend a lot of money on gifts for everyone in our family, nothing we buy could give them as much happiness as the gift of our awareness, our smile. And this precious gift costs nothing. At the end of a retreat in California, a friend wrote this poem:

I have lost my smile,
but don’t worry.
The dandelion has it.

If you have lost your smile and yet are still capable of seeing that a dandelion is keeping it for you, the situation is not too bad. You still have enough mindfulness to see that the smile is there. You only need to breathe consciously one or two times and you will recover your smile. The dandelion is one member of your community of friends. It is there, quite faithful, keeping your smile for you.

In fact, everything around you is keeping your smile for you.