Tag Archive for: Breathe

It was just a game… and yet!

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Sunday morning, I was watching the Olympic field hockey game between Canada and the United States.

And suddenly…

Breathing short.
Jaws clenched.
Shoulders contracted.

I was sitting on the end of my chair. My body was on high alert.

For a field hockey game!!
A screen.
A puck.

A sport I don’t even particularly like! HAHAHA!

Nothing really dangerous. Just the Canada-USA rivalry.

Yet my nervous system couldn’t tell the difference.

That’s when I had a moment of clarity:
If my body can react so intensely to a sporting event… imagine what it goes through on a daily basis when faced with urgent e-mails, conflicts, deadlines and responsibilities.

Our primitive brain doesn’t always distinguish between
🧠 a real danger
and
📧 a perceived pressure.

The result?
Shortness of breath.
Tense jaw.
Accelerated thoughts.

So what can you do when stress takes hold – even for “nothing”?

Here are 3 simple things I did, right there in front of my TV:

1️⃣ I loosened my teeth and consciously relaxed my jaw.
2️⃣ I took a long exhale (longer than the inhale).
3️⃣ I added a voluntary micro-smile to my face.

In less than a minute, my body received a new message:
“It’s okay. You’re safe.”

Stress is not the enemy.
It becomes a problem when it gets stuck in the body.

This week, I invite you to observe:
When does your breathing shorten?
When does your jaw clench?

And above all… can you intervene before the tension gets too deep?

🌀 Mission of the week

Choose a stressful moment (meeting, traffic, sport, family).
Release the jaw. Breathe out for a long time. Micro-smile.
Observe what changes.

Gritting your teeth is like driving with the “check engine” light on… you can keep going for a while, but it’s not ideal.

You know what to do!

At least I do. Breathe, relax, smile… and why not laugh out loud?! (Do it with me here)

Thanks for reading

Linda

 

Back to school

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September. Back to school. Back to work. The coming autumn.

If you’re a parent and your child (or children) have recently gone back to school, you might like this suggestion to help the whole family cope with these changes more healthily and serenely.

How was your first day back?

Remember when you went back to school in September? Brand new school supplies in your bag. Nice clean notebooks. Brand new pencils. And a sense of trepidation about what lay ahead. The unknown.

Was the teacher going to be nice? What about my classmates? Would I be able to learn the lessons? Would I have a lot of work to do?

What I remember is that with each new year, I set off with a mixture of excitement, apprehension, pleasure… and anxiety.

New class. New teacher. Would they like me? Would I like them?

Finding your place

I can’t say I was the most sociable child at school. At least, that’s not how I remember my early school years. I had friends, yes, but I was rather reserved and studious – although according to my report cards, I sometimes got lost in my daydreams! But I did very well. And that made me really proud!

It was only later that I realized the value of humor and laughter in making friends and getting out of situations! Around adolescence.

However, I remember very well that every time I went back to school, I didn’t breathe much!

And that’s where I have a suggestion for you!

BREATHE IN LAUGHTER!

I have a simple exercise to suggest, and you can do it even if you don’t have a child starting school!

Laugh at the vowels!

You don’t need to read the letters to do the exercise with me. Do it with (or without) your child. Just by looking at me. But DO IT!

Not only do the vowels emit vibrations that are different from one another, but you’ll also have..:

  • Breathed
  • Works your diaphragm, massaging your internal organs
  • Help your nervous system to calm down
  • Oxygenate your body and YOUR BRAIN

Want more ideas for effective exercises to do with (or without) your child? There are many here , and you can also subscribe to the Laughter Yoga School YouTube channel.

Ready for a smooth, serene back-to-school?

You know what to do!

Laughter, joy and health

Linda

Tag Archive for: Breathe