The Power of Laughter

I recently promoted a simple breathing technique as a free tool that anyone can use to alleviate a wide range of physical and emotional problems.  Here's another freebie for your wellness and life enrichment toolbox: laughter.

Before you laugh it off as too easy to help with your problems, consider the source of true laughter.  It comes from joy, bliss, happiness, or love.  So this is not the point-and-laugh kind of laughter.  Schadenfreude is only temporarily uplifting at best.  I'm talking about the kind of laughter that wells up in you like bubbles of overflowing joy and just has to burst out.  It lightens your heart and unburdens your soul.  If love and joy are among the highest vibrations of the human experience, as many metaphysical teachings suggest, then laughter is your inborn ability to raise your own vibration. Love and inner peace go hand in hand.  I truly doubt that peace can be sustained in a heart that isn't filled with love, joy, or forgiveness.

Laughter does more than improving your spiritual self, though.  There is are mental, psychological, and even physical benefit that you can take advantage of as well.  Laughter relieves stress, which in turn, can help alleviate pain and improve organ function for those who experience stomach, intestinal, heart, or lung problems associated with stress hormones.  Stress relief is a major factor in successful weight loss.   Laughter helps relieve depression.  It actively works the diaphragm, which can help improve lung function, and powerfully exercises the abdominal muscles which are instrumental in maintaining correct posture and keeping your spine aligned.  When groups of people share laughter, it strengthens the bond between them.  Laughter is healthy and essential for maintaining and healing family, romantic, and friend relationships.

So, just in case your body, mind, spirit diet is short on laughter today, here's a little exercise you can try.  Laugh, out loud, for 1 minute.  You don't need a reason.  Set a timer and just belly laugh.  Yes, it will be forced at first, and forced laughter isn't going to have the same level of benefit, but it's better than nothing, and after 10-20 seconds you'll feel so silly it will turn into real laughter  That's a good thing!  Once it becomes real it just flows.  You'll feel lighter, more peaceful. You may feel improved circulation.  You've given your abs a quick work out, and you may even feel more inspired as you go into the rest of your day.  What could be better than that?

More Than Just Coping: The Power of Breath

Recently I’ve been seeing a lot of posts online about various fitness challenges being suggested.  A popular one involves doing 30 seconds of plank every day for a week, and gradually increasing to a 2 minute plank over the course of 1 month.  Just to be clear, “plank” is when you hold your body perfectly level to the floor, usually holding yourself up on the forearms and toes, but can also be done from the palms, knuckles, or knees if modifications are needed.  The objective is to hold the body perfectly rigid, like a board. People who attend my Pilates classes regularly know how much I love to include planks.  The plank position is a fantastic strength building exercise for the core and lower back, with some bonus toning in the arms and chest.  In my classes we generally do a set of 3 planks (30 seconds, 45 seconds, and last for a full minute).  I suspect this 30 seconds to 2 minute plank “challenge” I’ve been seeing is intended for fitness beginners or people who don’t currently have much core strength, but want to start building that foundation up reliably.  For those people, I highly recommend it, and hope that it’s actually being tried and not just reposted.

For me, however, or people that I work with regularly, holding a 30 second plank once per day is not remotely a challenge.  So, I devised a different plank challenge for myself that would allow me to harness the benefits of holding plank position, but still offer a reasonable amount of challenge.  I decided that I would start with a 2 minute plank, push up into a 5 minute downward facing dog, and then level back out to a second 2 minute plank. I would then bookend it around my day, once in the morning, once in the evening.    Every week I decided to increase the length of the plank by 1 minute until I eventually reached a 15 minute set (meaning 5 minute plank, 5 minute downward facing dog, 5 minute plank).  I feel that 15 minutes twice a day is a reasonable amount of time to commit to a personal challenge.  Once reaching that goal, I decided I would add leg raises to increase the challenge without increasing the time.

At the moment, I am only in the second week of my self-proclaimed challenge. For the record, it’s hard! But that was the point.  I wanted to be challenged.  It takes my focus, but is not out of my reach.  And it has brought my attention back to one of the primary lessons I teach my clients: everything is easier when you breathe with purpose.  Sometimes when I get to the end of my day, after teaching Yoga, Pilates, Water Aerobics, Pilates again, and taking a 2 mile walk around the lake at lunch time (because I have also challenged myself to take an average of 15,000 steps per day—it’s good to have goals), I will be completely exhausted.  My focus and willpower during my evening set of planks is often flagging.  I will decide, yes, I am committed, and I’m going to stick with my plan, but that final minute of plank takes every ounce of my willpower to see it through.  The thing that gets me to the finish line is my breath.  I do a very deep, moderately paced, forceful breath, in through the nose, out through the mouth.  It goes in cycles of about 3 seconds in, 3 seconds out, fully using the diaphragm.  This breathing technique focuses me.  It steadies me.  It keeps me in plank, using good form, even when I’m tired, and carries me through to the end with strength and grace. (Grace on both a physical and mental level.)

Right now, I’m using this breathing technique to master a difficult physical routine that I want to achieve.  But I have used it in many other situations before.  That is what I want to share with you today.  Not the benefits of plank or the thrill of succeeding at such a challenge (and I am totally killing it so far, but the way), but to share the power of this simple breathing technique.

I have most often heard it called “The Energizing Breath,” but I’m sure there are many other names for this technique.  You don’t need a lot of lung power to begin using it, but using it will quickly increase your power and lung capacity.  You can use it to focus yourself,  and as I am doing with my current endeavor, to carry yourself through a physical activity.  You can use it for pain relief.  If you’re in chronic pain, or have a sudden pain that you can’t immediately remedy, doing this breath helps reduce the pain so that you can function until the pain subsides.  This technique also works well with emotional pain.

Over the past year, as I’ve been dealing with the grief of my mother’s untimely death, I’ve tried a wide range of things to help me cope with the oppressive weigh of that grief.  Having goals helps.  Having awesome friends and community involvement helps, too.  But sometimes, the pain is too much.  The inside of my chest feels like it’s collapsing in on itself.  My heart beats too fast, my vision gets tunneled, and I feel like someone has kicked me in the gut.  Grief manifests in many forms.  For me, this is the physical manifestation of my grief over living in a world without my mother.   It feels like I’m going to be crushed under the weight of it.  But if I remember to do the Energizing Breath, steady, deep, forceful breaths, in through the nose, out through the mouth, the pain begins to dissipate.  It’s like turning on a light in a very dark room.  Every time the grief tries to consume me, I do this breath.  It clears away the pain until I can bare it again.  I still feel the sadness, but it doesn’t suffocate me.  Using this breath, I do more than just cope.  I move forward.  I heal little by little.  I integrate my loss instead of being consumed and stagnated by it.

This is my offering to you today: focus, mental clarity, improved lung capacity, emotional and physical pain relief, and stress relief all in one.  This technique can also be used to help wake you up in the morning or calm you down before bed at night.  It’s totally free and takes practically no training to master.  Unlike other breathing techniques, such as what you might use during meditation, you can begin doing this one right away.  You will become better and better at it over time, but you don’t have to learn how to do it, or practice it in order to use it successfully.  You just need to try it.  Put force behind the breath.  Pull in through the nose quickly; push out through the mouth with purpose.  That’s it.  Breathe really hard as DEEPLY as you can.  That’s all there is to it.  Put it in your toolbox and use it every chance you get.

What a Relief

The more I seek my own self improvement, on all levels (mental, physical, and spiritual), the more I have come to realize the vital importance of stress relief as a part of my daily training.  Ask just about anyone what they know concerning the effects of stress, and they will tell you that "stress can kill you," but it does a myriad of other degradation along the way.  The path of stress is not a quick course to the grave; it is a long and agonizing way to put yourself under. It's also nearly unavoidable.  However, you can always choose how you're going to deal with it so that you can reduce or negate its effects.

Stress can manifest as physical problems like chronic pain or fatigue, elevated blood pressure, and gained weight that won't go away.  It can cause mental and emotional problems like anxiety, anger, and depression.  The build up of stresses can block our spiritual path leading us to self-sabotage, self-doubt, and even abandonment of our goals and dreams.  Stress has become so pervasive in our lives that we're willing to write it off as "the norm" and accept the problems that can arise  rather that addressing the issue itself.

I often talk to clients who are suffering with physical or mental issues that are clearly stress induced, and when I ask them "What do you do for stress relief every day?" they'll respond with "I don't have time to deal with it every day."  But what if just a little "work" on your stress relief reduced your pain and fatigue to the point where you could actually finish goals you've set for yourself?  Is that not worth it?  What if the little bit of conscious, purposeful stress relief is the missing element  in your current plan of action that would allow you to reach your success?

Here's a great example, and I use this one because it turned out to be true for me.  Let's say you want to lose some weight. You track your exercise, food, calories, water, vitamins, and hormone levels religiously, but nothing works.  The harder you work at it the more you actually gain weight.  You're being healthy, you're being active, you're being hydrated, and your doctor says there's no physical reason why you can't lose weight.  What's wrong?  Too much stress, not enough relief.  No matter how healthy you work at being, your body feels the stress and holds on to every ounce of water and fat to keep you protected from the pervasive threat you're always feeling.  This makes it feel like all your hard work is for nothing, so you give up.

Now, let's say you add little daily stress management to your exercise, healthy food, vitamins, and filtered lemon water.  The change can be dramatic.  When something you do is successful that, in and of itself, is a form of stress relief that can lead to even greater successes.

How can you find the right stress management to add to your programs?  It's very individual, but the key is, it must be conscious and purposeful.  You need to be aware within your process, so things like watching TV and playing internet games, while entertaining and not stressful, are not effective for stress relief.  The most effective stress relief will allow you to remain in the moment with them.  Some examples of things you can do that can help you stay in the moment: play with your dog or your child (and that means stop everything, be in that moment, and enjoy the play), sing, dance, write in a journal, do a senses walk, grow plants, meditate, do just 5 minutes of deep breathing, soak in the bath tub while doing your deep breathing.  There are tons more, and what works for you is going to be totally individual to you and what fills you with joy and freedom.  The key is to choose an active form of stress relief rather than a passive relaxation that shuts your brain off.  Stay engaged in your stress relief process.  Do at least one purposeful stress management activity every day.  It could make all the difference in attaining those goals that seem just a little out of reach.  It could also help you live longer.  And if you're going to live longer, you might as well feel good and be happy while you're at it.

Every Reason to Celebrate

Life is a celebration.  It really is.  And if for any reason you think it isn’t, well, it should be.  Every accomplishment, big or small is a reason to celebrate.  Often the littlest things become the greatest joys.  For this reason, you should celebrate them, and be sure not to miss them.

When I originally began thinking about the value of celebration in our lives (and celebrating life), I was thinking primarily about people in fitness classes and the positive value of celebrating even small successful steps on their health and fitness journeys.  Those little, tiny, baby steps are vitally important to the foundation of your success.  I think it is important not to overlooking them and to give yourself credit for EVERY victory along the way.

You, who just stepped through the doors of the gym for the first time after years without a fitness routine, celebrate it!  Even if all you did was tour the facility, celebrate it!  That’s a big step. You who have never done a Yoga class in your life and are completely terrified about it but showed up and gave it a try anyway, celebrate it!  It doesn’t matter if you couldn’t do the balances. It doesn’t matter if you can’t stretch very far.  You came to class.  That’s a big step!  Pat yourself on the back and do a happy dance.  That takes courage.  You with the tight hamstrings who runs the marathons who finally touched your toes for the first time today, celebrate it!! You with the arthritis who has to modify every standing posture, but listened to your body and did what you could do, celebrate it! You with the 100 pound weight loss goal who had to do child pose or forward bend between every posture to catch your breath, but STUCK IT OUT THROUGH THE WHOLE CLASS, CELEBRATE IT!!! You got up this morning and came to the gym on a Saturday!  Throw your hands up in the air and celebrate it! I’m serious! We spend so much time tearing ourselves down for little things that don’t matter.  Why not build yourself up about little things that do matter?  Why not acknowledge that progress comes in both big and small steps and the small steps are just as good?  Whatever your small steps are, your teeniest, tiniest victories, they are all good.  The bigger things build on the small things.  This is where you start, no matter how far you have to go, and you should give yourself credit for anything that keeps you faced forward toward your goal.

But this doesn’t just apply to Yoga, health, and fitness classes.  This is something we should embrace about all aspects of life.  You woke up this morning! Oh yes, you should celebrate it!  Another day, even if you think it’s a bad day, is a chance for you to learn, grow, discover, and in any small way reach toward the better things that build your life.  You may encounter many people within the scope of each day who treat you all manner of ways.  Why not celebrate the one who was kind to you, regardless of everyone else?  By doing that you make a bad day better and a better day great.  Your favorite song came on the radio? Sounds like a celebration to me. Only one piece of chocolate left in the candy dish?  Are you going to be sad that there is only one piece left or celebrate that you get to eat some chocolate today? That’s right, you celebrate!  I got to eat a piece of chocolate today! This is the reason that I say life is a celebration, or at least it can be, if you make it that way.

I am celebrating RIGHT NOW because I successfully updated my blog today.  You have proof, too, because you’re reading it.  (This is me throwing my hands up in the air and waving them around—OH YEAH!!)  The second part of my Aging Gracefully series will be coming down the pipe presently, though this little celebratory piece, in a way, speaks to the value of graceful living.  I think the older we get, the more clearly we see the importance of the small things.  You don’t have to wait until you’re showing your age to do this, though.  Start now, at any age.  The older you get, the bigger that “I woke up this morning” victory feels.  Don’t wait.  Celebrate it now, and every little victory in between.

Plague Spreaders

This is my public service announcement.  It’s that time of year again: “Flu Season.” On behalf of your classmates and co-workers, if you get sick, STAY HOME! If you even think you have a cold, the flu, or any other brand of creeping crud, just go back to bed.  Do not come to work!  Do not go to the gym!  Drink your fluids, take your vitamin C, and get some rest!

Let’s talk about you for a just a moment.  I love you.  I really do.  I love your good health, your dedication to improving yourself, and every step of your personal journey to success.  However, I do not love your germs, and I especially do not love it when you share those germs with healthy people who are also actively on a journey to better health. Your intrepid visits to public places when you have the sniffles undermine everyone’s efforts to be healthier.  Many of us have this mentality that if you push harder, you will somehow function normally even when you’re sick.  I'm sorry my friends.  This is simply not true.  You do not function normally.  You do not think clearly.  You will cause your illness to last longer than if you had just allowed yourself time to heal in the first place, and by embracing this mentality, you become what I think of as a plague spreader.

If you try to sneak into my class or crawl into the back row sneezing and sniffling, I will send you home.  Do not misunderstand.  This is a loving act.  I am protecting my students from plague spreaders, but I am also giving you permission to take care of yourself! Sometimes what we really need the most is a few days to quietly rest and recover.  Love yourself enough to do this the moment you start to feel an illness coming on so you don’t end up wiped out for weeks to come.  The world will still be spinning once you get well.  Wishing you all the best of health!

Equinox: Striking the Balance

This past Saturday was the Autumnal Equinox, the official first day of Fall.  Up here, in the Seattle area of the Pacific Northwest, Fall literally happened over night.  All week it was warm and sunny like Summer.  I woke up Friday morning to the cool, overcast weather that is typically associated with Western Washington, and all the leaves had turned.  Just like that, Instant Fall!  I suspect most areas experience a less sudden and dramatic change of seasons.  Where I grew up, in Florida, you start to notice Fall about the time it should be starting Winter.  I've lived in this region for almost a decade, and it still amazes me that Fall happens right on cue rather than gradually sneaking up on you some time around Thanksgiving.  However, the Equinox happens everywhere, heralding the start of Autumn, whether it feels like it or not.

What actually happens on the Equinox is the hours of the day are perfectly balanced to the hours of the night: they are equal in length, "Equinox."  In honor of this occasion, I feel it appropriate to examine the value of balance in daily life and the part it plays on the road to inner peace.

For someone like me, a Yoga, Pilates, and Dance Instructor, the word "balance" is so second nature and integral to my thoughts as to be easily taken for granted.  I recently stood in for a fellow Yoga instructor, and her class commented on how much of a balance element there was in my class.  It surprised and challenged them.  I was surprised it was so unfamiliar for them, but every teacher is different.  We have our strengths and weakness, and we will tend to teach toward our strengths.  As a former ballet dancer, balance is my strength.

In a broader scope, truly, where there is balance, there is harmony.  This applies to all aspects of life.  When something is out of balance, there is discord.  Bringing things into balance creates ease and joy.  I would like to suggest that now, at the balance of the seasons, is the ideal time to examine the aspects of your life that need to be balanced.  Is your health in balance?  Do you balance active pursuits with enough restful time?  Is your work life balanced with a healthy dose of recreation?  Do you balance social life and solitude?  Is your income balanced by your expenditure, a balanced budget, as it were?  If you are a very giving person, as most spiritual folk are, do you balance it with the ability to freely receive?  The list goes on and on. I challenge you to take a few moments to look at what areas of your life are filled with discord, pain, fear, stress, or anything else that essentially equals being out of balance. What would it take to bring those things into balance, to fill that area of your life with pleasure, harmony, and ease?  Begin taking steps to bring that balance back into your areas of discord.  You don't have to make the change over night, like the seasons of the Pacific Northwest.  You can always choose a gentle change, but at least take the first steps.  Bring the right balance into your being, and figure out what you need to do to keep it that way for life.

End of August

August has been a very busy month.  For me, it has been a roller coaster: the good, the bad, and the weird all rolled into one. I would like to take this moment to remind everyone to notice and be thankful for the small joys in your life.  Even when things don't go your way or when troubles overwhelm you, there is always something, no matter how small, to be thankful for.  Just take a moment to figure out what that is or what those things are and hold on to those thoughts.  Create a joyful space in your heart and mind.  Give yourself permission to touch that reserve of inner peace.  Remind yourself that it is always there.

I've got one last class that I'm offering before Labor Day.  I'll be taking the Labor Day weekend off, but I'll be back to teach All Levels Yoga Flow on Tuesday.  I've got an All Levels Mat Pilates class in Canyon Park (Bothell, WA) at 5:30pm today.  It's my last class to offer in August, and I promise it will be super fun and an awesome work out!  Peace, Love, Light, and Happy Labor Day!