Transformative Mindfulness and Breathwork for Stress Relief

In today's fast-paced world, stress is an all-too-familiar companion for many of us. Whether it's work pressures, personal challenges, or the constant buzz of technology, finding a moment of peace can seem like an elusive dream. Our latest podcast episode, "Transformative Mindfulness and Breathwork for Stress Relief," is here to change that narrative by guiding you on a journey towards inner tranquility and stress-free living. 

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Chapters

• 0:00 Mini Meditation for Stress Relief
• 11:27 Breathwork for Stress Release

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:23

Hey there, I just wanted to check in with you. Sometimes we hold a lot of stress without knowing it, and sometimes we hold stress and then we stress about it because we are aware of the stress. So I created this mini meditation for you to create some space to zoom out a little bit, to reconnect with yourself and to recognize that you can let go, that you can support yourself, that even in what might feel like the darkest times or the most stressful times you can, you can recenter and get real about where you're stressing, about the stress and how that's holding you back. Before we jump in, I want you just to think about that. Where in your life right now, where in your head right now? Where in your thoughts and your body right now and your body right now Are you creating stress for yourself, about the stress that you might be feeling in your world? When you're ready, I'd like you to close your eyes and continue to contemplate the notion that there's an opportunity here to decrease stress and it's in your control. If you're able to close your eyes and they are closed already go ahead and just take a deep breath in for four, holding at the top for as long as you can and when you're ready. I just want you to exhale as loudly as you like, just letting go of any tension, and then return to breathing normally. Notice that your blood might be flowing differently now. Draw your awareness around that You're already making a physical change in your body.

Speaker 1: 3:15

So now I'm going to guide you through this. But what I'd like you to do and this is physical, you can do it lying down, standing up, sitting at your desk. What I'd like you to do is to squeeze your shoulders all the way up to your ears, tighten your fists, tighten your face, every muscle that you can control, and hold it as tightly as you can for as long as you can. Feel how strong you are, how in control you are of really, really pulling those muscles in tight squeezing. Feel them and when you're ready, just let go. You might feel yourself tingling. Wiggle your fingers, roll your wrists, maybe do a head roll, maybe kind of open your mouth and wiggle your lips around your jaw. You might feel silly if you do allow yourself to laugh.

Speaker 1: 4:33

For those of you who know Donald O'Connor and Singing in the Rain, that's what we're going for here, okay, so we're going to do it one more time, and what I want you to do is to draw awareness around your incredible strength. All right. So again, we are going to concentrate on our fingers, fists, arms. Pull them in tight to your torso. If you like to pull in your stomach muscles and your ribs, go for it All the way up to your neck. Pull your shoulders up to your ears and scrunch your face all up, nice and tight, and hold for as long as you can and, when you're ready, make a decision to let go and then really let go. Notice how you're feeling.

Speaker 1: 5:37

So now what I'd like you to do is shake your head no, so, from right to left. But I want you to say, either in your head or out loud yes, go ahead and try it. It's counterintuitive. So you're nodding your head, no, from right to left, right to left, and you're saying yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, as you nod your head no, okay, now we're going to nod our head up and down in the universal symbol for yes and we're going to say no, alright. So we're going to go nodding up and down saying no, no, no, no, no, no, no, when you feel like you've done it enough. Just listen to your instinct, to your intuition.

Speaker 1: 6:42

I want you simply just to take a head roll, so chin down, rolling ear to the side of your shoulder, lifting your face all the way to the ceiling Now your left ear to your left shoulder and circling down, chin down to your chest. If your eyes are still closed, that's terrific. I want you to imagine and again, keep your chin down. If it's not still down, I want you to stretch your chin a little closer, give yourself a little more space on the back of your neck as you really lengthen up the top of your head, top of your crown, circling over, in order to let that chin reach towards your chest. Nice, nice. Now, before you release that, I want you to imagine that your chin is, I don't know, like a piece of chalk or paint, could be a paintbrush, and as you start to raise your chin and just wait for a second, I'll let you know when to do this, I want you to go down, to go up, meaning reach a little bit lower down and then pick a color, and I want you simply to paint the letter I or the number one. Now see that letter or number right in front of you. So now you're again. You're seeing it in your mind's eye. All right, so you're looking straight at this colorful letter line, stroke or number right in front of you and I want you to focus on it. Notice the color, notice how thick or thin you painted it. Notice if you like the color, if the color elicits a feeling in you. Just keep looking at it. Just keep looking at it Now as you continue breathing and staring at this image that you created in your mind's eye, and play with it.

Speaker 1: 9:10

Maybe you painted it red, but right now you're not feeling red. Play around with transforming it to the color blue. See how that makes you feel. Maybe you want to turn it horizontal. Go ahead, turn it 90 degrees clockwise. Make it a straight, flat line in front of you. Maybe you want to continue rotating clockwise, or maybe you preferred it the way it was and you can take it back.

Speaker 1: 9:44

Continue to play with this line that you drew with your mind's eye, that you painted with a color. Maybe change its position counterclockwise. 90 degrees, 45 degrees. The sky is the limit. Go ahead and just dabble and play. Change the color now. Try yellow. What does yellow elicit? Where do you feel that in your body?

Speaker 1: 10:33

Allow this image now to transform into anything you like. It can remain abstract, it can become specific, it could become oh, I don't know a horse and it could gallop out of your sight. It could be a horse that you get on and gallop with it out of your sight. Whatever you like, use your creativity, your intuition. Ask your body what color and what shape would you like to transform this image that you created? Really, engage in the play and just notice.

Speaker 1: 11:27

You can stay here as long as you like and pause the track or, if you're ready, I'm going to slowly bring you back to your breath and I want you to take a deep breath in through your nose, holding at the top just as long as it feels comfortable, and then exhaling through your mouth on your next breath.

Speaker 1: 12:00

I want you to imagine that your breath is originating from your toes and breathe that breath all the way up from your toes, through your shins and your calves and your knee and your thigh and your hamstring and your hips, all the way up through your spine, your belly, through your spine, your belly, through your throat, right up the center of your skull, and then exhale, feel yourself spreading, widening, opening. So we've spent about 12 and a half minutes playing, creating, recreating, shaping our thoughts, enjoying the fact that there's no right answers and also feeling the power that you have to create whatever thoughts you want. So I want you to remember that prompt. I asked you at the beginning, which was in what areas are you stressing about stress? And check in with yourself and notice if any of that has dissipated in this exercise.

Speaker 1: 13:52

I expect that you'll be feeling more expansive and spacious. If you're not, that's okay. You can repeat the exercise. Start to really give yourself permission to play, to create and to recreate and to dissipate any stress about the stress, letting go of anything you can't control and letting go also of the things that you can control and create something that you'd rather have. I encourage you to stop creating stress around the stress and instead come to this place where you connect with yourself, your incredible being. In stressful times, it's so important to be as spacious as we can and to cultivate and continue to live a life of creative possibilities. My friends, I leave you now. I'm going to count backwards from 5, 4, 3, 2, and one. Have an amazing rest of your day, evening, week, life, wishing you nothing but love and light. Namaste.