friday

december

4

2015

inspiration station

find your breath

Oh you better watch out ... because here it is ... the lights, the trees, the shopping, the wrapping, the baking, the decorating, the parties, the eating, the cookies, the martinis, the concerts, the music, the festivity, the Masses, the services, the cakes, the open houses, the Christmas shows, the piles of food, the candy canes, the gingerbread, the elves, and our favorite man ... Santa C himself.

Yes, here we are once again facing the JOY of Christmas. Oh joy.

Yet, it will only stay JOY-full if we allow in that part. The base phrase from my yoga instructor is ... find your breath. It is her way of reminding us to pause and breathe in between yoga poses as we warm up, move through, balance on each leg, and improve our yoga practice. Our heart rates might increase on one pose and she wants us to 'find our breath' before the next. Our muscles may strain on the next pose and after, she wants us to once again ... find our breath. Not hold our breath ... but BREATHE. Every breath is a cleansing breath. She says hearing our breathing is music to her ears. Air circulating throughout our lungs is good for us.

"Find your breath" - it's a great phrase, isn't it?

There is no better month to remind ourselves to find our breath than at the beginning of December, the "busy season" (ha, like our other 'seasons' aren't busy???).

So, take it easy. Don't welcome the stress. Breathe in the joy. It's all good. It will get done - and if it doesn't, no biggie, let it go. Exhale. This December "busyness" is self-imposed, you know that, right? YOUR to-do list, YOUR expectations of yourself, YOUR pressure. We do not have to play Super Santa! It's all what YOU create, it's what YOU accept onto your calendar and how "busy" you want to be this month.

I was thinking of a few other fun ways we can "find our breath" outside of yoga class ...

take a brisk walk in the crisp air and watch your breath expel
cool off a nice hot cup of chocolate by blowing on it
blow a kiss to someone passing by
breathe onto a cold window and draw a heart in the condensation
expel your breath onto your eyeglasses to clean them
breathe deep and let go of the trivia
blow up a balloon
release the steam in whatever way works for you
blow bubbles! bubbles make everything better, lighter and magical
expel your breath using laughter
and if you're breathing on anyone else doing any of these, remember to suck on an Altoid! :-D

What are some other ways you "find your breath?" Email SNIPPETS here.

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breath it all in
love it all out