Day 62 - How to Feed Your Body and Creative Spirit with Breath (and a Little Help from Elmo)

I started writing today, so this blog post is going to be (blessedly) short.

I’ll tell you how I found mental focus and stepped into my parasympathetic nervous system (rest and digest) so I could lie on the couch and dream the storyline.

I did 18 belly breaths (if Elmo can do it here, you can: https://youtu.be/_mZbzDOpylA). If you want to get even more advanced, hug yourself so each hand covers a set of ribs and feel your side body expand after your stomach inflates. The number 18 is significant as I was once told it takes that many breaths to put you in the parasympathetic state. You might notice that you yawn or start salivating—both of these are signs that you are starting to relax.

Count the number of seconds it takes for you to inhale and then exhale for twice that number—so if you inhale for a count of 5, exhale for a count of 10. You don’t have to stick with those numbers—the important thing is to keep with the 1:2 ratio. Exhales help detoxify the body, and deeper exhales encourage deeper inhales.

It’s easy to get dreamy after just a few breaths, so find a way to keep count. You could use an 18-bead bracelet or fold a finger down each time and open all your fingers up at 10 and start folding down again.

Warning: this could make you feel euphoric. You might get sleepy. If you want to nap, nap. I love sleeping when I am imagining a new project to life. Your dreams can talk to you and take you to magical scenes, and if breathing deeply made you tired, you were tired to begin with and you are finally allowing your body to communicate with you. 

See you tomorrow.

xoxo