...And Now Breathe...

We began our yoga practice yesterday with this simple exercise. Simple, but beautifully effective. Just like yoga.

Come sitting in a comfortable cross-legged pose. You may also choose to align yourself comfortably in a chair, hips even, thighs relaxed, feet on the floor, spine tall and torso lifted but relaxed.

Take a moment and remember a time that really upset you. Not the most horrible upset of your life, but a moment recently when you lost your cool and later regretted it. On a scale of 1-10 with 10 being horrific, how upsetting was it?

Now raise your dominant hand in front of you at eye level. Curl your fingers into a fist and stick up your thumb, like you're hitchhiking from the universe.

As you remember the feelings of upset, gaze gently at your thumbnail. Let it become a small movie screen. Onto it, project the incident in your mind. Remember the sights, the sounds, the sensations. Hear the dialogue.

Slowly, waft your thumb around in a figure eight before your eyes. Track your thumbnail movie with your eyes as it moves around. Breathe calmly.

After a few minutes, relax and let your hand drop onto your thigh. Re-rate the incident on a scale of 1-10.

Do you find that you feel calmer and less upset?

This worked like magic for everybody in our class. Seems like a handy thing to remember as we cope with day-to-day life.

And now breathe.