Five chilldown techniques for anytime, anywhere

June 25, 4:08 PMOakland Health and Happiness ExaminerSho Sho Smith

Previous Next

2 comments Print Email RSS Subscribe

Subscribe

Get alerts when there is a new article from the Oakland Health and Happiness Examiner. Read Examiner.com's terms of use.

Email Address   Include other special offers from Examiner.com Terms of Use

Photo by Mike Licht

If you can’t get to yoga and haven’t yet mastered tai chi, here are some guerilla moves that will help you sink into the moment – without ever having to leave your seat.

1.  “There’s all the time in the world.” Tell yourself these kind words. You’ll believe it because it’s true, even under a deadline. Repeating this mantra changes the quality of your state of mind. It’s almost impossible to say it without naturally taking a deep breath as you feel the moment deepen and expand under you.
2. Look at something beautiful. Lucky you if there’s an ocean outside your window. If not, find something else you can space out on (a.k.a. meditating). A picture or object that gives you pleasure. A display of quotes and fortune cookie notes. I keep fresh flowers on my desk. The monster king protea I stare at and occasionally pet helps me think as I write. Beauty draws the soul out, and spacing out relaxes the mind into the next insight. Author Geneen Roth wisely recommends “beauty breaks” in her article Stop and Smell the Roses.
3. Find your center of gravity. In the energy field of your bellybutton, there’s a throne that you can sit in. Also known as the Chinese dan tien, the Japanese hara, the Indian solar plexus chakra and the yogic prana , it is located three finger widths below and two finger widths behind your navel. This strong center floods with golden light in your presence, burning away stress like the sun’s core. If you’re not in the habit of body awareness, author Shannon Duncan’s body scan technique can help you dive inside.
4. Stop automating for a while. Our time-saving machines cheat us a little bit, turning us into bean counters of minutes. Try doing something manual, using your body instead. Sweep instead of vacuum. Hang laundry instead of using the drier. Boil water instead of using the microwave. Shut down the computer, if you dare. Pen and paper doesn’t breathe constantly, beep or pressure you with a blinking cursor.
5. Stop multitasking for a while. In her article, Roth notes that “Americans are so busy multitasking that we are doing 31 hours of work in each 24-hour period.”  Wouldn’t you like to have those seven hours back? Do only one task for one hour, and notice how peaceful you feel when you choose quality over quantity.