A truly inspiring person is often perceived as possessing passion with a purpose. Their energy comes from a place deep within. That place is an area in the abdomen, above or around the navel.
This energy center in the body actually operates as though it has three channels. I haven’t figured out a cool name for this energy center, but what I have seen is a person who has a sense of freedom—there’s no “binding” in their expression of life, there is circulation in their being, and there is energetic movement occurring around them. What you have is a person who is in their right-livelihood making a contribution, feeling connected with the Spirit, and fully engaged in a cooperative life-work, with other like-minded individuals.
The three channels seem to have one energy source, which will flow through one channel or the other. In an ideal and perfect world, you would have all these channels fully awake and fully energized, thus you’d be able to apply the energy in all nuclei at the same time. You can do that if your pelvis is flexible and free (different lecture).
The movement of your abdomen and flexibility of your ribcage are what keep this energy grounded and circulating, ultimately manifesting themselves in some meaningful, tangible way.
The second energy center in the abdomen is the one for passion and bliss. If you can think of a person you’ve ever been dazzled by—it’s almost as though you imagine that being with this person will awaken a part of yourself that you desire to be in touch with. Perhaps an hour or 10 minutes, a night, or a lifetime with that person will awaken the part of your soul that you’ve been longing to have access to. That’s the passion and bliss nucleus of this energy center.
When you pursue that passion—there’s something deep within you that becomes satiated in a way that you feel, perhaps even momentarily, complete. As though you’ve experienced a state of bliss, are spiritually connected with the dazzling essence of the divine.
Viscerally you reach a state of inner and outer harmony. You are physically connected and you have a rewarding unexplainable experience. It’s as though you’ve touched and become a part of another soul and gained access to your own soul in a way that no other physical experience can give you.
As human beings having a spiritual experience, passion and bliss are hardwired, into the pleasure centers of the body. It is important to recognize and nurture this important aspect of our nature. For some of us, this may demand for us to reconsider boundaries or barriers of sensuality that may have developed over the years. For others, we simply need to do a couple of exercises to release any binding patters related to this essential energy center. Whatever you do, take action and allow yourself the freedom of passion and bliss. It is your birthright.
One of the best exercises to help increase access to bliss:
Step-Up Lunge
Thursday, June 18, 2009
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Fire in the Belly- Emotional Anatomy
Fire in the Belly
Emotional Anatomy of the Lower Abdomen
A truly inspiring person is often perceived as possessing passion with a purpose. Their energy comes from a place deep within. That place is an area above or around the navel.
This energy center in the body actually operates as though it has 3 channels. I haven’t figured out a cool name for this energy center, but what I have seen is a person who has a sense of freedom—there’s no “binding”, there is circulation, and there is energetic movement occurring around them. What you have is a person who is in their right livelihood making a contribution, feeling connected with the spirit, and also fully engaged in a cooperative life work, with other like-minded individuals.
The 3 channels seem to have one energy source, which will flow through one channel or the other. In an ideal and perfect world, you would have all these channels fully awake and fully energized and you’d be able to apply the energy in all directions at the same time. You can do that if your pelvis is flexible and free (different lecture).
The movement of your body and flexibility of your ribcage are what keep this energy grounded and circulating, ultimately manifesting themselves in some meaningful, tangible way.
The first channel, in no particular order of importance, is the spiritual channel. This is the part of a person that longs to have a deep connection with the divine. Yes, we say our heart yearns to be with our deity. We want to feel that connection. That desire to connect comes from right below the navel. It’s different from prana energy, which comes from the pelvis. It’s more like what the ayurvedic healers call kundalini energy. This energy taps you into your connection with Spirit. When a person feels most connected with Spirit, it’s almost as though they feel that God walks through their lives, in their bodies. It’s almost as though that person can feel the divine working through them as they go about their daily lives. When this channel is open and free, there is some spiritual energy that seems to perhaps guide and direct that person toward the places they can be most useful and make the greatest contribution. That’s the spiritual channel of this energy center.
You can awaken this center in yourself with a few exercises, one of which is the Step-Up Lunge.
Instructions:
1. Using a chair and starting off close enough as if you were going to sit, measure your stretch distance by standing with the back of your calves against the front of a chair.
2. Take one comfortable stride forward. Turn around in that spot to face the chair. Now, check to see that your back foot and toe are pointing straight ahead—not to the side.
3. Step one foot fully onto the lap of the chair. With your front foot flat in the chair, lean forward until the knee and the ankle are straight up and down.
4. Look down at your back foot. The heel should be at least one inch off the floor, with your weight balanced on the front arch of the foot. The heel should not be flat at this point. You should feel this stretch in front of your hip and perhaps the top middle of the “down” leg. You should not feel this in your calf at all. If you do feel it in the calf, bend your knee so that the focus point of this stretch shifts to the front of this hip.
Special Note: Check to make sure your torso is upright, not forward. When you have your arms hanging at your sides, do your best to be so upright that they hang behind your body’s midline or even behind where your hips are.
5. So you’re in position now. Breathe five times in your nose, out your open mouth—feeling the stretch on the front of your hip going down to the front middle of your leg.
6. After five breaths, pivot or wiggle your back foot a few inches farther back, to open the front of your hip joint even more. Keep the back foot straight, headed forward, and correct your front leg and body position if you need to.
7. Breathe five times. Again, in your nose—big—out your open mouth wide open first, then breathe out.
When you are done, use your front foot to push yourself out of the chair, and catch your balance. Then, walk around to recalibrate your body’s tension balance.
Living your life infused with Spirit flowing through you carries with it the responsibility of keeping your body healthy and whole, fluid and flexible.
In doing so, you will tap into a natural resource within yourself that will leave you with a sense of accomplishment, peace of mind, and connectedness with the divine.
We will continue this discussion by going into the 2nd channel of energy in our next blog.
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
Emotional Anatomy of the Neck and Chest
Heart and soul—the center of courage and self-love
The breastbone starting at the center point at the base or sternum—this is the area where bravery, courage, and pride tend to manifest themselves. What’s also there is self-love. You’ve heard—“Mary has a warm heart to do such a thing.” Or… “Barry has the courage to take on a big challenge in life.”— The energy of courage manifests itself in the ribcage right behind the sternum bone, sometimes referred to as the heart chakra.
By contrast, when a person has a depressed or compressed ribcage, that person decreases their capacity to experience not just self-love, but feeling cared about. Even though other people may care about them, one lowers their capacity for experiencing and feeling that love by closing the ribcage down. They limit their capacity to express caring and courage in life.
Here’s more: You will find that a person has a greater capacity for self-confidence if their ribcage is higher and fuller. As you go higher to the upper part of the breastbone you discover the part of the body that one holds the energy to stand up for one’s self. This is different from speaking up for yourself, which is higher, at the base of the throat, but standing up for one’s self. The energy of courageous compassion is what I’m talking about.
Picture a mama bear with her cubs and how protective she is over them. Imagine the unbridled fierceness that the mama bear has if some other predator or intruder gets near her cubs. She’ll kill that person, that other animal, to drive them away even if it means the cost of her life.
For you and me, this manifests itself in our willingness to take a stand for what we believe in for our, a cause, or for a person we really care about. That energy comes from this part of the ribcage—open it and you’ll expand. Compress it and you’ll be hesitant to speak, or stand, up for yourself, your loved ones, your livelihood, your cause.
The next area is just above the breastbone at what is referred to as the suprasternal notch, at the base of the throat. That is speaking up for one’s self.
When this area is open and free, you’ll be much more willing to say what’s on your mind, to express your truth, and you’ll be able to say it without hesitation. Certainly, tact and talent are part of how the delivery occurs, but the willingness to make the communication in the first place—that shows up at the base of the throat. Open it and you’ve got freedom. Close it and you’ll notice constriction and hesitation.
In fact, the chest and throat tend to close down when a person is making an uncomfortable communication. Imagine someone clearing their throat, coughing and facing down slightly. They’re trying to open this area so that their truth can come out. When this area is open and free, your message becomes much clearer, especially to yourself.
The ego gets stored in the neck. When the neck is rigid, short, pulled down, stiff, and pitched forward, the energy flow for that person gets constricted. When it’s constricted, it prevents the person from being realistic about who they are to themselves and to others. In the absence of a realistic self-view, people tend to paint a picture about themselves to camouflage the absence or confusion their self-esteem.
When you open this area and bring freedom back to your neck, not only your self-confidence, but also your self-perception is much more likely to be accurate, give you a sense of confidence, and one that is compatible with how other people actually perceive you. It’s likely to also complement how you fit into the universe you’ve built around yourself.
In conclusion: Self-love, self-confidence, courage, caring, and compassion are close cousins in the emotional body. The healthier you become, the more open and free your body will want to become. Today, make the commitment to stand up and speak up for yourself or someone or something you care about. You just might change the world!
The breastbone starting at the center point at the base or sternum—this is the area where bravery, courage, and pride tend to manifest themselves. What’s also there is self-love. You’ve heard—“Mary has a warm heart to do such a thing.” Or… “Barry has the courage to take on a big challenge in life.”— The energy of courage manifests itself in the ribcage right behind the sternum bone, sometimes referred to as the heart chakra.
By contrast, when a person has a depressed or compressed ribcage, that person decreases their capacity to experience not just self-love, but feeling cared about. Even though other people may care about them, one lowers their capacity for experiencing and feeling that love by closing the ribcage down. They limit their capacity to express caring and courage in life.
Here’s more: You will find that a person has a greater capacity for self-confidence if their ribcage is higher and fuller. As you go higher to the upper part of the breastbone you discover the part of the body that one holds the energy to stand up for one’s self. This is different from speaking up for yourself, which is higher, at the base of the throat, but standing up for one’s self. The energy of courageous compassion is what I’m talking about.
Picture a mama bear with her cubs and how protective she is over them. Imagine the unbridled fierceness that the mama bear has if some other predator or intruder gets near her cubs. She’ll kill that person, that other animal, to drive them away even if it means the cost of her life.
For you and me, this manifests itself in our willingness to take a stand for what we believe in for our, a cause, or for a person we really care about. That energy comes from this part of the ribcage—open it and you’ll expand. Compress it and you’ll be hesitant to speak, or stand, up for yourself, your loved ones, your livelihood, your cause.
The next area is just above the breastbone at what is referred to as the suprasternal notch, at the base of the throat. That is speaking up for one’s self.
When this area is open and free, you’ll be much more willing to say what’s on your mind, to express your truth, and you’ll be able to say it without hesitation. Certainly, tact and talent are part of how the delivery occurs, but the willingness to make the communication in the first place—that shows up at the base of the throat. Open it and you’ve got freedom. Close it and you’ll notice constriction and hesitation.
In fact, the chest and throat tend to close down when a person is making an uncomfortable communication. Imagine someone clearing their throat, coughing and facing down slightly. They’re trying to open this area so that their truth can come out. When this area is open and free, your message becomes much clearer, especially to yourself.
The ego gets stored in the neck. When the neck is rigid, short, pulled down, stiff, and pitched forward, the energy flow for that person gets constricted. When it’s constricted, it prevents the person from being realistic about who they are to themselves and to others. In the absence of a realistic self-view, people tend to paint a picture about themselves to camouflage the absence or confusion their self-esteem.
When you open this area and bring freedom back to your neck, not only your self-confidence, but also your self-perception is much more likely to be accurate, give you a sense of confidence, and one that is compatible with how other people actually perceive you. It’s likely to also complement how you fit into the universe you’ve built around yourself.
In conclusion: Self-love, self-confidence, courage, caring, and compassion are close cousins in the emotional body. The healthier you become, the more open and free your body will want to become. Today, make the commitment to stand up and speak up for yourself or someone or something you care about. You just might change the world!
Emotional Anatomy of the Face and Jaw
The face stores a wide variety of emotional energy. Stress, worry, joy, gladness, and passion—you can see it in a person’s face. What happens in a person’s history, or if the person doesn’t allow themselves to experience those feelings resulting from events, is, stress or something else builds up in particular muscles… Then you can see anger, un-cried tears, grief, stress. You can even “see” un-communicated thoughts when a person has pursed lips or clenches their teeth.
Anger and resentment, seething and vengefulness are stored in the jaws. Many of us know someone who seems angry most of the time. Look at their jaws. Are they tight? Bulging with veins? Short temper? Is that person overly reactive to the slightest provocation?.
The stress we store in our face and jaw can be harmful to us. Facial stress can age us prematurely. It can rob us of the sparkle in our smile, affect our speech and breathing, and send confusing messages to our friends and loved ones.
Many times, emotional stress can work the other way around as well. We can resolve a personal issue with a professional therapist. Sometimes, however, the person, or the negative energy from the issue may remain stored in the muscles of their body. So, in a sense, the emotions keep re-creating themselves because they haven’t been released from the body.
When a person is experiencing a Facial Reposturing® treatment, sometimes, a person may emit a tear when the facial muscles are stimulated and release latent emotional energy. Some people notice a dramatic and visible result when they come out of their Facial Reposturing treatment. They have a bigger, brighter smile that comes from the new freedom of movement they feel in their cheeks.
When you release the old tension patterns from a person’s face, what happens is the natural authentic self begins to shine and radiate from the person. Their smile looks more authentic. Their eyes are brighter. There’s a quiet confidence that comes to the countenance of a person’s face. Even if the person still has some unresolved issues—they come to a point when they, at least, no longer store it in their face.
There’s a natural, unforced mirth that shows in a person’s cheeks as a result of releasing the tension patterns that get stored in a person’s face. It becomes physically and structurally possible for them to experience authentic joy. Aliveness, peace of mind, radiance, and enthusiasm is the proof on the face of a person whose soul is free.
Anger and resentment, seething and vengefulness are stored in the jaws. Many of us know someone who seems angry most of the time. Look at their jaws. Are they tight? Bulging with veins? Short temper? Is that person overly reactive to the slightest provocation?.
The stress we store in our face and jaw can be harmful to us. Facial stress can age us prematurely. It can rob us of the sparkle in our smile, affect our speech and breathing, and send confusing messages to our friends and loved ones.
Many times, emotional stress can work the other way around as well. We can resolve a personal issue with a professional therapist. Sometimes, however, the person, or the negative energy from the issue may remain stored in the muscles of their body. So, in a sense, the emotions keep re-creating themselves because they haven’t been released from the body.
When a person is experiencing a Facial Reposturing® treatment, sometimes, a person may emit a tear when the facial muscles are stimulated and release latent emotional energy. Some people notice a dramatic and visible result when they come out of their Facial Reposturing treatment. They have a bigger, brighter smile that comes from the new freedom of movement they feel in their cheeks.
When you release the old tension patterns from a person’s face, what happens is the natural authentic self begins to shine and radiate from the person. Their smile looks more authentic. Their eyes are brighter. There’s a quiet confidence that comes to the countenance of a person’s face. Even if the person still has some unresolved issues—they come to a point when they, at least, no longer store it in their face.
There’s a natural, unforced mirth that shows in a person’s cheeks as a result of releasing the tension patterns that get stored in a person’s face. It becomes physically and structurally possible for them to experience authentic joy. Aliveness, peace of mind, radiance, and enthusiasm is the proof on the face of a person whose soul is free.
Introduction to “Journey Through Your Emotional Body” series
Different parts of the brain control and respond to different parts of the body. In a similar way, different parts of the body store and transmit different types of emotional energy.
Many of the phrases that exist in our language testify to the type of emotion that is stored in different parts of the body. Such as “pain in the neck” when someone is bothersome. “Weak in the knees” when a person feels like they have trouble confronting the truth, especially when it comes to an authority figure. “Shouldering responsibility” the shoulders happens to store authority. Or when someone has the guts to do something, courage comes up from the abdomen and moves through the chest into the center of bravery, courage and pride.
There are different aspects of our emotional-selves that deserve as much attention as we pay to being fit and looking good. Consider the energy required to heal your body when it is wounded or has a condition.
Starting at the top of the head, face and jaw, The “Journey Through Your Emotional Body” series will be an analysis based on observations from my clinical practice over 20 years and commentary from my clients and my discussions around each area.
Welcome to the world of Reposturing where the mind, body and sprit are considered as one. On Friday November 20th, look for “Heart and soul—the center of courage and self-love” the emotional anatomy of the neck and chest.
Many of the phrases that exist in our language testify to the type of emotion that is stored in different parts of the body. Such as “pain in the neck” when someone is bothersome. “Weak in the knees” when a person feels like they have trouble confronting the truth, especially when it comes to an authority figure. “Shouldering responsibility” the shoulders happens to store authority. Or when someone has the guts to do something, courage comes up from the abdomen and moves through the chest into the center of bravery, courage and pride.
There are different aspects of our emotional-selves that deserve as much attention as we pay to being fit and looking good. Consider the energy required to heal your body when it is wounded or has a condition.
Starting at the top of the head, face and jaw, The “Journey Through Your Emotional Body” series will be an analysis based on observations from my clinical practice over 20 years and commentary from my clients and my discussions around each area.
Welcome to the world of Reposturing where the mind, body and sprit are considered as one. On Friday November 20th, look for “Heart and soul—the center of courage and self-love” the emotional anatomy of the neck and chest.
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
Organization Detox
Every spring, many of us start to look at our homes, garages, and automobiles to see what we can clean out, give away, or toss. There is this curious phenomenon that happens when people start to get organized. They start getting weird—and then they get frustrated. Organizing is a good thing. Why should there be stress around it?
Think of organization as detoxifying one's life. The whole process calls for equally detoxifying your mind and body. The process itself may even make you feel sick, tired, cranky or just a little “off”. Here's a basic principle in the physics of vitality & wholeness: “How organized your life is reflects how healthy your mind and body are.”
When you change one area of your life, you'll likely feel an innate drive to make changes in other areas too. They toss things they no longer need. Many of my clients suddenly notice a desire to get in shape, improve their diet or change relationship status with friends, associates and "significant others."
When you feel tired, unsettled and off-centered, it's your body's way of saying, "Slow down, I need to catch up with you and figure out where you put all the furniture, food and forks". If you don't give yourself time and space to get used to the new arrangement, that can give you a bad attitude & really stress you out.
You can avoid "flip-out-factor" by doing stress neutralizing activities such as getting a massage, taking a walk or doing a fun and familiar activity you already know how to do.
This will help your mind, body, and spirit the opportunity to re-synchronize quickly & safely.
I have worked with many professional organizers for myself and for my clients with great results. At the same time, I avoid the "flip-out factor" by scheduling myself to receive structure-improvement oriented bodywork, such as Reposturing Dynamics and message therapy.
For a professional organizer in your area, call The National Association of Professional Organizers (NAPO) at 856-380-6828. For a Reposturing Dynamics Practitioner, call 1-888-7POSTURE.
Think of organization as detoxifying one's life. The whole process calls for equally detoxifying your mind and body. The process itself may even make you feel sick, tired, cranky or just a little “off”. Here's a basic principle in the physics of vitality & wholeness: “How organized your life is reflects how healthy your mind and body are.”
When you change one area of your life, you'll likely feel an innate drive to make changes in other areas too. They toss things they no longer need. Many of my clients suddenly notice a desire to get in shape, improve their diet or change relationship status with friends, associates and "significant others."
When you feel tired, unsettled and off-centered, it's your body's way of saying, "Slow down, I need to catch up with you and figure out where you put all the furniture, food and forks". If you don't give yourself time and space to get used to the new arrangement, that can give you a bad attitude & really stress you out.
You can avoid "flip-out-factor" by doing stress neutralizing activities such as getting a massage, taking a walk or doing a fun and familiar activity you already know how to do.
This will help your mind, body, and spirit the opportunity to re-synchronize quickly & safely.
I have worked with many professional organizers for myself and for my clients with great results. At the same time, I avoid the "flip-out factor" by scheduling myself to receive structure-improvement oriented bodywork, such as Reposturing Dynamics and message therapy.
For a professional organizer in your area, call The National Association of Professional Organizers (NAPO) at 856-380-6828. For a Reposturing Dynamics Practitioner, call 1-888-7POSTURE.
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Thriving On Stress
Thriving On Stress
Every day, you live with the consequences of how you react to the stress in your life. Whether you realize it or not, your response is costing you (and your family, friends and business) dearly -- physically, emotionally, professionally and monetarily.
The American Heritage Dictionary, 3rd edition defines stress as:
"A stimulus or circumstance causing a disruptive or upsetting condition in response to external influences…capable of affecting physical health…characterized by increased heart rate,…blood pressure, muscular tension, irritability, and depression."
Stress is costing you time and money
The number of workers adversely affected by stress is rapidly increasing and may be costing employers more than $100 billion a year, according to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. The American Institute of Stress puts the figure at $200-$300 billion a year.
After 24 years in the health and wellness industry, I have found a new definition:
Stress is your physical response to perceptions of life challenges you have.
Stress is not a "thing" by itself -- It is neither good nor bad on its own. Think of it like the instrument panel of an airplane. If a dial reading is too high or low, the airplane gets off balance. Regardless of the weather, the goal of the pilot is to fly the plane safely, to keep the instrument dials optimally balanced. Your job is similar. You must pilot yourself through the challenges of your life while keeping your "stress dials" as balanced as possible.
Stress, Self-Control and Self-Mastery
We need stress in order to live. Stress is a wake-up call, letting you know what area of your life needs work, development and attention. In the game of Self-Control and Self-Mastery, what stresses you out is probably where you personally need to grow.
Life Without Stress
How would life be, if there were no stress? Relationships would never happen. If they did, they would never grow, change or evolve. Work would always be the same--same sales, same customers, same service, same rules. Societies would not change or evolve. Even in the Stone Age, the wheel would have never been invented. Not the clock, not the automobile, not language or paper.
Most of us don’t want life completely without stress. Most of us would choose to be in relationships that grow. We would choose work that changes with market demands. We would want society to evolve and technology to be developed to improve our lives. We want stress to be part of our lives—we just need skills and boundaries to help us make stress an ally to gain self-control and mastery.
Life with Vitality and Self-Mastery
Living with vitality is taking control of our lives in every way. We are responsible for the happiness in our homes, the success in our careers, the peace in our minds, the enjoyment in our lifestyles, the health in our bodies, and the joy on our planet. We make good decisions that lead to quality in our lives. Living with vitality is having self control and life mastery. Almost everyone can achieve that.
Revive to Thrive
Thriving on stress to achieve vitality is like flexing a muscle. Building & developing muscle tone requires that you spend time and attention to pushing your muscles to their maximum ability and to resting, relaxing and nourishing them. Then it makes sense to revive your ability to thrive on stress by having a system of nurturing which restores your ability to handle a maximum amount of stress.
To thrive, you must recreate
Studies have shown that 62 percent of health club members go for the purpose of minimizing stress, and that number is growing daily. What my personal investigation has shown is that certain people seem to gravitate toward specific recreational activities consistently.
Many sales people tend to gravitate toward competitive activities (fast paced, high adrenaline) such as racquetball, tennis, basketball, kick boxing and drag racing. I have found that CEOs and general managers gravitated to strategy-dependent recreation, such as golf, billiards, tennis, marksmanship and chess.
Recreation is the KeyWhen we recreate or play, our "healthy" hormone levels return to normal. Furthermore, the part of us that we hold back in a stressful situation has a chance to "come out," express itself mentally, emotionally, psychologically and physically.
The Main Five Reasons why you want to use recreation to thrive on stress:
1) It’s usually easy to do
2) It’s fun to "play"
3) It provides balance -- Helps you "get a life!"
4) It gives you activities that help you spend quality time with friends & loved ones
5) It may add years to your life -- with quality
The Top Five Things you can do to neutralize the effects of stress--Almost Anytime
1- Deep breathe & Do Nothing
How: Sit quietly, eyes closed. Breathe deeply--in through your nose, then out through your mouth. Breathe deeply 3-5 times then normally for one minute or more, without responding to your surroundings. Repeat.
Benefits: Sends oxygen to brain, nutrients to cells and helps clear your thoughts.
2- Drink ample amounts of water daily
How: Take your weight in pounds and cut in half and drink that many ounces of water per day (e.g., 150 lbs. =75 oz water). Key point: Don’t drink when eating, as the water dilutes your digestive juices. If you feel the need for water while eating, you may be eating too quickly for your digestive juices to flow. If it is because of consumption of salty foods, drink the water anyway if your body craves it. Add two cups of water to every one cup of coffee, alcohol or soda.
Benefits: Makes body fluids flow better, gives more energy and increases flow; helps you sleep; organs work better; helps body release toxins and waste better; improves body’s cooling system; lowers blood pressure.
3- Napping
How: As little as 5 minutes --- no maximum (whatever your body says it needs, if time allows); Some people sleep in sets of two 4-hour naps every day. Go to a place you can rest, cover eyes or turn off lights (no light) and give yourself permission to go to sleep, set alarm clock (put across room if necessary so you get up when you need to).
Benefits: Allows body to get deep sleep which has double or triple benefit of just closing or resting your eyes. Accelerates body’s restorative process. Adds an extra half hour of productive mental energy per 5 minutes of nap time. Lowers blood pressure.
4- Stretching
How: Nice upper body stretch --- lock your thumbs and put arms
above head way up high, don’t bend back; reach arms down and back behind and reach up again (shoulder circles) --- backwards swimming stretch.
Benefits: Helps pump lymphatic system; improves immune system function; helps pump body fluids; stimulates circulation of blood; helps lift rib cage so you take more air in per breath.
5- Play / have fun
How: Always have 2 or 3 things you can do with no warm-up and no prep (putting darts, Frisbee in parking lot--fly across, chase, repeat, Nerf basketball, reading "fun" stuff -- anything you don’t have to calculate or think about).
Benefits: Gives mind a break from routine and time to refresh mental sharpness.
Thriving on Stress: The ongoing game of Achieving VitalityAchieving optimum vitality and peace of mind is the ultimate goal in the ongoing game of thriving on stress. However, by understanding what your personal challenges are, you can start to react differently to situations you perceive as stressful, then you can be at peace with yourself. But achieving vitality is not easy. It is personally challenging. It requires perseverance. The benefits far outweigh the costs. I believe the game can be enjoyable as well as personally rewarding.
Excerpted from "Thriving On Stress"—A report on how you can use Recreation to neutralize the effects of stress. To order the full report, click here:
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