Breathing and Creativity

Every child is born an artist. You are an artist. When children are too young and inexperienced to question, they get the message that creativity is some mysterious gift, granted only to a chosen few and certainly not to them! Certainly not to you.

So you probably were ashamed and put away your crayons and never tried again. I will throw up if you say one word about “drawing a straight line.”

Creativity is simply the expression, the language of your unconscious mind, your best and timeless self. Your creative efforts provide insight into your spirit and give you the chance to share that insight. Critical praise and profit are completely separate issues! Praise and profit (or lack of it) should never be permitted to obstruct your imagination and creativity.

When you are next tempted or inspired to sing or dance or paint or write or draw or blow glass or weave blankets or decorate cakes, BREATHE YOUR WAY THROUGH IT. CONSTANTLY AND EVENLY AND DEEPLY AND STEADILY AND QUIETLY – ALL THE WAY THROUGH IT. You have nothing to lose and lots to gain.

Your PROJECT is not nearly as important as your PROCESS. That’s the fun. That’s the joy. Someone old and wise said, “The light is within you. Let the light shine.”

Be well. Breathe beautifully.

Increase Energy and Productivity

Your supervisor should admonish you for spending long UNINTERRUPTED hours with your
nose to the grindstone. That outdated work model is based on factory production and actually DECREASES your effectiveness in today’s information and service market.

Your employer would be better served if you followed a work pattern BASED ON THE WAY YOUR BODY AND BRAIN FUNCTION. Uneducated mill workers in the 1800s (mostly young women and children) were pushed until they dropped and were considered disposable cogs in the factory machine.

Today you are an educated, trained, motivated employee with the luxury of self-awareness. You are NOT disposable!

• Neurologists seem to agree that every brain needs to be “reset” every 20 – 40 minutes to maintain peak performance. “Reset” can occur with a quick change of venue, like walking to the window or down the hall. Set an alarm to remind yourself.
• To stay fresh, mentally and physically, you need to maintain a reasonable flow of oxygen and you must keep the bloodstream clear of the body’s spent fuel. Sitting too long results in shallow inefficient breathing. You grow tired and fuzzy-brained way too soon. Take frequent deep breaths.
• Hunched posture distorts your spine (especially your neck) and compresses your lungs. Stand up often, stretch and reposition your body correctly. Never rest your seated body on your tailbone. Keep your ears over your shoulders and your shoulders in line with your hipbones.
• Your eyes are NOT designed for a single focus at a set distance. Look away from the monitor frequently to a point in the far distance, then middle distance.

Be well. Breathe beautifully.

Three Hearts

If the primary job of your heart is to move blood into and out of every nook and cranny of your body, then let’s consider that there are two additional “hearts” that share in that duty. Your blood delivers oxygen (food) and carts away spent fuel (garbage). We can’t survive more than a few moments without the former and can’t tolerate much build-up of the latter. For efficient movement we need a foolproof 24/7 pumping system.

The primary heart is, of course, the one behind and slightly left of your breastbone. Number two is the diaphragm – that powerful muscular floor of your ribcage that domes up when you exhale and flattens down when you take air in. The diaphragm behaves with a syringe-type movement that not only moves air in and out but also presses down on major organs and guts when you inhale, helping to push the blood along. Number three is the collection of big powerful thigh muscles that squeeze and release.

All three hearts must be strong and busy. You may be a jock but when you sit at the desk for too many hours or are stuck in a plane for a long flight, your two secondary hearts shut down almost completely! Your primary heart is left with all the work. GET UP OFTEN. Give your primary heart an assist by taking a few really deep slow breaths and by pumping those leg muscles often.

Be well. Breathe beautifully.