A Little (More) Fall Light, Movement Edition

12 Breaths of Joy

A little autumn farm magic

I have a serious question: Are you getting enough oxygen?

Not in the metaphorical sense, but in the physical one. When we are in fight or flight mode, we tend to take short, shallow breaths, preparing the body for activity. That’s great for running away from tigers, but not so great for finding calm, ease, and stillness.

A growing body of research (here’s one abstract) points to a compelling link between slow, deep breathing and pain relief. That’s big news when more than 1 in 10 adults regularly uses some form of pain medication, with 1 in 20 using some form of prescription opioid. In much of my personal practice, and in my work with clients, I tend to emphasize slow, deep, mindful breathing.

Here’s the “but”: The sympathetic nervous system, the thing that turns on when we’re running from a tiger, is also responsible for other times when we want to be active and alert. Going out dancing. Climbing a mountain. Meeting someone and getting that “butterflies” feeling. We can’t be in “rest …