calm the Mind ॐ
Fear is you imagining the worst. Faith is you imagining a higher purpose. - Tony Robbins
Greetings powerful beings.
Here to talk about the benefits of ‘breath work’ and how it could save our life, everyday.
Breathing is essential to our being, we need it in order to survive. It harnesses the power to control our thoughts, emotions, action/re-action. It contains the gift of being present.
Growing up I’ve always had a hard time dealing with pressure. Whether from school, work, parents, friends, family, relationships, myself, it created this shadow constantly hovering over me. I named her fear. Depending on where or what I was doing, fear would follow. She was there to remind me I had to get things done, I had to meet that potential, or the worst possible outcome would happen. There wasn’t any room for failure. Always on the go, task after task, fear followed. I wasn’t able to integrate any circumstances in life, making me completely unaware of my mental health and well-being. Life became overwhelming and fast, until it became too much, and my mental and physical health depleted. I lost a lot of weight due to stress and over-working my body, fainted during a shift and was taken to the hospital. My iron and blood levels were insanely low, suffering from deficiency in many areas, thus shutting my body down over time. After being released, the thoughts began to pour in again, anxiety overflowing inside, how many days of work missed, how much content from classes I had no idea of, facing my mother and explaining how bad it really was.
Having bills to pay, certificates and diplomas to achieve, the need for validation and perfection, I relapsed back into over-drive. This time, add my age and need for ‘not wanting to miss out’, attending all social events and house parties. Getting severely drunk and being introduced to handfuls of drugs and low vibrations. It was a new alternative, different, easy, and best of all, numbing. I was running, as far away from acceptance and accountability as I could. Fear won, she defeated me once again. Back in the hospital I was, IV’s pumping into my veins, florescent lights blinding me, and the disappointment in my mother’s face. Was this it, was this my re-birth, wake up call of change, no… but it definitely opened my eyes. I was hurting people around me, by hurting myself. They didn’t deserve to deal with the pain I was inflicting.
I slowed down, the socializing, the evening’s out, friends in general. I was introduced to the benefits of marijuana and CBD. All shakes, thoughts, worries, fears, doubts were gone. They left nothing but calm and focus. A slower pace to receive and perceive life happenings. Retreating inward and isolating myself gave me the opportunity to see what had gone wrong, and where. What I was doing to myself and why. My mind expanded so far out, questions had flooded the space. Everything you could think of in life became a lie, the whole world looked black and white (already written and recited), and what my mind could create, was in colour. The necessity to learn engulfed me - cultures, lifestyles, food, art, I needed it. My mother found an amazing modern day shaman named Deborah Skye King, who became my therapist. We had a few sessions of connection and regression, which led me to healing practices. This was my introduction to spirituality. Meditation being the first practice.
Unable to work, prioritizing my well-being, gave my body the time, energy, and whatever else it needed to heal. I studied and practiced meditation and breathing, rewiring the nervous system, controlling episodes with breath work. Every morning, night, moment would consist of breathing. My mother, every evening, softly leading me into meditation. This was a new world for her as well, being introduced to this together brought us closer than ever before. A simple conversation was a challenge for us. We now understand each other in ways we were never able to before. She was re-learning how to be a mother. I’m thankful to have her support, and hope that many of you have the opportunity to connect as deeply with your loved ones.
It’s OUR responsibility to truly understand the love and care our body needs. As simple as resting on days, being mindful of slowing down your pace while walking, appreciating your surroundings or practicing awareness with your thoughts. Breath work before entering social gatherings or over-stimulating environments. Simply, surrendering to peace of mind and body. In doing this, we allow ourselves the chance to approach moments with mindfulness, being aware that we’re anxious and responding to it in a healthy manner. It’s normal, it’s very much there, and we can cope.
I encourage those who suffer from anxiety, rapid breathing, and/or episodes when overwhelmed, to practice breath work. There’s an app called ‘Box Breathing’ which helps guide your breath. If the app is unavailable, you can easily do it yourself. Breathing in slowly through the nose, counting up to however long you choose (i.e 1,2,3,4), holding your breath for the same count, then exhaling slowly through the mouth (i.e 1,2,3,4), doing this 5 to 10 times. Again, however comfortable you feel, choosing your own pace. Once you’re able to find consistency in your breath, we can add breathing with intention. Focus on what you are attracting, whether abundance, gratitude, guidance, concentration, healing, etc. A great tool that helps is ‘Binaural Beats’. Instead of music, it’s made with ‘Sine Waves’ producing Hertz to entrain frequency in the mind. The tones are dependent on your chosen brainwave state; delta, theta, alpha, beta. Each of these represent their own Hertz range, providing relaxation, concentration, decrease anxiety, promote positivity, and creativity. YouTube is my go-to for Binaural Beat videos. Please feel free to share any you’ve experienced or actively practice. After meditating and finding peace, sit for a moment more. Try to understand what you’re feeling, did it help, are you calm, is there more to see now that you had time to be present…?
Thank you for reading. Hope this helps those in need. Feel free to connect and share, this is a safe space held for you.
My love and light to all.