DAY 2: OUR BODY, OUR BREATH
I think it's SO common for us to hold our breath in photos but that disconnects us from our body and enhances any anxiety in our body that might be coming up. How did focusing on the breath feel for you?
HOW DID FOCUSING ON SOME DEEP BREATHS FEEL FOR YOU AS YOU TOOK YOUR SELFIE? DID YOU NOTICE THE URGE TO HOLD YOUR BREATH?
July 2, 2022: this #morning I took a page from Aaron Doughty and Wim Hof’s book and started my day off with an ice cold #shower - documenting it in a series of #photographs, one of which I’m presenting here. When the ice cold #water hits my #body, I can’t help but #breathe a number of incredibly full bodied, chest filling breaths that start out as deep gasps. But as my body gets used to the temperature I find the breathing becomes more natural and even relaxing as my muscles release the tension that’s buried within. I also find that the ice cold water makes breathing a more conscious process, one where I’m hyperaware of each and every breath that I take. And like any new experience, this process can be jarring at first, there’s no doubt about that. But it’s also a process of awakening, and opening up to a new day that I appreciate the most with this practice, when I remember to do it. It helps my blood flow, it takes my depression and my negative self talk, my doubts. It clears my mind. And yeah, it does get easier over time, with a commitment to doing it each and every morning. As I took this selfie, focussing on my breath felt natural. Especially as there was nothing else I could do.
WHAT ARE SOME OTHER TOOLS FOR GROUNDING THAT YOU USE IN OTHER PARTS OF YOUR LIFE?
Ponder what tools or actions you take part in to get grounded. Maybe it's making a cup of tea. Maybe it is feeling your feet on the ground or doing mountain pose? Maybe it is noticing your senses. Or maybe it is a crystal you like to hold or a stone in your pocket that helps you get grounded. List them here! And then ponder...could we include some of these as part of our process this month? Could we make ourselves a cup of tea as we're reading the class activities and get grounded before we take our selfie? Or feel the ground beneath our feet before we pick up our camera?
After my shower, I often put the kettle on to make #tea. Sometimes that involves pouring #milk into a mug and chugging it down before leaving just enough to sit with my #teabag to steep with the hot water when it’s added. I find the cold deliciousness of the milk to be oddly satisfying, as the only time I #drink it is when I add it to my tea.
I also enjoy taking my #dog outside when it’s time for her to do her morning business. I’ll often go out with her #barefoot and ground myself by walking through the cool grass which is often painted with the cool myst of a soft morning dew. In these moments, as I breathe in deeply, I feel closest to the #earth. Feeling the blades of grass between my toes and the hard earth beneath is oddly uplifting. I haven’t done this much this year, like so many things, I start and then I stop. And that’s ok, sometimes, provided I remember to start more often than I stop.
This post originally appeared on Instagram and I’m.
183/365.
There are now more #days behind us in 2022 than there are ahead of us.
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Today’s photo prompt and reflective journaling questions for today was a part of the BE YOUR OWN BELOVED photo workshop challenge which is run several times throughout the year by photographer VIVIENNE McMASTER. It’s well worth signing up for, and doing alongside other participants. Note that there’s no requirement to share your photos outside of the group. You don’t even have to share the writing reflections with the group, let alone publicly as I do. It’s a very supportive and private safe space that McMaster provides.
