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?
I didn’t sleep well last night. The insomnia that comes with stress had me staring at the ceiling again. I have no tears left to cry. Out of a bored distraction I wander to the bathroom, my blood glucose reading still high at 19 mmol/L at 2am. But it felt good to read 11.4 at 5am. A small victory, even though it was back at 17.4 by noon, it’s hope that I will reach a day when the readings will not only be low, but normal.
Breathing today has been trying. There’s a tightness in my chest borne of my anxiety. The air in my bedroom is stale & I’m ashamed that I’m too lazy to crack the window open. Around 9am, I stepped under a cold shower, the first I’ve had in a long time. At first I want to escape it, but find when I speak lovingly to myself I can see it through. The ice water has this beautiful effect of forcing me breathe more deeply: right into the very depths of my sacral & solar plexus chakras with long, steady breaths.
The only light in my bathroom this morning came in through the window, soft & hazy from the cloudy sky above, lazily filling the space & coating my body pale white. As I dry myself I stop, hand over my heart, my eyes closed, trying to find some kind of solace. After a while, I pick up my iPhone from the windowsill, open the camera app, & closing my eyes again I take my picture while breathing naturally.
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 I finished my shower, I opened the door to find my small, white, Maltese-Poodle Kira waiting for me. Excited, she starts a happy trot down the hallway to head outside. I stopped by my Mom’s bedroom door, & opened it to find her miniature poodle Tiffany waiting for me, greeting me with a playful good-morning of a bark. I opened the door to the garage & the dogs bound over to the door that goes outside. I opened it to watch them sprint across the pavement towards the lusciously wet grass. I follow, breathing in the cool moist air as a drizzle hits my skin. For a moment I’m grounded in the present moment, the stress of yesterday having slipped away for a time. Soon, the dogs are finished their business & before I know it we’re snuggled on the couch with the fireplace on, as I drift away for a late morning nap.
Before heading out later in the day, I put on a rich blue, Lapis Lazuli bracelet. Specifically it has 17 polished stones of various rectilinear shapes. The Charms of Light website describes the properties of Lapis as follows:
“A stone of protection that may be worn to guard against psychic attacks, Lapis Lazuli quickly releases stress, bringing deep peace. It brings harmony and deep inner self-knowledge. Encourages self-awareness, allows self-expression and reveals inner truth, providing qualities of honesty, compassion and morality to the personality. Stimulates objectivity, clarity and encourages creativity. Lapis Lazuli assists to confront and speak one’s truth and inspires confidence. It bonds relationships, aiding in expression of feelings and emotions.
Lapis Lazuli boosts the immune system, purifies blood, lowers blood pressure, cooling and soothing areas of inflammation. It alleviates insomnia and vertigo, and overcomes depression. Lapis Lazuli benefits the respiratory and nervous systems and the throat, vocal cords, and thyroid, cleanses organs, bone marrow and thymus.”
I also put on a heart shaped Bumblebee Jasper necklace. It’s also polished, which sharpens its orange, black and sandy brown swirls. The Crystal Council website notes how:
“Bumblebee Jasper is a great life talisman that is here to help keep you “buzzing” throughout your day, even when negative energies constantly come your way. This stone helps you maintain a positive and upbeat attitude through the daily stresses of life, while encouraging you to continue your own spiritual evolution. So often can the societal stress you have placed upon yourself override and suppress your soul’s growth and true potential. This can lead you to eventual sadness and depression as your mind and subconscious become imbued with falsehoods. Bumblebee Jasper will prevent that mindset from infecting you or your aura, and instead will push you closer than ever to finding your life’s purposes. Simply by activating and connecting your solar plexus and sacral chakras, you will become more in touch with yourself and understand your deep emotional body. These sacred attributes housed in your lower chakra system are the driving force of what you do and why you do it. You may refer to this as your “engine”, as your gut houses the most powerful emotions offered in this realm. Bumblebee Jasper will help “oil” your engine and provide you with a smooth ride through life.”
For a time in 2020, I would meditate with the stones I picked to wear that day. I’d start by cleansing them, returning them to their base resonant frequency by playing one of my small metal singing bowls. I have seven small bowls altogether, each one attuned to the specific frequency of a different chakra. But I haven’t done this in years. It’s time to start again… if I can find them.
This was originally posted on Flickr and Instagram.
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