Zoe suggest that we all just take bite-sized pieces. When it comes to relaxation techniques, start small and build up. Start with just a few minutes of something, whether it is mediation, yoga, breathing, or just getting out of the house and going on a walk. Test it out. See how it works for you – then, build up and consider adding more when the time is right. A few minutes just doesn’t seem long enough? Research says it is. According to the Yoga Journal, even ten minutes of meditation each day is enough to make a difference in reducing stress and boosting the immune system. However you choose to do it, Zoë urges you to make relaxation an integrated part of your daily, weekly, or monthly routine.
One of the things I got out of this video was to just breathe. Practice deep breathing. In the yogic tradition, the study of pranyama is the practice of… breathing. It is not about controlling the life force, or breath, but learning to flow with it. I believe that we should all take some time to learn about the breath – not just all that upper chest breathing that we do when we are scared or anxious, but really deep breathing from the diaphragm, tapping into other parts of ourselves. Although we do it every day, really learning to breathe can be a breath of fresh air (so to speak). There are all kinds of breathing techniques – varying in level of complexity – that can help restore calm and strengthen us from the inside out.
Happy 4th of July and remember to take a few minutes out of the day and try your one minute meditation and remember to breathe!