Remember to breathe

Written By Lisa Vratny-Smith

As we continue to ride the waves of chaos across the country many of us are feeling overwhelmed and dysregulated. Under stress our bodies tend to shift in to shallow chest breathing, which in turn keeps us in heightened state of alarm. Regularly returning to deeper belly breathing throughout the day allows us to engage our parasympathetic nervous system and its relaxation response. Setting a reminder on a computer or watch is an easy way to remind ourselves to pause and take a few slow deep breaths. Intentionally building a few minutes of breathing practice into our morning and evening routines is also helpful. Breathing practices such as the 4 part breath and extended exhale are easy to learn and use whenever needed. I have created a PDF of In the Moment Practices for Difficult Moments that includes these two practices as well as a few others to use when needed.

I hope you will join me for Saturday Morning Yoga this weekend as we pause to breathe, tune into our bodies and care for them with lovingkindness. There will be no class March 8th or 15th.

Sometimes we need more than an hour or two of care to truly meet our needs and retreats are the perfect opportunity for this. This spring I am offering an afternoon retreat on March 29, a weekend retreat April 25 - 27, and a 5 day retreat specifically for educators June 22-26. All events are in person and will provide you the opportunity to experience a nurturing, supportive environment, soothe your frazzled nervous system, and find community. Learn more at the links below or feel free to email me with questions at lisa@findingthebalancewithin.com.

UPCOMING EVENTS:

Remember to check out the FTBW Gear page and order your Finding the Balance Within, LLC logo gear. I love mine! Get yours and join the fun!

I would love to offer you an individual or group Reiki and/or Sound Healing session to support your own wellness journey. Contact me for scheduling options - lisa@findingthebalancewithin.com. Gift certificates to share with others are also available.

As always feel free to practice with previous recordings of Saturday Morning Classes as well as Evening Chair Yoga on my Youtube channel. You may also enjoy a growing variety of meditations I have available on the Insight Timer app that you can access for free. I’d appreciate your offering a rating on the meditations as well. Additionally, my friend Kate continues to offer live online classes Monday and Wednesday mornings from katekelly.yoga.

May you be safe, may you be happy, may you be healthy, may you live with ease. ~ Lisa ♥️

Lisa Vratny-Smith
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