Breathe In, Breathe Out: Baby Step #2

In my special report, Becoming a Wise Well Woman: How to Baby Step Your Way to Wisdom, Well-being and Wealth, I talk about conscious breathing, Baby Step #2 – Breathe, as a way to bring some relaxation into your life. It really works for me. Yet, I am aware that relaxation isn’t the only benefit experts talk about that comes from conscious breathing. Certainly, there is plenty to share on the topic.

These baby steps are so simple, and yet so powerful that I feel compelled to elaborate. And since I’m not a breath expert, I decided to do a little research to share with you.

In fact, most experts agree that we are generally oblivious to the power of our breathing. We breathe in and out all day and all night long unconsciously, almost automatically. In fact, our breath really is on “autopilot”. Unless we have suffered a debilitating injury or illness, most of us never have to think about breathing.

We breathe in life-giving oxygen and breathe out carbon dioxide, cleansing our systems continuously. On his website, www.breathing.com, Mike Grant White shares with us that breathing suplies over 99% of our entire oxygen and energy supply. Clearly, optimal breathing improves vitality and quality of life, and poor breathing causes or worsens illness and disease.

Carlos R. Zalaquett, Ph. D., who created a health series for college students titled “Breathing Techniques” (http://www.coedu.usf.edu/zalaquett/Help_Screens/breath.htm), describes the vital role that oxygen plays in the respiratory and circulatory systems. He continues to highlight the dangers of irregular breathing and the contribution to the general deterioration of health in individuals of any age. Dr. David Anderson, a senior investigator at the National Institutes of Health’s National Institute on Aging, has seen evidence that slower, deep breathing helps some people lower blood pressure. Dr. Woodson Merrel, author of Power Up: Unleash Your Natural Energy, Revitalize Our Health and Feel 10 Years Younger, believes that the practice of deep breathing can increase your energy. “It makes a dramatic difference in lowering down the level of stress and calming your nervous system,” he says.

Johnnie D. Jackow Sr, Fitness Expert/Author, is often quoted saying “Oxygen is fuel for your body as is food.”

And we’ve all seen on http://www.Oprah.com and in the magazine, Oprah’s famous “Breathing Spaces” feature. In an article on breathing in a recent issue, the author described one of the best ways to calm yourself down when you are stressed is to simply stop what you are doing and take a deep breath.
In a famous “What I Know For Sure” column titled “Cure for Being Overwhelmed”, Oprah described the cure as simply being to take a day and do nothing!

And she went on to write…”And I wrote in my journal: I am grateful for my breath and the recognition that I am here, alive. Breathing. I am grateful for life.”

We know now that simply by concentrating on taking air in, and letting air out, you can actually decrease tension in your body, relieve anxiety and improve circulation. Some say you can improve metabolism, too. Combine all these things and you can achieve optimal health.

Wow! Can it be that simple?

Yes and here’s how you do it:

There are many practices and techniques, some include deep breathing, and some counted breathing, some imaginative breathing, some circular breathing. For me, for my “Baby Steps”, I focus on natural, slow, gentle breathing.

The best description I found comes from Thich Nhat Hanh, Nobel Peace Prize Nominee, and author of The Miracle of Mindfulness. He describes a technique he calls “watching the breath”:

Your breath should be light, even and flowing, like a thin stream of water running through the sand. The instant you sit down to meditate, begin watching your breath. At first, breathe normally, gradually letting your breathing slow down until it is quiet, even and the length of the breaths fairly long. From the moment you sit down to the moment your breathing has become deep and silent, be conscious of everything that is happening in yourself…Making your breath calm and even is called the method of following one’s breath. If it seems hard at first, you can substitute the method of counting your breath.

As you breathe in, count 1 in your mind, and as you breathe out, count 1.
Breathe in, count 2. Breath out, count 2.
Continue through 10, then return to 1 again.


Thich Nhat Hanh goes on to describe in his writings “the miracle that happens when we attend solely to our breath.” When we focus solely on our breathing we stop thinking, and that is a miracle already, he contends. In his teachings he says that because we think too much, we are not truly ourselves, and that by focusing on breathing in and out, we stop thinking and begin to be where our body is. Thinking separates our body and our mind, and by practicing this form of concentration we achieve Oneness of Body and Mind, seeing clearly and deeply, that which is true in ourselves.

I call it “quieting the noise” in my head! And simple, relaxed, conscious breathing helps me to do that every day.

Baby Step #2 on the path to becoming a Wise Well Woman.

So, when you’re feeling overworked and overwhelmed, just stop for a minute, and take a breath. You’ll be surprised by how relaxed you can become!

The Secrets of a Wise Well Woman Revealed

Cover via Amazon

Is there a secret to being a wise, well woman?

Am I a wise, well woman? And for that matter, what is a wise, well woman?

When can I consider myself a wise, well woman? Do I earn that designation somehow and do I have to be “old” to be wise? Maybe when I’m old, someone will tell me.

If I asked you to describe a woman who is wise, what would you say? What words come to mind?

Gentle, kind, thoughtful, like a grandmother…
Smart, intelligent, perceptive, like a college professor…
Caring, compassionate, intuitive, like a nurse…
Selfless, giving, open-hearted, like Mother Theresa…

And to be well, means to be what?

Physically and emotionally healthy.
Balanced.
Centered.
At peace with oneself.

Mirriam Webster’s online dictionary tells us
To be WISE is:

characterized by wisdom : marked by deep understanding, keen discernment, and a capacity for sound judgment; and suggests great understanding of people and of situations and unusual discernment and judgment in dealing with them.

To be WELL is:
To live to an extent approaching completeness; without doubt or question; in a kindly or friendly manner; with skill or aptitude; where wellness is the quality or state of being in good health especially as an actively sought goal.

For me, the secret to being a wise, well woman is really no secret at all…

A wise, well woman is one who presents her authentic self to the world
each and every day, with joy and pride, and encourages others to do the same.
She shares her truth with courage, openly and honestly.
With passion, the wise, well woman lives life on life’s terms.
She chooses each moment to step bravely in the direction of her higher purpose. The wise, well woman extends love to all.
She is guided by a deep faith in the God of her choosing, and
she carries a message of hope to all those in need.

And who might I use as a role model? Pat and Ruth Williams compiled a wonderful book called “How to Be Like Women of Influence”, full of more than enough incredible women to chose from:

Mary Kay Ash, Anne Frank, Golda Meir, Helen Keller, Oprah Winfrey, Eleanor Roosevelt, Mother Teresa and Sandra Day O’Connor, are just a few mentioned here.

Each of these women has been an inspiration to so many! Who is your “woman of influence” ?

And who might you be influencing today?
Someone is looking up to you. Are you living as a wise, well woman?

In the spirit of wisdom, wellness and prosperity—
Nanette

Can Creativity and Discipline Co-Exist?

For the past few years, my personal mission has been to present my most authentic self to world each and every day. My authentic self is my most creative self, and yet, seemingly in contradiction to my mission, I am a successful operations manager now committed to the life of an entrepreneur as a business consultant.

As I counted my blessings in 2008 and set goals for 2009 I kept hearing the question – how do I honor and integrate my creative side with the discipline I know it takes to grow a small business and to lead a fulfilled and happy life?

And how can I help the passionate women I know answer the same question?

One thing is very clear—“disciplined” does not typically make the list of words any one would use to describe me. Self-discovery, for me, is all about creating, allowing, and exploring in a pure, natural flow. Professionally, I support current management philosophies that encourage the creative process in problem solving. I explore myself each day by writing in a journal, sometimes sketching in it, too.

If I commit to that activity each day, isn’t that a routine even if I don’t do it at exactly 7 am each morning? Doesn’t that take discipline?

And doesn’t writing engage my creativity?

And if I ask myself two simple questions each day, without fail, and focus on the answers, doesn’t that take discipline, too?

In my ongoing practice of self-discovery I have learned to uncover limiting beliefs, and certainly identifying myself as not having discipline is one of those.

So, what is this thing, called discipline, I don’t think I have, anyway?

Dictionary.net gave me these clues:
1. Subjection to rule; submissiveness to order and control; habit of obedience.

Now I see why this word evokes some repulsion.
Rules, submissiveness, control and obedience…these words are the epitome of anti-creative and do nothing to support imagination, inspiration and innovation, signature traits of the entrepreneurial spirit.

And aren’t the best leaders those that “think outside the box”, sometimes bending the rules? Certainly, being submissive never got anyone recognized for his or her contribution to an organization. Aren’t most breakthroughs born of some form of disobedience?

But as I read on, this came next:
2. To accustom to regular and systematic action; to bring under control so as to act systematically; to train to act together under orders; to teach subordination to; to form a habit of obedience in; to drill.Ok, so the “obedience” thing still makes me tense, but now I’m getting closer to a definition I can appreciate and embrace…to accustom to regular and systematic action; to bring under control as to act systematically.

And then:
Discipline aims at the removal of bad habits and the substitution of good ones, especially those of order, regularity, and obedience. –C. J. Smith.

Now I get it—being a creative soul does not require me to live in chaos!

Order and regularity can be the foundation for the serenity that provides me the freedom to create. Out of simple systematic processes will come the moments of inspiration that are the new programs of my future. And simple, regular, disciplined actions taken will propel me toward my vision and goals.

I will grow a successful small business teaching others how to integrate simple, disciplined processes into their lives, so that their creativity will flourish and allow them to grow, too. I engage my creative side “playing” regularly at my favorite creative re-use center, Trash2Treasurefl.org. Recently I re-arranged my workspace to support my visual inspiration.

And to support my ideal life, and create new habits, I developed a program I am now calling “The Personal Strategic Plan for the Wise Well Woman™”. And it’s working!

So, do creativity and discipline co-exist in your life? Share your thoughts with me…I’d love to hear them.

In the spirit of wisdom, wellness and prosperity…
Nanette