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How do you relax?
I’ve been shown how to do box breathing. You sit upright and close your eyes. Breath deeply into your belly…
Basically breathe in for a count of four
Hold your breath for four
Breathe out for four.
Hold your breath for four.
There are other more complex methods of yogic breathing, including alternative nostril breathing. But this technique is easy to follow.
You can carry on doing box breathing till you feel relaxed.
Yesterday I went to an opera workshop as part of the project I’m in. My breathing can be bad because of my illnesses so I take any opportunity I can to keep my throat and lungs clear.
I’ve known for years that I’ve got an operatic voice somewhere inside me. Yesterday it escaped! We sang part of Nessun Dormo, which is actually about a man trying to get married to a Princess but she keeps killing off her suitors. She has to guess his name but he’s not sharing. I think she is called “Turendot”.
I managed to get a really high vibrato. I surprised myself because I got there late and hadn’t warmed my voice up. I’m amazed and going to do another workshop on a one to one basis but I’m not well, My Parkinsons keeps flaring up, I have various other illnesses. But I’m pushing myself, probably too much. I don’t want to just sit in front of the TV. I want to live as well as I can for as long as I can.
Today I went to a breathing workshop, I’d been invited by a friend. It was good, I was with other people who had different health problems to me, but I felt welcomed. We eventually sang some songs and the participants and although they were not a choir as such they were really good!
My friend had asked me to bring my small paintings so we could raise some money for the organisation she volunteers with. I was only selling tiny paintings, so I donated £1 per painting (between 20% and 50% of the prices). But it didn’t matter because they were wanted and liked. It was a good morning.
How do you unwind after a demanding day?
You have to relax and unwind sometimes. But it can be difficult. Those that know me will understand that I use art to relax me. I draw or sketch. But the problem is that I can already be too wound up to begin drawing. Sometimes I will try and do some breathing exercises, six breaths in, hold for three, six out, hold for three. I do that for a few minutes to calm my breath. I learnt it from yoga class.
My worst situation for unwinding is when I go to bed. I suffer from various health issues and try various techniques to relax. Breathing, or trying to see a golden healing light when I close my eyes. The imagined light enters your head as you breathe in and descends to your feet, then as you breathe out it travels back up and out of your head. It’s hard to describe, but it sometimes works. Imagination is a good thing, learning to control thoughts. I’m hoping it might help my insomnia, even if it’s only a slight improvement….
Other times I just look at my phone. It’s really bad I know, but I go into my own little world and ignore the rest of it. I switch off my mind to my hubbys voice sometimes. I think its rude of me, but I feel cocooned and detached from worries. Maybe not the best thing to do.
The painting of the governor is an example of my work, where I spent hours painting it, concentrating until my hands and shoulders ached. Mentally unwound, but perhaps physically the opposite!
Don’t you know I want to sleep. But my feet hurt and my legs ache and twitch. My shoulder and arm shakes. I have to wear a breathing mask. Then just when I get comfortable the snoring starts! I do love him, my hubby, but he also will put a hand on my shoulder and weigh me down. Really heavy handed. It’s almost four in the morning and I’ve been downstairs getting a warm drink. So I’ve got my phone. Mistake. But he unplugged the alarm this morning and I’m not sure if I’ve set it right, so I need to use my phone alarm incase it doesn’t go off. Three hours till I have to get up. Now it’s make me a cup of tea love? Oh I give up.
Tuesdays #bandofsketchers prompt was health. I could have drawn tablets or medicine but I decided to draw my sleep aponea mask. I have to wear it at night because I can stop breathing. It’s ungainly and uncomfortable but it gives me safety at night. Not something I can go camping in though! Pencil and ink sketch.
On the corner of my bookcase in the bedroom sits my breathing mask for sleep aponea. Tried to draw it..#bandofsketchers prompt ‘edge,’
I have something called sleep aponea. When you sleep, your throat relaxes and can close up. I didn’t know, I just knew I was very tired, to the extent I started to fall asleep at work. I found out sleep aponea can cause weight gain, diabetes, heart problems and other issues. I didn’t even know I snored as my hubby is deaf.
Wearing a mask is not always comfortable. If it comes loose it feels like a tale force wind blowing in your face.
When I tried to learn to meditate, first I bhad to breathe in and then breathe out, to try and concentrate on my breathing. Count your in breathe for four seconds, pause, then breathe out for three, pause. If you start to feel dizzy just go back to normal shallow breathing. Counting helps take your mind off other thoughts. When you feel calm tighten and then relax your toes, then your calves, thighs, back, belly, hands, arms shoulders, neck and head. Each part of your body is hopefully then relaxed. If you fall asleep that’s OK. If you feel like it, you can imagine yourself walking down ten stairs, they are covered in nice carpet, you choose the colour of the walls, you are safe and can hold on to a stair rail. At the bottom there is a door with a crystal handle. You open the door and go into a warm room with an open fire and a beautiful sofa. There is a cupboard where you can put your worries in. The worries will have disappeared if you open the cupboard again. You can sit or lie on the sofa and relax. For a really deep meditation as you sit on the sofa you can go through relaxing your body in your minds eye again. This was the first meditation I ever did at a yoga class. I try and remember it when I am feeling stressed. If anyone here knows different methods please share?
In the kitchen, just wondering how to get to sleep. Have to wear a breathing mask at night, but when your nose is like a dripping tap things get awkward. You either push the mask aside and blow your nose, while getting the full force of the air coming through the machine like a cool hairdryer on full blast. Or you have to sit up, take the mask off fully and have a big blow, or combine it with getting a drink from the kitchen as your mouth is dry, which seems to encourage more mucus. I’m thinking of getting some hot lemon and honey again. It’s nice and soothing as my throat is sore too. Meanwhile the cat is sleeping in my chair so I don’t want to disturb him. The moon has sailed through the heavens and set and the fridge is making some weird crackling sounds. I guess I will have to listen to that for a bit in case it does something strange. I think it’s just expanding and contracting, it’s always been noisy since we got it. Now I’ve decided to pull it away from the wall a bit more so it gets better air circulation…. In the meantime the land of nod seems further away, my shoulders are tense and I need to go to an appointment at 9.15am. What’s the phrase I’m looking for? Cest la Vie? Something like that.
Mallaband-Brown