TIME OUT OF MIND
TAKE A MOMENT FOR A DEEP BREATH OF LIFE
The stillness of the early morning is broken by the ringing of the alarm clock. I hit snooze, hoping for just five more
minutes of the only silence I’ll get all day. I sense the presence of Jack, my youngest son, next to me. My husband,
who is already dressed and ready for work, gives me a kiss on the forehead as he walks out the door. The endless
to-do list is whirling through my head. Let’s see, wake up the kids, get them dressed, make breakfast, make lunch,
make sure they’ve got their afternoon snack pack—he endless morning rituals that we never seem to have enough
time to do. And it's only Monday.
Sound like your morning ritual? In today’s world, life can be pretty hectic and stressful. Often so hectic and stressful,
we barely make time for ourselves. Make time for myself? Sounds crazy, I know. One errand turns into five, and
before you know it, the kids are getting out of school and your afternoon turns into your taxi shift. Along with everything
else, put yourself on your to-do list. Make happiness a ritual.
Through out our day, most of us forget that we are not just parents or adults or even humans, but we are also spiritual beings in need of spiritual nourishment. Do you have a meditation practice? Do you do yoga? Take any kind of a time out for yourself? How often do we tell our kids to take a time out and forget that, we as adults, also need a time out. Find time to create peace and harmony. Whether it's five minutes or one hour, a time to de-stress and re-collect ourselves is both important and necessary. In the midst of chaos, take a breath, and find the silence within yourself. A yoga practice can give one a sense of self, as well as reliving all that stress. What we learn on the yoga mat such as breathing and calming techniques, are tools that we can use off the mat as well.
Although it may sometimes be difficult to incorporate yoga or meditation into our hectic daily lives, you can still incorporate elements of these life-saving practices into your everyday rigmarole. Do the breathing exercise below when you're in your car, waiting for the steering wheel to cool off; or when you're waiting for your computer to boot up; or when you're waiting for the shower to heat up. Taking a minute to follow your breath will instantly deliver you to a peaceful state of well-being.
To be able to find a balance between yourself and your life is key in living to your fullest potential. So how about a time out, parents?. If your kids can do it, so can you.—Danielle Castellano
| 12 Step Time Out |
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| 1 | Sit down on the floor in a comfortable cross-legged position. |
| 2 | Lean forward and lift the flesh of your buttocks up off the floor. |
| 3 | Sit back directly onto your sitz bones. Feel your sitz bones as you allow them to root evenly into the earth. |
| 4 | Lift both sides of your upper body all the way up to your arm pits. |
| 5 | Roll your shoulders back (shoulders should be in line with your ears). |
| 6 | Allow your shoulder blades to move down your back. |
| 7 | Feel your chest and your heart opening. |
| 8 | Make sure your head sits over your shoulders and your shoulders over your hips. |
| 9 | Take a deep breath in. Feel the breathe fill every part of the body from the toes to the top of the head. When you align ourselves, physically, our breath (prana) moves more freely through the body. |
| 10 | Exhale a longer breath out. |
| 11 | Think only of the inhalation and the exhalation. Every time your mind wanders, bring it back to the breath. |
| 12 | Allow the mind to quiet as you refuel your body and spirit with life force and vital energy. |
Danielle Castellano, M.A., C.Ht.
Student and teacher of Anusara style yoga, certified Pilates Instructor, Hypno-therapist, and student/practitioner of Thai-body massage.
