Practice
“When you stay ready, you don’t have to get ready.”
This phrase has always been a kind of mantra for me. So, I practice…Every song you have ever heard me play came from practice. Some of the songs I choose to go for now are as hard for me to learn as the very first songs I learned to play. And you know what? It is fun!
It is bliss to have a challenging piece under my fingers!
I really wouldn’t want to just pick up an instrument and just play it like a virtuoso. It sounds good as an idea, but I know I’d get bored.
There is something magical and fulfilling about working for it. I think that’s why we get so stoked when we take our first steps, and then we run. And when we first tie our own shoes, and when we first ride a bike on two wheels! We had to work for those skills. We practiced and practiced until we didn’t even have to think about it. We got pretty good as what we practiced!
Here is a little secret: We are practicing something all the time. And we don’t even realize what we are practicing! In today’s crazy world, it is easy to unconsciously practice thoughts that don’t always serve us well. We ruminate over things that we don’t even have any control over! We feel edgy, or worse, Am I right?
I will be talking about this more going forward, but let me say this today…Why not consciously choose what we practice?
Here’s how:
You can “reboot” with a nice deep breath!
Think of your torso as a barrel – like a wine barrel. Let your body expand outward as you breathe in. Use a spot just below your naval as a focal point (about 4 fingers down).
Breathe in for a count of 4 (through your nose) all the way down to your focal point. Now your exhalation should be a little longer than your inhalation.
Breathe out for a count of 6… You can breathe out through pursed lips with a “Whoosh” sound, or you can breathe out with a relaxing “aaaahhh” like you’re in a perfect, safe place.
Eventually you want to breathe in and out through your nose, (I’ll talk more about why in a later post).
CHOOSE to think about something that makes you happy, ANYTHING that makes you smile, and/or grateful while you do this. Really choose the good stuff!
What you’ve done with this little practice is you’ve brought yourself out of NOWHERE (negative unconscious rumination) to NOW HERE, where you can choose a better thought – one that makes you feel better – a cool thought that serves you. The benefits are awesome!
This little practice is a “game changer” that you can use anytime, anywhere, and the more you do it, the more you and your beautiful, awesome body will thank you!
Try it at red lights, and you’ll find yourself looking forward to red lights! Sneak in 3 good breaths.
Remember, “Every breath offers you the opportunity to choose a better thought” (Levi Thomas Huffman) *Especially the mindful breaths…
“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence then, is not an act, but a habit.” ~ Aristotle
One Love,
Levi
