Stretch

Eyes open.  Out of bed. Feet on floor. Unfold my spine. Deep breath in.  As I inhale, reaching my arms in a wide semi circle until they meet, above my head.  Placing my palms together, I look up, leting go in my shoulders, not letting them creep up around my ears.  My feet rooted on the floor, my legs strong, I look up pushing out through my fingertips.  I feel the stretch run through my body.  I feel muscles uncurl.  I feel space take shape in my mind.

Stretching is an essential part of my day.  As I write, I sit up straight in my chair.  I raise my arms to shoulder height.  I push out through my fingers.  I feel my shoulders loosen.  The tightness from typing in my hands and wrists eases.  I breathe.  Long deep breaths from my diaphrym.  In Out.  IN - 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8 OUT - 1 - 2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10.  I turn my palm up on the left and then the right, I twist my arms backwards.  All the while breathing.

 In Out.  IN - 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8 OUT - 1 - 2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10. 

Longer on the exhale than inhale.  IN OUT.

Why don't you try these two really simple stretches and breathing exercises today?

I am linking up with Lisa Jo and the Five Minute Friday Community.  I hope you will join us here.

That's it for now ...

Nics

Salt & Sparkle = Life Remarkable

Breathe in rest

This gentle sunset over Kinbane at Ballycastle makes me feel that my every breath while I look at it is more soothing. Bringing rest to my mind.

That's it for now.

Nics

Salt & Sparkle = life remarkable

a life lesson that I learnt from swimming

I was a water baby. Some of my earliest memories are of swimming in the sea, and in the pool with my mum.

Teaching me to swim, and giving me the opportunities to learn with a coach, is possibly one of the many great blessings Mum has given me. I will never stop being thankful to her for so many things, but swimming is top of my list today.

Thank you Mum!Ll,'

I have always been able go lose myself in the pool. My body swimming, moving in sync, with my breath, one stroke after another, as I crawl up and down the pool. I find swimming deeply meditative. Even when I am ploughing through the water at a pace, the forced breathing and continuous moment takes thought to get right, and swim at a maximum pace.

I swim seven strokes to the breath.

Stroke one, two, three, four, five, six, seven - breathe to the right - stroke one, two, threes, four, five, six, seven - breathe to the left, Stroke one, two, three, four, five, six, seven - breathe to the right - stroke one, two, threes, four, five, six, seven - breathe to the left, Stroke one, two, three, four, five, six, seven - breathe to the right - stroke one, two, threes, four, five, six, seven - breathe to the left, Stroke one, two, three, four, five, six, seven - breathe to the right - stroke one, two, threes, four, five, six, seven - breathe to the left, Stroke one, two, three, four, five, six, seven - breathe to the right - stroke one, two, threes, four, five, six, seven - breathe to the left, Stroke one, two, three, four, five, six, seven - breathe to the right - stroke one, two, threes, four, five, six, seven - breathe to the left

My focus when swimming is always my breathing. Stroke one, two, three, four, five, six, seven - breathe to the right - stroke one, two, threes, four, five, six, seven - breathe to the left. Each breath a divine gift, the ability to exhale, another.

The secret to swimming is learning to exhale under water. When I first began swimming, I was good at holding my breathe. I'd gasp the air in, swimming hard, then when my lungs where about to pop, I'd gasp more air in, and continue in this vein for length upon length of the pool

The secret to swimming is the exhale. Blowing that air out into the water, while the face is underwater. Then turning the head to the side, taking another breath and counting out the strokes to the breath, as you exhale.
Stroke one, two, three, four, five, six, seven - breathe to the right - stroke one, two, threes, four, five, six, seven - breathe to the left, etc etc etc

The life secret I have learnt from swimming- learning to breath properly - which means exhaling!

Just now right were you are take a breath in then exhale, slowly and with control.

EXHALE
Exhale exhale exhale

To be continued.

Let me know how your exhale goes.

That's it for now

Nics
Salt and sparkle  = Life Remarkable
.

Breathe 13

Just Breathe

That's it for now ...

Nics

Salt and Sparkle = Life Remarkable

HEADSTAND

Photography credit

 http://yoga-works.blogspot.com/2009/07/sirsasana-head-standjpg.html

Today, today, was different, today my legs just felt like lifting up. And, then it happened, I was upside down.

Today I did my first headstand!  

It has taken years of practice, but it happened today. Today, I trusted my breath and my body, and my legs left the floor.

I am pretty estatic about it. A headstand.  Wow, my mind tells me, wow, my body speaks.  I have wanted to do this for so long, somedays it felt like a distant dream, one that I would never achieve, but it has happened.

My dream has become reality.  I did it.

I still haven't come down from the clouds.  It was an amazing feeling, totally unlike anything else I have ever experienced.  The world seemed to stand still, and there was me and my breath. 

I truly was breathing

Deeply

Every breathe gave me balance.  Every deep breath allowed me to stay upside down.  Every breath held me there.  

Deep breaths. Divine breaths.

YHWH

Every breathe reminded me that I could do this, almost that I was born to do this.  

YHWH

In Out In Out

BREATHE

DEEPLY

In Out In Out

One breath at a time, each breath a gift

That of life

STOP

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That's it for my Five Minute Friday today - five minutes no editor, no internal whirl, just a deep breathe, and I write.  I love it.  Why don't you have a go, head over to Lisa Jo's blog, and have a go for yourself.  Thank you Lisa Jo for 'Five Minute Friday's' I have found myself getting more excited about them each week.

Happy Weekend folks, that's it for now...

Nics

salt and sparkle = life remarkable

Photography credit - http://yoga-works.blogspot.com/2009/07/sirsasana-head-standjpg.html

crazy

Today, things have been nothing short of manic.  Literally a 'where do I start day' and now as I write this, I am nowhere near the end of it, and a wake up call comes very early tomorrow morning, as I head off to catch a flight.  Like this picture I feel I am running at full pelt, trying to hold it all together, and not get upset about some of the stuff that is going on.  I will get there, at times, like this I try to find that place to just breathe, to take a breath, and feel the oxygen go into my body, and feed my cells, bringing life.  But the breath in itself also brings life, and peace; each breath a gift and a reminder of the one who created us.

That's it for now

salt and sparkle = life remarkable