Creating: Space

Releasing in every sense is vital to living a happy and joyous life. By clearing out the space that negative energy/thoughts occupy you make room for all the better things to exist. One of the many lessons I’ve learned, with the help of others (especially my lovely coach), is that releasing is just as important as learning what things fill up your cup. Because we can only hold and experience as much as we make room for.

Some of my favorites below!

Breathwork

• kapalabhati (breath of fire)

  • short sharp exhales with arms above your head in a ‘v’.

  • literally heats up your entire body and increases oxygen levels. also clears blockages/congestion.

• stiring the pot (Katonah style)

  • in an elevated seat (virasna or sukhasana) placing hands on your knees ‘stir the pot‘ both clockwise and counterclockwise.

  • this literally gets energy inside of you moving by engaging the middle floor of your body.

• nadi shodhana (alternate nostril breathing)

  • breathing in one side of the body and out the other.

  • cleanses the system and calms the mind.

Sweat

• sauna

  • literally releasing toxins and inflammation from the physical body. bonus points for rinsing off in an ice cold shower afterwards. shocks the system and wakes you up.

• movement // physical challenges

  • any kind of movement that forces you to connect mind to muscle allows you to be present and work through tougher moments because of the strengthening of that mental // physical connection.

Writing

• creating lists

  • a practice not really considered a practice. very informal way of writing down thoughts. things connect in lists in ways you might not think. funny to observe the mind and how dumping into a notes app on a phone can provide insight into some deeper feelings. very low pressure and unstructured and a more casual loose way of communicating thoughts and ideas.

• journaling // story telling

  • mind dumping — quite literally one of the most direct ways to get your thoughts out of your head. By writing them on paper you are releasing thought spirals into your head. Sometimes that’s all it takes to change your state of mind. We live so much in our heads and can go down a spiral internally so easily. But putting pen to paper gets it out of your system immediately. Not to say that every time you journal all problems will be solved, but it’s an outlet to release.

    • the artists way introduced me to ‘morning pages‘ — read here.