Calming Down with Mindful Breathing & Creative Grounding

Let the Verse Flow: Personal Growth Thru a Creative Lens

Everything begins with the breath.

Today we’ll explore ways in which breathwork, exercise, music, and creative grounding help calm our response to stressors (triggered by our fight or flight response). We can use tools to go beyond the rational mind to tap into the mind/body connection. Once you slow your breathing and embrace stillness, your body relaxes and the overwhelm and angst start to dissipate. We connect with our breath through mindful breathing, but also through rhythmic breathing when we exercise (think swimming laps, rowing strokes, yoga, and lifting weights).

We can also reinvent our mental and physical space by creating a calming environment by listening to music and engaging our creativity. Our breath is the thread that weaves through all these activities, and while we can’t will ourselves into a calmer state, we can breathe toward one.

Welcome to my reflections from the bright side of the beat.

Have a listen, then connect with me at lettheverseflow.com to sign up for my newsletter and receive podcast episodes, resources on creativity and personal growth, and journal prompts.

Poem: Every Breath Deeper than the Last

Music: (My thanks to all the musicians who make incredible music and have the courage to put it out into the world. All music for my podcast is sourced and licensed for use via Soundstripe.)

Songs in this episode: Letting Go by Moments; Winning Streak by JeesGuy; Planets by Acreage; Pyaar Kee Seemaen by Cast of Characters

LTVF Season One Music Playlist: Remember what Bugs Bunny said about music soothing the savage beast? Press play on my playlist and slide into an alternate headspace.

Resources:
A 6-Minute Breathing Meditation To Cultivate Mindfulness (gif pacer)
What is Mindful Breathing? Exercises, Scripts, and Videos
Can Exercise Help Treat Anxiety?
Working Out the Worries
The Mental Health Benefits of Physical Exercise
Looney Tunes “Hurdy-Gurdy Hare” Video
Can You Meditate Through Art?

Journal prompts:
Do some mindful breathing, and then ask yourself:

1. What did you notice about the rhythm of your breath?
2. When your mind wandered from the breath, what did you tell yourself to return your focus to breathing? Was that helpful?
3. Which pathway to calmness – mindful breathing, exercise, art-making and creativity, or music feels right to you? How will you start?

Prefer to read this episode? Read the complete episode in blog format here: https://www.lettheverseflow.com