Reclaim Your Inner Peace Part 2
Take the second simple step (of three) toward a more peaceful day by cultivating ongoing awareness of tension
Stress goes unchecked when we don’t focus on relaxing the body as we move (or rush) through the day.
This is why I’ve found that mastering stress means retraining myself to be aware of my posture and breath all the time—or as often as humanly possible.
When I say “posture,” I don’t mean sitting or standing a specific way. I simply mean thinking about your body being balanced and at ease, and noticing when it is stiff and tense instead.
To this aim, try practicing this exercise any time you stand up.
- Before you stand up, pause while you are still seated, and take a breath or two.
- Then slowly come to a standing position.
- Pause again.
- Before you step forward, relax your posture to increase your sense of balance and physical ease.
You’ll notice that when you breathe and make these adjustments, you become more present in your body, which will promote a relaxed posture, calm emotions and a quiet mind. Use this awareness practice every time you stand up today.
Each time you do this exercise, you are implementing a version of the Practice, or the first step toward greater peacefulness. This second step is about finding additional ways to integrate the Practice into your day. The more you can check in with your posture and breath, the calmer you will feel.
Why We Need to Check In
Every single time you breathe and consciously relax using this simple awareness practice, you’re breaking the cycle of unchecked stress.
Once you’ve made a habit of standing with more mindful purpose, see if you can couple this kind of awareness with other actions throughout your day. In the next post, I’ll introduce the third step.
Take good care :)
Meg
If you’d like to learn more about my approach to inner peace, sign up for my free Practical Pathways to Inner Peace videos here.
