EverydayOasis.com

If you are reading this then you have made a decision to create more peace and calm in your life – Congratulations! It takes courage to take a stand for yourself and say :

“Taking time for me and my well being is the most important thing I can do for everyone in my life, especially ME!”

We’d like to help you along this path and hopefully you’ll find some ideas on our website that make the Journey a little easier.

You’re probably well aware of the many health problems associated with stress: insomnia, high blood pressure, depression, headaches, stomach and digestive disorders, and the list goes on.

What you probably ask yourself when you’re told you need to relax is “Well how am I supposed to do that when I have this list of things to do at work, not to mention, picking up and dropping off the kids and dry cleaning, shopping, cooking, keeping up with household chores, friends, family, community, etc, etc, etc.!!!?”

We all know how frustrating it is to be told you need to take some “me” time and all you can think of is “Great idea! Now who is going to handle all these other things for me while I go relax?!” Well, it doesn’t have to be an either/or proposition. Relaxation can be incorporated into any lifestyle.

The easiest way to start is to find a few minutes each day (preferably at the beginning of the day) to simply be aware, to simply “Be”, not “Do.” We are Human Beings not Human Doings. So maybe you wake up 15 minutes earlier than normal, quietly find a place where you can be alone with yourself and

• Stand with your feet shoulder width apart, your arms hanging gently at your sides, your face forward, eyes closed, smile on your face, and relax your neck and shoulders.
• Take a deep breath in and concentrate on your breath and allow your whole body to be filled with the breath and then let it out slowly and completely. Smile…
• Relax your shoulders and breathe in again and allow your breath to fill your whole body and then release the breath slowly and completely. Smile….
• Relax your shoulders again and breathe in one more time and allow your breath to fill your whole body and then release the breath slowly and completely. Smile…

As you breathe fully, in and out, three times while concentrating on your breath and only your breath you are signaling to “All Of You,” your mind, body and spirit, that you are alive and it is a new day and all possibilities exist. (We don’t always realize just how important our breathing is – without it, we truly expire!)

You become a human “being” and you begin the process of centering yourself for your day ahead. Spending just a few minutes alone with yourself breathing in and out deliberately will begin to show immediate positive results. You will know that you are important and deserve these few moments (and so much more!) and that there is nothing more important you could be doing for yourself and everyone you care about.

Relax into your day and begin to see things change right before your eyes. This is just the beginning but a very positive first step. Congratulations!