BALANCING THE BAR: Wellbeing Workout No.3

TRANSFORM TENSION

Happy New Year! We hope you took some time over the holidays to connect with family and friends, but also with yourself.  We are back at it over here at Flex and very much looking forward to making 2017 fantastic.  We are continuing with our Wellbeing Workout series and hope that these bite sized daily practices help support you in your success.  We know that when we "be well", we "do well". 

Today, we are going back to building the connection between mind & body.  This meditation helps develop an awareness of how stress and tension may be manifesting in our bodies and provides a way to release it.  This is a fantastic practice to remember on those particularly challenging days.  

DAILY DOSE: Breathe In CALM; Breathe Out TENSION

Find a comfortable seated position. 
Tighten your fists; and release them (x3)
Hike up your shoulders; and drop them down (x3)
Scrunch up your face; and release the muscles (x3) 
Now, become aware of your entire body as you breathe in;
As you breathe out, visualize the release of tension in your body.  
Allow your body to relax into this breathwork. 
On the INHALE, say silently: I breathe in calm.
On the EXHALE, say silently: I breathe out tension. 
Repeat the practice with your eyes closed so you can be fully present.
Repeat this breath-cycle of "I breathe in calm; I breathe out tension" 5 times.

Author

Ashleigh Frankel, a former lawyer with Flex Legal Network, is also an applied mindfulness specialist & transformational leadership coach.  During articling, Ashleigh began to develop her mindfulness practice to survive and thrive within the profession.  The tools have been so transformational, that she went back to University of Toronto to complete intensive study in mindfulness & mindfulness meditation, with the vision to bring these resources to others to support their success.  We hope you enjoy this mini-series.