What I learned about aging...from flatware.

For some time, commercial airline pilots have looked suspiciously young to me, but more recent evidence of being “over-the-hill” took me by surprise.

Wishing to replace missing pieces of my stainless steel flatware set, I inquired into their availability through the manufacturer. Mikasa's service representative replied, “We don’t have a curator or historian on staff to search that pattern.”

Whaaaaat? A curator or historian is needed to identify my eating utensils? These were not my Mother's - nor my Grandma’s collection - they can't be that old!

I shook my head, sighed deeply, and resigned -yet again- to being "older."

Oh, how the ego likes to remind us of the confines of time.

As the ego plays on, it also brings gratitude for being alive in these transformative times.

I am blessed to have enjoyed 30,000 meals with this “historic” set of flatware. The spoons were among the first utensils to meet my daughters' sticky fingers, and every piece was shared by friends and family in gatherings of the heart.

And if that's not enough, my hair color matches my favored flatware more each day. I'll bet I didn't think of that as a bright young bride making a wish list in the Hudson's Bay department store.

No matter your current place "on the hill", we're trekking it together. If we pay attention, take care of ourselves and each other, the view keeps improving.

There’s something deep inside us that knows we are beyond swiftly passing time.

I invite you, right now, to prove it to yourself:

Feel into your essence; the very aliveness within. Like an Easter egg hunt, feel under or through any fatigue, energy, or whatever may be most obvious at first glance. Don't think about it, just notice and feel.

Has the underlying feeling of "being you" changed since your earliest memories? You might just recognize a feeling that has been here all along. It doesn't feel old or young.

Our body is time-bound but essential nature is not.

If this is as clear as mud, don't worry - it is a practice.

Recognizing wholeness and completeness beyond limitations is why I practice and share free weekly live-stream iRest@ Yoga Nidra meditations and am gifting you today with a sample recording.

When we know ourselves as more than this time-bound body, we are free to recognize our essence and to be the amazing, joyful human beings we are meant to be.

P.S I can think of no better way to prime the pump of our body as it receives life force, than to breathe consciously and strategically. If you haven’t yet received your seven days of 12-minute practices with me, to “Breathe Better Now”, you can still sign up now.

Oh, and if you like your current flatware, stock up while you can. Time flies. :)

Five Myths About Breathing

Try this out, ask someone to take a deep breath. Notice what they do.

Did they breath in quickly, puffing up their chest? Maybe their shoulders lifted noticeably and perhaps they quickly exhaled through their mouth?

Maybe that person you are noticing is you.

We've come to believe a few things about breathing that are just not true. Here's my five faves:

Myth #1

More is Better

As with most good things in life, quality rates higher than quantity. When it comes to breathing, less is actually more.

Slow breathing removes toxic byproducts, increases circulation and supports blood pressure and heart beat synchronicity. It improves oxygenation of the blood and increases vagal tone, shifting our nervous system to the 'rest and digest response.

Myth #2

Carbon Dioxide is Toxic

CO2 regulates the release of oxygen into our tissues. Low CO2 means low levels of oxygen absorption into the body. Among other benefits, this useful gas controls our PH balance, buffers free radicals, lowers inflammation, dilates smooth muscles such as arteries, reproductive organs, intestines.

Myth #3

For health, there are more important things I can do than learn to breathe well.

Breathing well is one of the best ways you can improve your emotional and physical health, decrease stress and minimize the affects of aging. Purposeful, effective breathing practices will affect how you breath through the rest of the day and night. Learning to breathe will is an important self-care skill.

Myth #4

I would know if my breathing was a problem.

By the time most people realize their breathing is compromised, they've already had a 70% decrease of the factional capacity of their lungs. When you get to know your own breathing rates through breathing exercises and counting, you will be more in touch with your health for proactive care.

Myth #5

I have athsma, or another condition that has affected my breathing. I can't do much about my breath.

Gentle, skillful and purposeful breathing practices can change the way we breathe and enhance our life, no matter the conditions we find ourselves in.

Seek medical advice when in doubt and don't give up. I've not given up on you!

If you found this helpful and would like to learn more, please comment, I've got more myths to bust!

Are you ready to breathe better? Join my free course.

Julie Seibt is an I.A.Y.T Certified Yoga Therapist, specializing in movement for reducing pain, breath and meditation. Julie resides in Canmore, Alberta, Canada - a lovely cycle or ski away from Banff National Park.

With inspiration from : https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5709795/

Lessons from New Year's parties of the past

I never was one for New Year’s resolutions. Thankfully, because according to statistics, I would have abandoned mine by now.

New Year’s Eve festivities in general never were ‘my thing’. They seemed to come with obligatory sleep deprivation and a high potential for kisses from strangers in tinsel-trimmed red foil hats. The only hope for protection from the trill of kazoos, was a chance encounter with a blowout party-favour propelled into my ears, likely powered by breath thick with alcohol.

Nope, not for me.

There's little threat of a traditional New Year's party with Covid-19 this year, but the New year itself can be a reminder to honor the voice of our heart in any decision we make.

For years my mind said of a New Year party, “It should be fun”. But my heart crumpled and said, “Meh”.

However, some New Years celebrations sparkle in my memory, still warming my heart today.

They were gentle celebrations with family, or when I turned off the TV before the ball dropped in Times Square, choosing instead to snuggle into sleep. They were the years of following my heart rather than selling out to the cultural idea of New Years’ that my mind prostrated toward.

These were the New Year celebrations when “meh” transformed to “yum”.

Conforming to perceived obligations could be the reason why most New Year’s resolutions end up in failure, foiled like the party hats under which they began.

What happens when we follow our hearts, rather than making commitments out of a sense of obligation?

My clients are some of my best teachers, the subject of obligation without exception.

As I met for a private session with a client, she was positively glowing with excitement. “I just had an epiphany!”

“What is it?” I asked, realizing I held some skewed hope that her happiness was because of my arrival.

“I don’t have to be friends with someone just because they want to be my friend!”

Well, how about that? What a teaching!

How many of us feel guilty when we avoid the “friend” we’ve outgrown or with whom we have never felt affinity? You know, the one who’s invitation “we’ll have to get together for tea” is received with a dropping heart. How different this is from an invitation that comes with an uplifting feeling.

I was never so aware of this sense of obligation in myself until my client spoke it.

That day, I’d received a linkedin invitation from someone I don’t know, who happens to sell insurance. She asked if I’d like to get together for tea, saying she likes to connect with other professionals and would like to know more about me. I found myself stumbling with ways to politely reject her. It was ludicrous really, when I reflect on it now. She obviously wanted to sell me something and that’s okay. But why is “no thank you” so difficult? Age old stories of being a nice, accommodating girl run deep.

I eventually replied “No thank you. I wish you all the best for a Merry Christmas and Happy Year’. She politely replied and I felt a weight off my shoulders.

Even though it was a small weight, like a pebble, how they can add up!

Social obligation does have a place. It is okay to follow that sense of obligation as long as we don’t betray our heart. Follow the “yes” that comes with a warm, expansive, uplifting feeling. Feel for the “no” that feels quite opposite.

Many New Year resolutions are inspired by “should”. I should be able to hold plank pose for two minutes. I should lose five pounds. I should eat only plants.

Before making commitments at any time of the year, let your heart speak its truth.

Your mind is affected by social and familial conditioning, rendering it unreliable at best. Your heart and body know Truth. When you are in your heart, you are momentarily free of the confusing rhetoric of obligations.

I am not implying that you abandon your intellect and what you have learned through experience. Invite your bright mind into the decision making, just don’t let it override your heart.

At times, your head will still overshadow your heart. It is okay! We are only human after all. Each time you notice, turn back to your heart as if returning home to a loved one after time away.

Your heart and all it represents will never turn away from you. It is always here for you.

In my heartfelt desire to be here for you, no matter where I am, it is with great joy that I continue share an ever-expanding library of practice and teachings in the Body Mind Ease online subscription community.

I don’t require a New Year resolution from you, and I will support you in sustainable, effective practices for more ease of being every day of the year. I look forward to seeing you on the inside.

Happy New Year!