Yes, school has started again, and although there is much Covid still about, for most young ones it is much like a cold. This means that students and teachers are returning to the classrooms – after there has been the best part of a 2 year disruption!
If you are 10 years old, that is a whopping 20% or 1/5th of your life! If you were my age, 1/5th would mean a 15 year hiatus from a ‘normal’ life.
Therefore it is quite likely that people of all ages are feeling a little wobbly as you start to go back to what you used to do.
What to do about it?
A short while back I had the pleasure of making a video series to go with a new book, ‘The unfair student advantage’ with Michael Tipper. Realising that the strains from school related stressors are a major issue, Michael asked me to share some tips for students, parents and teachers.
Michael Tipper author of ‘The unfair student advantage’
Here is the first of these in ‘Help your teen develop resilience’, this is an overview and there are a further nine videos going into depth.
As a launch special it is £8.00 and it is available in the Mind Chi shop now!
Please let me know if you think this may help you, your teen or teachers.
Chi & I look forward to seeing / hearing from YOU!!!
To book a 15 minute Mind Chi Chat with Vanda to explore how Mind Chi might assist you, your group, team or company build resilience and joy!
Something that we do all the time, however seldom give any though to – is your breath.
And it is CRUCIAL!! Not doing it has dire results. And not doing it with awareness ALSO has disastrous results!!
Why is your power breath important?
In previous Mind Chi blogs, I have shared ways to check how you are currently breathing. At this time, many people discover that they are taking shallow, high chest breaths. This is the least effective way to breathe and exacerbates the strain of any stressors.
Let’s look at two crucial reasons why your power breath is so important.
Your brain requires approximately 20% of the oxygen of every intake of breath. Lack of oxygen to the brain is why you may feel tired, confused, forgetful and can’t think clearly when you feel the strain of stressors.
Controlled power breathing sends a message to your parasympathetic nervous system and tells you that you can remain in control. You do not need to let the ravages of stress overcome you.
Your square belly power breath
How to do your power breath
There are just 4 simple steps:
Breath in puffing out your belly, slowly for a count of 3 seconds
Hold that breath for a count of 3 seconds
Breathe out slowly for a count of 3 seconds and
Stay empty (wait – do not breathe back in right away) for a count of 3 seconds and repeat.
Additional considerations:
If you are able, make sure your feet are both square on the floor; if seated, that your sitting bones are solidly on the chair; that you stack your vertebrae one on top of each other, so you do not require extra energy to hold your body up, and slightly wiggle your head to make sure it is balanced on top of your spine.
If you are walking to a meeting or something you are really not looking forward to, just perform your square belly, power breath as you go, and continue throughout the meeting as much as you can.
If you are already skilled in breathing techniques, feel encouraged to make each side of the square longer – just keep them all the same length.
The square belly power breath is the first step of Mind Chi
For the next few weeks, I am going to ‘deep dive’ into each of the 8-steps of Mind Chi, so you may discover more of their importance and potential for you to control your mental energy and build your resilience.
Chi and I are standing by on the ready to take your calls and emails!
Chi & I look forward to seeing / hearing from YOU!!!
To book a 15 minute Mind Chi Chat with Vanda to explore how Mind Chi might assist you, your group, team or company build resilience and joy!
