Water is one of the oldest and most profound healers the Earth has to offer. Immersion in water is a time honored way to relax, and using swimming as a tool for relaxation can be a tremendous help for anyone looking to better manage stress or anxiety.  Half of all people who enter a vigorous exercise routine drop out within a year, so setting an easy paced schedule that works realistically within your lifestyle is important for using swimming as a stress management tool.

Using deep, diaphragmatic breathing is crucial to getting the deepest relaxation from a swim. Diaphragmatic breathing is simply deep, intentional breaths taken in to fill the lungs at the bottom of the rib cage, and then exhalation to completely release air.  In swimming the main work should be done during the exhalation phase of the breathing process, when you are using your arms to thrust your body forward.

Swimming has traditional benefits for the mind and body, such as helping strengthen the respiratory system, build endurance and balancing hormones and blood sugars- both crucial to mood- as well as the extra benefits of the body’s buoyancy in water. After an invigorating swim, letting your body float in the water, with arms and legs relaxed, while doing purposeful and deep breathing, has a profoundly relaxing effect on the nervous system. Water moving around your muscles and joints has a massage like quality that further relaxes the body and so, the mind.

The best way to most effectively maximize the relaxing qualities of swimming is to set up a routine of steps that your body and mind will begin to anticipate, already relaxing before you have even hit the water.

• Before entering the water, use your towel as a loofah over your entire body. Breathe mindfully while doing so, relaxing your body and focusing on the sensations while letting any intrusive or stressful thoughts move in and out without focus.
• Enter the water and begin to swim slowly. After a few laps, use diaphragmatic breathing and a swim stroke that you find most relaxing.  Remember that both swimming and diaphragmatic breathing are quickly tiring, so don’t be surprised if your endurance isn’t what you expect at first.
• Swim until very tired, but not completely exhausted.  Swim a few laps increasingly slower.
• Find a comfortable spot and float in the water, relaxing your entire body.  Breathe in and out in a relaxed manner.

The deep relaxation experienced after a swim is beneficial to the mind, body and spirit. This is a good time to eat a light, healthy snack, and you might find that napping after a swim leaves you more refreshed and positive than you remember feeling in a long while.

After a short period of time doing this routine, you will probably be surprised to find that you are not only looking forward to your swim time, but that you actually feel more relaxed before even reaching poolside.  Over time, the relaxing benefits of a regular swim routine will overlap outside the water and you will find that you are calmer and more centered overall.

About the Author: Steven Hamilton often contributes on behalf of Keifer.com. Kiefer is the best in class provider of men’s competitive swimsuits and women’s competitive swimsuits.

As we start a fresh new year, this is the time everyone talks about new years resolutions and planting seeds of intention.  Sometimes what we want to manifest is extremely apparent and other times we have to search for our seed.  We may look for signs to guide us and then question the signals received. 

The other night I had a sign that left little room for questioning.  As I was sleeping, I felt two hands shake my shoulders and yell “WAKE UP”.  I did just that – jolted awake.  After I found all peaceful and quiet with everyone in the house, I was left to wonder where in my life I had been coasting along.  I decided this must be my intention for 2012 – Wake up!  Areas where I have been stagnant and stuck signaled that it was time to wake up and be bright!  Words that have been sleeping that need to be said signaled that it was time to wake up and be heard!  Goals left unattended, time to wake up and do!  There is a certain exciting and mysterious energy to these words that are so full of possibilities.  So, how can you live your year more awake?

If your intention didn’t wake up and shake your shoulders, begin by evaluating all your best qualities.  This can be really hard to see within ourselves.  Its often easier to remember the behaviors from last year that didn’t serve us well. Marianne Williamson says, “Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate but that we are powerful beyond measure.  It is our light, not darkness that frightens us most.”

Often it is easier to think of our negatives instead of what makes us good people.  I felt this reality at my teacher graduation ceremony.  We were asked to write one word that would describe each student within our group – something we admired in them.  I found this task easy.  All these women were so wonderful, it was easy to come up with one thing that made them special.  When I got my list with 15 wonderful things about me, I didn’t even know what to say.  These were not ever words I would use to describe myself, nor things I thought other people viewed me as having.  It made me uneasy and I had to open myself up to the fact that I may not be seeing my own nature clearly.

Begin to see your own magical qualities and set your intentions in line with your own beauty.  When you do this, the things that are negative and caused you strife will begin to dissolve on their own.  As yoga teacher, John Friend says, “Look for the good”.  I try to practice this with my kids telling them what I love about them and what they did really well that day.  Just like adults, they already hone in on what they do wrong.  As they hear these positives, I can see their bodies soften and their eyes sparkle with confidence.  If it works with others, it stands to reason that it can work within ourselves.

Take some time to make your own list of good, recruit others to help if you become stuck.  Meditation can be a tool to clear the mind and harness our own inner strengths.  Set aside five minutes every morning to be quiet and still focusing on your breath flowing in and out.  Use a mantra, a word repetition, if your mind wanders.  This may help you to see clearly all that radiates within you.  Rumi writes, “You are the lock on the door, but you are also the key that opens it.” Make this the year to unlock the door and become more awake to the good that is already within you.  Shine a light on the moments of your life you are sleepwalking through.  Like tetonic plates grinding together, it may not be easy, but what will emerge will be something new and beautiful.  Alive, firm, and strong.

Read more from Sarah

About the author: Sarah Lesch is a 500- hour registered yoga teacher and contributing writer for Yoga Tampa Bay. She teaches at The Lotus Room where her classes are an intuitive expression of movement and breath, skillfully guiding students to draw upon their own inner strengths. She leads meditation, parenting, and advanced asana workshops throughout the area, as well as Stand-Up Paddleboarding adventures. Sarah enjoys poetry, art, music, and family. Following the wisdom that the individual epitomizes the universe, she promotes self awareness and personal growth.

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Have you ever been in your yoga class listening to a teacher talking about joy and happiness yet inside that’s not what you are feeling? Maybe you have experienced a trauma or loss in your life?
I recently had a day where I was feeling very melancholy. My first instinct was to lift myself up with a highly, prana-fied yoga practice to stimulate an uplifted energy. Instead, I was given great advice by my teacher to sit with these emotions and process what was going on. I took a deep breath in, unsure I wanted to heed that advice.

This idea of processing through something can be a shift from our typical tendencies toward avoidance and speeding past uncomfortable emotions, but as Kenji Miyazawa, “We must embrace pain and burn it as fuel for our journey.” So often, we are conditioned that happiness and joy is the goal of our existence and we move past the melancholy with extra stimulation or numbing of the senses.

But to be still and quiet with your own experience, working out what you need to, can lead to even greater joy and clearing. We don’t realize all that we hold onto. These repressed emotions become dormant in the subconscious only to unveil themselves when we least expect it. Sometimes, savasana at the end of yoga classes, can lead to this type of processing. In savasana, the body is clear and free after all the stretches and movements. Free to process and retrieve old stories and thoughts. They drift into the mind without invitation. This can be wonderful or sometimes, unsettling.

It reminds me of a speech that Robert F. Kennedy gave to announce the death of Martin Luther King. He knew there was going to be suffering when these MLK supporters heard the news, but he urged them to process the information peacefully. He quoted Aeschylys “He who learns must suffer and even in our sleep, pain that can not forget falls drop by drop upon the heart and in our own despair, against our own will, comes wisdom.” We cannot erase the suffering of our lives- we will feel it, but on the other side of it, becomes wisdom that we can carry with us and share with others.

Often we may hear something that is unsettling occurring in the world with wars and devastation. Sometimes we must open ourselves to listening to the stories of humanity suffering. I heard an emotional story of a Palestinian doctor describing a blast to his home by the Israelis that killed his children. By the end of the show, I was crying for this man’s suffering. He spoke of how years later, he still has conversations with them in his mind, how he always carries them with him. Instead of feeling down that I heard this story, I was glad to have heard it. Because we cannot always surround ourselves with joy, we have to hear stories of suffering and feel for them. This is how we move forward with wisdom.

So don’t tune yourself out to these stories. Filter and process. Take your suffering and the suffering of others and work with it to find the wisdom.
When you are feeling melancholy, write it down. Writing can help us to process our emotions.
Silence- meditate quietly focusing on your breath or a repetition of a few words (mantra).
Music-listen to soft music or your favorite tunes. Sound has a transformative ability within us.
Art- draw, listen to a good poet, find the poet or artist within, browse through an art museum.
Seva- serve, help others, make a difference one person at a time.
Nature- walk outside and just watch a tree for several minutes- look at how each branch and leaf is affected by the subtlest movement of air.
Look up- watch a bird gracefully in flight.
This is how we see the balance of joy and suffering and the beauty of it all.

About the author: Sarah Lesch is a 500- hour registered yoga teacher and contributing writer for Yoga Tampa Bay. She teaches at The Lotus Room where her classes are an intuitive expression of movement and breath, skillfully guiding students to draw upon their own inner strengths. She leads meditation, parenting, and advanced asana workshops throughout the area, as well as Stand-Up Paddleboarding adventures. Sarah enjoys poetry, art, music, and family. Following the wisdom that the individual epitomizes the universe, she promotes self awareness and personal growth.

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For the first time in a long while, I had a free morning. As the mother of three small kids, these moments of alone time can feel like the most brilliant of gifts.  Even though my “to-do” list was staring me down, I chose to hop on my bike and get in some well-needed exercise. In Tampa, we have a continuous bike path called Bayshore. On one side of the path, cars whiz by speeding to their next destination. On the other side is the Hillsborough Bay. Maybe you have something similar in your city.

At first, my bike ride started out all about the physical aspects of my exercise. I was out there to get in shape, to feel the burn of the thighs, to get my heartbeat up, but the more my eyes wandered to the waters of the bay, the less my bike ride became about the body. As I heard the sounds of the seagulls, as I saw egrets out hunting the shallow waters, the softer I pedaled. My mind became calm, content, my pace slowed a bit, until I altogether stopped and just sat on my bike, listening…watching. For those few minutes, I realized I was not watching nature, but a part of it. I was actually in the scene, completely one with the dolphins swimming by and the birds flying overhead. BKS Iyengar, a renowned writer and yoga teacher, wrote “The rhythm of the body, the melody of the mind, and the harmony of the soul, create the symphony of life.” I felt the symphony, the hum of the universe around me and also within me.

After a few minutes, I looked over my shoulder, and was reminded of the traffic hurrying by. So often, I’m on that side of the path, quickly moving in my car, never even noticing that a dolphin is playing on the other side with her baby.  Sakyong Miphan Rinpoche says, “Speed is the disease of our times. If we cut speed and relax with what’s going on in our life right now, kindness and patience will come about.” Each day of our lives we have that choice- the highway side of life or the watery side of life. Our intellect often guides us to stay on the busy streets, to get ahead, to stay the course.

The intellect can be the part of the mind that sets up reasons to keep driving, many times based out of fear, doubt, insecurities, or just old habits. The reasoning sounds completely rational and we can begin to believe them as truth. Must keep moving, we chant robotically. However, when we set aside time to pause and linger, we can begin to access the part of ourselves that is beyond the intellect. This is the wisdom of the heart, your instinct. It begins to whisper “yes, you can”, encouraging you down the right path.

When you’re guided from the heart, your life flows with the rhythm of a jazz song, the highs and lows become part of the tune, oozing beauty, perfection, and ease. You start to just know when something feels right. Often athletes describe a feeling of being in the “zone”. The sound of the roaring crowds disappears and they begin to move from a place of instinct, commitment to their sport imbedded in their bones. As we clear the clutter of the mind, this place of instinct becomes more and more accessible and the roadblocks that the intellect sets up become less and less powerful on your decisions.

So offer yourself a pause today. It could be outdoors. It could be in front of a beautiful work of art or listening to a great music track. Let it come to you, let it fill every part of your being so the mind becomes quiet and still. Notice it all. Exercise today because it will help you feel more creative and open later, because it may help you be a kinder, more compassionate person. Whatever you choose to do, step into the flow of the heart and the intellect will let go of resistance knowing that the heart is truly smarter.

About the author: Sarah Lesch is a 500- hour registered yoga teacher and contributing writer for Yoga Tampa Bay. She teaches at The Lotus Room where her classes are an intuitive expression of movement and breath, skillfully guiding students to draw upon their own inner strengths. She leads meditation, parenting, and advanced asana workshops throughout the area, as well as Stand-Up Paddleboarding adventures. Sarah enjoys poetry, art, music, and family. Following the wisdom that the individual epitomizes the universe, she promotes self awareness and personal growth.

1. Stand with your arms hanging straight at your sides, feet together in the yoga pose referred to as mountain pose. Close your eyes and take five to 10 slow breaths through your nose. On the inhaling breaths bring your palms together overhead swinging across the side of your body, across the horizon and as you exhale bring your arms down in front of your hearts center and look down at your hands. Attempting to keep your arms in a nice comfortable flowing motion. Inhale as you are moving your arms up in the yoga pose and exhale as you are moving your arms down.
2. On your final inhale with your hands up in the air, interlace your fingers and try to really extend your back, reaching for the sky as you slowly look up at your hands gently tilting your head back. For those of you with a little more flexibility, feel free to arch your back just slightly after you have exhaled, but only at the point of exhalation and completely reaching up in the air with your elbows fully extended. This yoga pose is referred to as a back bend.
3. Release your hands and hinge at your hips, trying to keep your back straight lowering your entire body into the yoga pose called a forward bend. In this position your arms, shoulders, head and back should be working with gravity, letting them hang as you breathe deeply. Your legs active and your head should feel like a bowling ball. This yoga position is called standing forward bend and you can hold for 5-10 breaths.
4. Now for an easy balancing yoga pose. Follow closely… Stand with your legs and feet together, hands on hips. Transfer your body weight into your left foot as you bend the right knee and place the sole of the right foot on the inside of your left leg (beginners start at the ankle; more advanced, raise the right foot to the inside of the left thigh. CAUTION – Never on the knee). Gently press the sole of the right foot against the left ankle or thigh. Bring the palms of your hands together in front of the heart to help with balance. Breathe smoothly and completely for 5 slow breaths and then switch to the opposite side, placing your left foot on your right ankle or thigh.
5. Now a gentle lateral side stretch. As you lower your foot down from the balancing yoga pose, place them parallel to each other, a couple of inches wider than shoulder width apart. (Don’t worry if the picture appears to be a little more than that, we are not as flexible in the morning as our friend Mr. Stickman). Extend your arms out to the side on the inhaling breath, keep your shoulder blades down, slowly let your torso lean to the right side of the body, keeping the right side of your torso in alignment with your right leg. Keep your arms in line with each other and look up at the left arm, do not over extend, just keep it gentle and hold for 5 breaths. The key is to keep your torso inline with your leg, not to reach all the way to touch the leg or the ground. Come up on an inhaling breath and do the same for the other side.
6. Now for the final pose, when you come back to a neutral position from the previous pose, keep your left foot in the same position and open your right foot out to the side. Interlace your hands behind your back, on the inhaling breath open your chest and then fold over your right leg as you exhale. Careful not to hyperextend your right knee. For the morning, a slight bend in your right knee is good for this yoga movement. Only take two deep, complete breaths here in this yoga pose. Returning on your inhaling breath, switch sides.

Have a great day and remember to breathe throughout the day. These movements may actually help you skip the morning coffee, but no guarantees on that one…. If you have any injuries, pains or illnesses or preexisting conditions, consult your doctor before performing any of these movements or other physical activities.

This project is one that comes from the heart. As I began my journey 10 years ago into love, peace and joy, I encountered several road blocks.
The biggest road block was as I came out of my state of misery, I saw so many others around me struggling, depressed and digging deeper into misery by abusing alcohol, drugs, and many other substances to cope with whatever mental sickness was plaguing them.
It was hard, because as I grew into the study of compassion I found myself weeping daily for my friends and family. I found myself weeping daily because I did not know who I was anymore; I did not recognize how it felt to feel good on the inside.
Although happiness is good, the strangeness of it is scary, just as any change. I also noticed my acquaintances (hesitant to call them friends) were not accepting to the change, even though they saw what great things it was doing for my mind and body.
I lost 45 pounds, my smile became brighter, and my hugs became tighter. So I want to introduce this plan that I designed called 8 weeks to happiness.

Taken seriously it will work for you and, in the beginning, it may not work, but that is the beauty of it. Seeing the development and what works one day and not the other is part of the process. Also, there will be ups and downs, as in life, happiness does not necessarily mean never feeling sad or angry. Happiness is a state of mind. This is why the 8 week list of daily activities will act as building blocks, starting with the most basic tactics as a foundation and building to the internal freeing of the mind. Throughout the 8 weeks we will incorporate everything from yoga, mediation to healthy eating that will allow you to take a holistic approach to happiness. Thanks to Mind Yourself Chicago for letting me host this on their site and creating a forum for you and your friends to go through this daily effort of change together. I will also post the tip of the day on Mind Yourself Chicago’s facebook page as a reminder for you to reference throughout the day.

Day 1: Easy breathing exercise.
This is the foundation, the most basic of all but yet the most difficult to master. Breathing easily and smoothly, brings energy to your body (inhale) as well as calms nerves and eases tension (exhale).
For 10 minutes today, practice this easy breathing exercise.
Lie down on your back or comfortably sitting, close your eyes, inhale all of your breath, filling your lungs completely by expanding your abdomen, midsection and upper part of your chest.
Exhale all of your breath, emptying your lungs, allowing your abdomen to fully deflate as if you were pushing your belly button to the floor.
Just inhale and exhale slowly and smoothly for 10 minutes. Preferably in the morning so you can set the pace for your day.
Throughout the day, if you feel any tension or stress, attempt to return to this breath. Or if you do not feel any tension or stress and just want to practice this method of truly breathing at your desk, on the bus, or on the train, feel free. It can also be done with your eyes open and sitting down. It is just breathing; you will not be disturbing anyone. Also enjoy the silence you experience during this time of just breathing.

Day 2: Find a theme song.
“Happiness will hit you like a bullet in the back”. Find a song that makes you feel good, gives you the chills and brings a big smile to your face. Whether it is a tune that reminds you of a positive moment in your life or just a song whose lyrics make you feel good. Once you have that song, play it, sing it and/or dance to it. Absorb the lyrics, embrace the emotions, get lost in the moment.
Listen to it in the car while you are on your way to work, listen to it on the train, whenever or wherever you have the opportunity to let it soak deep inside of you. Let this be your theme song. Play it in your head as much as you feel today.
My song is Dog days are over by Florence & The Machine. I am dancing to it right now.

Day 3: Pay a compliment to someone that you do not know.
Just one is enough, but if you are feeling good, go for it, as many as ten if you like, but not more than ten because you want to keep it sincere. Honestly tell someone that you like their shoes, like their hair, enjoy their presence, like the way they say hello to you in the morning, or whatever you are feeling. Making others feel good about themselves will have a reverse effect on you. We all spend time and put effort into our day, whether it be in deciding what we are going to wear or putting on a smile for others to see our internal lights. It is good to recognize that about another person and it makes us feel good when someone recognizes that effort in us. Try it, don’t forget to breathe and sing a couple of lines to your theme song.

Day 4: Take a walk (or have a seat).
This may take a little effort or time. It will require you to take a walk. Yes, walk. For those of you with extreme physical ability or in the process of training for the marathon, just walk, not run, walk. In some cultures walking can be a form of meditation. For those of you with physical limitations where walking is not good for you, just go outside to a quiet place. But the idea is to take a walk, alone, for as long as you may feel or the time in your day allows. Breathe deeply and smoothly , observing everything around you. Notice the plants your neighbor planted this summer that you did not recognize before; notice how the lakefront waters splash against the guard rails. Notice the flowers on your way to the bus stop. But walk and observe, quietly, unless you see something that sparks a compliment. Do what you feel in this case. Follow your instincts. For those of you that chose to sit quietly outside, do the same, look around and observe all that makes your surroundings, your surroundings. Think about how much effort went into what you have always taken for granted.

Day 5: Make plans.
Plan to do something you have always wanted to do. The key is to plan. Whatever it may be; however far away it may be for you physically or financially, but make a decision in your head to start bringing it to reality. Either write it down, or just bring it to the front of your mind. It can be something as simple as cleaning out the garage or something as big as taking a trip to Spain. However small, or however big, the idea may be, begin today planting the seed. We are just planting the seed. Later on over the 8 weeks, we will water that seed.

Days 6 & 7: “Weekend”.
These two days we will consider our weekend. Like all weekends, we either rest from our week or catch up on what we missed out on during the week. Take the same approach here. Either revisit a concept from Days 1-5 that you enjoyed or didn’t quite grasp totally. Whether it be practicing the breathing exercise, or taking another walk. Think about the week and continue to practice the principles learned. Begin to try to make them a habit in your life. But remember the honesty and sincerity that you want to put behind your actions.

Continue with week 2