On synchronicity and shifting your perspective.

Happy Thursday! I wrote an article that was published in Slate this week called “The Tricks I Use to Fight Stress Throughout the Day,” about mini exercise and sanity breaks like the ones I share with you.

Now here’s an anecdote, an exercise and an inspiration.

Anecdote: My last Slate byline was in 2013, when I was pregnant with my son who’s now headed to middle school! In this week’s article, I talk about feeling like a fraud as a yoga teacher when struggling with anxiety myself. I’ll also confess here how daunting it feels to re-enter the world of publishing after so long away. I left my journalism career when my younger son was born in 2016, the year before my mother got sick.

A fun little synchronicity: The new article was published on the eve of what would have been my mom’s 74th birthday, and it links to this tutorial of her teaching alternate nostril breathing (one of my go-to’s for 30-second stress relief). For more than 20 years, my mom read everything substantial that I wrote prior to publication as a voice of common sense and decency. The link made me feel like we’re still a team.

Exercise: One micro exercise break I’ve been doing a lot lately is a pulsing hamstring stretch, shown in this video.

So many body parts need to stretch after prolonged sitting/working at the computer, but for me none more than the hamstrings. A gentle hamstring stretch is a great way to relieve low back tension (but — as I’ve learned the hard way — overly flexible hamstrings can have the opposite effect).

Pulsing in and out of the forward fold keeps the movement both active and gentle. The foot on the stretching (front) leg should be flexed, toes spread. Keep your hands on your hips and think about elongating your spine through the crown of the head. A slight arch in the low back is good; a rounded low back is not. Inhale as you rise up, exhale as you fold. Try anywhere from 3-10 pulses per side, then continue on with your day.

Inspiration: In honor of my mother’s birthday week, I’d like to share an excerpt from one of her “healing updates,” emails she sent to family, friends and her yoga community from her cancer diagnosis to her death. Quoting from “The Book of Joy” by the Dalai Lama and Desmond Tutu, she wrote:

“What is suffering but a bumpy ride? Every life is rutted and no one can avoid some inevitable bumps, but so much is determined by our own perception of the ride. Our mind is the axle that often determines whether we experience the ride as bumpy or smooth.”

She signed off: “Here’s surrendering to a smooth ride. Love and hugs without germs.”

How can a perspective shift reduce suffering for you?