GoodFriday: On enlightenment, our thoughts, & breath work

Happy GoodFriday!

Here’s something I heard, thought, and did this week.

Something I Heard:

“Our life is dyed by the color of our thoughts”- Marcus Aurelius

Something I Thought:

Enlightenment Doesn’t Have to Be Painful

I came across an article this week that described this idea that the universe has a way of teaching lessons by placing directly in front of you the things you’re trying to avoid. If you’re trying to avoid pain, then the universe has no choice but to teach you through pain.

This article however, describes a different approach—one where you open yourself up to what you want in a loving way. Instead of seeking out pain, it suggests making a commitment to learn and grow in a way that is loving toward yourself and others.

Can you really learn to grow in a way that’s loving toward yourself?

Something I’m Doing:

In an effort to better regulate my mental state, I’ve been incorporating 4-7-8 breathing into my daily routine. This has been a pretty effective state-change mechanism for me, especially when the mental hamster starts spinning uncontrollably on the wheel.

The protocol is as follows: inhale through the nose for 4 seconds, hold the breath for 7 seconds, then exhale through the mouth for 8 seconds. Complete this for 4 full breath cycles. I like to add an additional 10-second pause after each exhale for an added benefit.

Simple tools like this are incredibly useful for preventing mental spirals before they happen. Sometimes, all you need is the breath to interrupt the loop and bring yourself back to a calm, grounded state.

Until next week!

-Cameron Harn