October 14, 2009
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For years I have been wishing I had a receptive audience, someone interested in learning the Taoist breathing exercises I know. It starts out simply but you can do complicated things with your breath.
One of my students is very close to passing her 80s but she has horrible text anxiety. So, a little before last night’s test I taught the class how to breathe into their lower tantien (2 inches below the navel) in order to get centered and relax.
After class she came up and told me how much better she had done on the test; that she thought she had passed it. Tonight I went a step further. I taught them how to breathe into their heart, and I told them about the corresponding color and the sound that organ resonates with: Hahhhhhh, with a soft, almost silent H.
So, two minutes before the test we got centered in our bellies and then I had them put their hand on their heart and exhale, thinking of love and the color red and then we took the test.
There’s only one guy in the class and he made a joke after the test but behind him sits a professional ballerina who said, “That’s the same color for the heart chakra.” So now he thinks it’s cool.
After a particularly hard Lit piece several of them suggested I read more of my story. I’ve been thinking it would be good to have a story about a court reporter. I know! It could be about a CART writer and his or her deaf student. Or maybe I could call all my old friends from school and get them to tell me their worst and funniest stories and work those up.
Comments (5)
I love how interesting you are making the class.The job can probably get pretty stressful so the breathing exercises make good sense.I know I use slow breathing ,(just plain old slow breathing since i am not educated about it ,to help me deal with stress at times.
You’re thriving, really helping the students, and making the class you’re own. I’d love to be your breathing student!
So clever to work the breathing into the class where it’s so beneficial to reduce the stress and give them a tool to handle it with.
marilyn
Some of the only times I have been able to relax fully are when I have some guided breathing exercises. It doesn’t last long for me but it is very centering. Cool that you teach it.
It is wonderful that they are a receptive audience and I hope it does spur on some writing! I even know what CART is. Will have to google it.
ryc: Not memoirs! That term sends me to shudders. Just started writing a story about a writer, a guy who is envied by many and has what most men want. So far he’s found a woman passed out on his front porch. And she’s quite the nag when she wakes up. I am waiting until I find the way to make it not be a romance. Ew. I do not enjoy those.
I took about five minutes after writing that ^ about what I was writing to make me not want to write it anymore. I swear. Fickle. I keep starting stories though. All different kinds and get three or four pages in and quit ‘em. Might have to dig up an old one to polish instead.
I wish you luck in your writing. So far it has been a nightly exercise in futility for me. But it is relaxing.
Do you know anything about brain disorders?