Breathe-both in and out EmergingVoices: Ginny Belden-Charles reminds us to breathe both ways
Ginny Belden-Charles and Marcia Hyatt
The busier I get the more energy I put out and the less time I take to breathe in.
-Ginny Belden-Charles
by Ginny Belden Charles
I rushed into yoga class at the last minute. I'd almost skipped this week because of my crazy schedule. My body felt tense as I sat down on my mat. It was hard to concentrate; my mind was still preoccupied with multiple issues at work. The instructor began the class with a breathing exercise. First, we took a long, slow inhale, imagining the breath filling our abdomens, then into our chests and finally filling the top of our lungs. We reversed the process on the exhale, releasing the air slowly and deliberately from the top to the bottom of our lungs. As I slowed down and paid attention to my breathing, I noticed the calm that came over me. I could feel the tension in my neck and shoulders draining out. My head cleared and my focus sharpened.
Such a simple exercise this is, breathing in and out. Yet it is so easy for me to forget to take in a deep breath when I get busy. It's as if I am continually breathing out in response to the external demands and commitments. Other kinds of "breathing in" go by the wayside, too, like exercise and other self-care. The busier I get the more energy I put out and the less time I take to breathe in.
This same lack of balance exists in our workplaces, too. We're good at "breathing out"; the focus is on doing more, on growing, on ever-increasing profits. It's a model built on consumption rather than on sustainable growth. Just as yoga breathing exercises have helped me manage my energy, what might happen if we also applied the breathing metaphor to manage human energy in our workplaces?
I am part of an organization in which we have adopted this metaphor. There are times in which we are visibly productive, turning out new programs, services and publications. We call these our "breathing out" times. There are other times when we consciously "breathe in." This is a time to consolidate and integrate new projects, to attend to the maintenance of our organization as well as to investigate new strategic directions. Just as breathing in nourishes and focuses us individually, we are intentional as an organization to push the pause button and take a time out. Paying attention to our "breath" as an organization helps us notice and manage our energy, both individually and collectively. We think it helps us sustain over the years as we look for our next cycle of growth.
I wonder if the current economic meltdown has something to do with our lack of attention to these cycles of energy. Our mindset and our financial systems value growth above everything else. And so we keep breathing out and ignoring the signs that we need an in-breath. A colleague years ago once asked a question that has stayed with me: "What happens when 'bigger, better, faster' meets 'enough is enough'?" Perhaps that's what we are experiencing collectively today. My friend Renee calls these "speed bumps." Sometimes we intentionally create a speed bump to reflect on where we've been, where we are and where we're going. At other times, especially if we keep running at top speed, life might throw a speed bump at us in the form of a crisis.
In either case, I'm learning to take in a deep breath at these times and ask myself several important questions: What is my body/gut/energy trying to tell me? What do I need to say "no" to? What do I want more of (or less of) in my life or in my work? What do I want to contribute to in my community or the world around me? Reflecting on these questions helps me refocus, recharge and prepare for my next out-breath.
Posted: Tuesday, June 02, 2009
Article comment by:
Gayle Winegar
After nearly two decades if teaching PIlates at the Sweatshop and about 1000 Tee-shirts later that have BREATHE IN on the front and BREAThE OUT on the back, I couldn't agree more with both the practice and the metaphor. I actually think one of the biggest benefits if Yoga, Pilates and mindful exercise is to retrain ourselves to do this in the stuido or gym and take it forward in life. Well said. Gayle Winegar Sweatshop Health Cub Owner
