Macon Magazine

84 maconmagazine.com | OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2021 health, we must go completely through the tunnel. The second part of this practice is moving your awareness through your breath. In the book, Max uses balloons to lift the box. Let's imagine we are filling up imaginary balloons with emotions. Deep breathing sends a calming message to our brains. Set another timer for at least five minutes. Bring awareness to your breath, notice the rise and fall of your abdomen, and visualize filling the imaginary balloon with emotions. With each inhale, bring to memory the cause, reaction, event and perhaps outcomes of the feeling. Exhale deeply, releasing all that energy. Allow your breath to fill up the balloon until it's as big as it can possibly get. Some may take longer, as they have formed roots and have taken up residence. Other emotions only come to visit. Then, imagine releasing it. Repeat. With help and imagination, Max and his friends were able to draw so many balloons that the box began to float. Author Mary Oliver writes about storage of emotions, suggesting to make, "more room in your heart for love, for the trees! For the birds who own nothing — the reason they can fly." Perhaps when we let go, we begin to float. Finally, the third part of the practice is to bring this awareness, and your breath, to everyday life. Next time an emotion fills you up — be it rage, grief, helplessness, shame, confidence, curiosity or delight — stop, breathe, notice, breathe, move, breathe through the tunnel, complete the journey and let it go. "It's okay to have feelings," Father whispered. "But once you feel them, their job is done." T he inspiration for this column came from the children's book "Max's Box: Letting Go of Negative Feelings" written by Brian Wray and illustrated by Shiloh Penfield. While my teaching focus is with children, as adults I invite you to explore this idea so that we can model emotional wellness. Prioritizing our own self-care makes us better at taking care of others. Join me in this three-part practice. Let's begin by noticing. In the book, Max is gifted a box to store his feelings. In real life, our bodies store them for us. Find a comfortable place to sit or lie down for at least five minutes. Have a pen and paper ready by your side. Set a timer or music. Place one hand on your heart and one hand on your abdomen while noticing your breath. Inhale deeply. Hold. Release and exhale completely. Repeat. Deepen each breath and slowly deepen your body awareness. Take inventory and patiently scan your body from the crown of your head to the tips of your toes. Notice emotions you may be storing. Are there any that have been taking up space longer than others? Is there a place in your body where those emotions hang out? Personally, I hold stress in my right shoulder. My sadness is held in my ribcage, and joy in my jaw. When you finish your practice, write down what you noticed. Imagine our bodies as storage units for emotions. Just like Max's box, they can feel so big and so heavy that they may get in the way of enjoying life. Medical studies have proven that laugher and smiling produce endorphins and serotonin, which can boost mood and decrease stress. Conversely, holding anger raises your blood pressure, increases anxiety and can have long-term cardiac effects. In the book "Burnout: The Secret to Unlocking the Stress Cycle," authors Emily Nagoski and Amelia Nagoski suggest that emotions are like a tunnel; they have a beginning, middle and an end. In order to maintain our mental and physical Releasing stored-up feelings can help us reset BY MARIA ANDRADE | PHOTO BY JESSICA WHITLEY Maria Andrade is a certified Grounded Kids Yoga teacher. Contact her at 478-361-7246 or learn more at groundedkids.com.

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