Shownotes
Today's exercise uses box breathing to help reconnect with reality if you are experiencing things like isolation, depression, or disconnection.
Then we will continue this week's theme of using anger in practical ways as part of a larger, sustained action toward shared goals.
Credits, contact, and more info
This podcast series was created, written, edited, produced and is hosted by Jen deHaan.
Jen has a Certificate of Graduate Studies in Developing Healthy Communities: Nutrition, Behavior, and Physical Activity from Tufts University, a degree in adult education in the arts, and various certifications and experience in group fitness instruction.
Artwork, logo, and graphics: Jen deHaan.
Chat with us on Discord! Join the discord channel for this show here discord.gg/heTSW9WnN5
Transcript: On episode pages found here.
More show info/contact: stereoforest.com/garden
Free newsletter: StereoForest.com
Support the show: One-time tip here stereoforest.com/tip
Follow on social media: YouTube, Bluesky, TikTok
This podcast is a StereoForest production. Made and produced in British Columbia, Canada.
The content provided in this podcast is for informational and educational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. This podcast is not a substitute for professional mental health services, therapy, counselling, or medical care. The views expressed are personal opinions and experiences, and individual results may vary. If you have specific mental health concerns, please consult with qualified healthcare professionals. We have some resources to get started here to search for local resources. Please see this page on our site for more info.
Transcripts
WEBVTT
1
::This is a Stereo Forest production from StereoForest
2
::.com.
3
::Information, resources and opportunities to support the show
4
::and connect with others are available at StereoForest
5
::.com slash Daily Reconnect.
6
::This podcast is for informational and educational purposes
7
::only and is not a substitute for medical
8
::advice, diagnosis or treatment.
9
::If you have specific mental health concerns please
10
::consult with a qualified healthcare professional.
11
::Now on to the show.
12
::In today's episode we'll practice an exercise that
13
::uses breathing to reconnect to reality and then
14
::we'll talk about this week's theme which is
15
::anger and how to use it to motivate
16
::us to work towards shared goals.
17
::Welcome to the Daily Reconnect for March 14th.
18
::We've made it to Friday.
19
::I'm your host Jen DeHaan and this brief
20
::moment together will help anchor you to the
21
::present when you're feeling separated or detached from
22
::your surroundings or maybe your mind.
23
::Together we will reconnect with this messy world.
24
::Let's reconnect with reality.
25
::And after our exercise we'll find motivation to
26
::begin our day and persist through the battlefield
27
::that is daily existence right now.
28
::Embrace whatever serves you during this exercise and
29
::disregard whatever doesn't work for you and feel
30
::free of course to adjust anything as we
31
::move through it.
32
::This is your time to focus and recalibrate
33
::and that's all that matters right now.
34
::So in this episode's exercise we'll practice a
35
::breathing technique to reconnect with ourselves so we
36
::can connect with each other again.
37
::This technique is sometimes called box breathing and
38
::it can help you calm your mind and
39
::focus your attention.
40
::So for this exercise we'll be breathing in
41
::for a count of four, holding our breath
42
::and then releasing it.
43
::So all of these steps are timed.
44
::You'll want to find a comfortable seated or
45
::standing position.
46
::That's what's optimal for this exercise but you
47
::can also practice this if you're moving around
48
::or walking.
49
::Just feel free to adjust as needed for
50
::either your activity or your capacity to do
51
::breath work.
52
::So let's begin.
53
::Take a moment to bring your attention to
54
::your breath, letting go of any distractions that
55
::might be getting in the way of that.
56
::And for this exercise imagine that you're breathing
57
::in a box shape, that you're bringing this
58
::box shape into your mouth and into your
59
::lungs.
60
::So first I'm going to go over the
61
::exercise and then I will count the breathing.
62
::So what we're going to be doing in
63
::this exercising is inhaling for a count of
64
::four which is when you will fill your
65
::lungs completely and then you will hold your
66
::breath for a count of four, feeling the
67
::stillness and then you will exhale for a
68
::count of four, emptying your lungs completely and
69
::then you will hold your breath again for
70
::a count of four.
71
::So we will do that two times in
72
::a row.
73
::All right let's begin.
74
::So inhale for a count of four, three,
75
::two, one and hold three, two, one,
76
::exhale three, two, one and hold three,
77
::two, one and now return to normal breathing.
78
::All right so now we're going to do
79
::that one more time.
80
::All right let's begin.
81
::Inhale three, two, one and hold three,
82
::two, one, exhale three, two, one
83
::and hold three, two, one and now return
84
::to regular breathing.
85
::All right so let's now try changing the
86
::duration of each breath.
87
::We're going to do the same exercise again
88
::except this time we will inhale for three,
89
::we'll hold the breath for five, exhale for
90
::three and hold again for five and I'll
91
::repeat this exercise twice in a row.
92
::All right so let's begin.
93
::Inhale two, one and hold four, three,
94
::two, one, exhale two, one and
95
::hold four, three, two and one.
96
::All right let's return to normal breathing.
97
::We'll give you a second to just relax
98
::before we start again and now let's do
99
::it again in the same duration.
100
::All right let's inhale two, one and hold
101
::four, three, two, one, exhale two, one
102
::and hold four, three, two and one.
103
::All right that's it now return to your
104
::regular breathing and this is something that you
105
::can experiment with while you're moving for example
106
::if you're working or going for a walk
107
::just adjust the breathing pattern to your pace
108
::for example.
109
::This can be particularly useful during very stressful
110
::times or times with anxiety present or if
111
::you're feeling rather dissociated.
112
::This can all help bring you back to
113
::the present moment.
114
::Now take one final deep breath in and
115
::out and now we'll move on to some
116
::words of motivation for your day.
117
::Perhaps through our previous explorations earlier this week
118
::about anger and using it as a motivation
119
::tool you've begun to see your your anger
120
::not as something to suppress or apologize for
121
::but as a valuable piece of information.
122
::It's like a signal that you're receiving that
123
::points you towards what matters the most to
124
::you.
125
::So today I want to take this understanding
126
::about anger and take it a little bit
127
::further because once we've validated that our anger
128
::is there and we use it through connecting
129
::with other people we still face a pretty
130
::important question.
131
::How do we transform this shared energy that
132
::we're we're now connected with other people and
133
::we want to do something into lasting systemic
134
::change?
135
::Throughout history movements that have managed to create
136
::meaningful transformation didn't just acknowledge anger.
137
::They developed sophisticated strategies for channeling that anger
138
::into change.
139
::They understood that sustainable change requires more than
140
::just momentary outrage or just this very temporary
141
::thing.
142
::It demands visionary thinking, very strategic calculated action,
143
::and then sustained commitment to what can be
144
::a very slow work of making that change.
145
::The systems of capitalism and fascism have survived
146
::for generations precisely because they've adapted to contain
147
::and neutralize certain forms of resistance.
148
::They can withstand isolated protests and individual consumer
149
::choices and temporary outrage, anything that's not collective
150
::or not sustained, but what they cannot survive
151
::is entire communities systematically withdrawing their participation and
152
::simultaneously building different ways of relating to each
153
::other and the environment that they're in by
154
::Canadian.
155
::This is where our reconnection practice becomes very
156
::important.
157
::The present moment awareness that can help us
158
::feel better yes but it can also help
159
::us notice any assumptions that we may have
160
::internalized about what's possible or not possible what's
161
::necessary or what's inevitable or what we feel
162
::is inevitable we can start to question those
163
::assumptions.
164
::Today I invite you to take the anger
165
::that you've honored and the connections that you've
166
::formed these past few days and ask this
167
::what might we create together that embodies our
168
::deepest values not just what we're against but
169
::what are we for what concrete alternatives can
170
::we begin building in our communities right now
171
::what is already happening that you can join
172
::can those organizations then connect with other organizations
173
::and build a larger sustained movement and so
174
::on these kinds of efforts allow us to
175
::practice new ways of relating while meeting immediate
176
::needs and critically they help us develop the
177
::skills and the relationships that we'll need for
178
::larger transformations some of these efforts mean sacrifice
179
::but they can also make lasting change remember
180
::that throughout history the most effective movements operated
181
::simultaneously at multiple levels they organized resistance to
182
::harmful systems while actively building alternatives they addressed
183
::immediate suffering while working towards structural change they
184
::developed new cultural practices like buying Canadian products
185
::while challenging existing power structures as you move
186
::throughout your day I encourage you to notice
187
::opportunities that align with your values because your
188
::anger matters your connections with other people matters
189
::you matter and what you build together in
190
::response to these feelings matters immensely each act
191
::in doing things differently demonstrates that alternatives aren't
192
::just possible they're already emerging all around us
193
::these are interesting times but throughout history us
194
::humans have faced things that may have seemed
195
::insurmountable but then managed to imagine and create
196
::and make something better your contribution to this
197
::legacy whatever form it takes is significant and
198
::together our collective efforts weave the future world
199
::into being you are here capable of great
200
::things and there is substantial power with us
201
::connected together the world is much better with
202
::you in it this is the truth so
203
::that's it for today Friday March 14th thank
204
::you so much for joining me and let's
205
::connect again on Monday thank you for listening
206
::to the daily reconnect episodes are released on
207
::Monday Wednesday and Friday every week this show
208
::was created written hosted edited and produced by
209
::jenda han links to contact information ways to
210
::support the show transcripts the free newsletter and
211
::our community discord can be found in the
212
::show notes this is a stereo forest production
