Wired And Can't Settle: Swing It Out, Then Settle

When there's too much charge to sit still and the thoughts won't slow, sitting and trying to breathe calmly can feel like flooring the accelerator and the brake at the same time. So we do the opposite first. In this moving breath practice, around seven minutes, you'll spend the charge with a little wild, undignified movement, swinging the arms, folding, breathing out loud, before settling it with a long, slow exhale. A mobilised body wants to move before it will settle, and this works with that rather than against it. You'll need a bit of floor space and room to swing your arms freely. By the end you'll also have a quiet version to carry into the queue, the meeting, or two in the morning, where you skip the movement and simply let one exhale run long. The movement is the strong medicine. The breath alone is the version you can take anywhere.
tags: anxiety, stress relief, calm, breathwork, overwhelm, panic, nervous system, somatic, restlessness, movement

Transcript

So you're wired, Fast, Restless, Thoughts stacking up, The body somewhere between alert and on edge. Good. That's our starting point. Notice where you are. We're not going to start by trying to calm you down. We're going to do the opposite first. We're going to let the wired body do the thing it has been wanting to do all along, Which is move. Here's the truth about a revved system. It's mobilized, Full of fuel, Ready to run with nowhere to put it. Telling a body like that to sit still and breathe slowly is like flooring the accelerator and the brake at the same time. So first we spend some of the fuel and then the breath has something to settle rather than something to fight. Stand up. Give yourself a bit of space, Enough to swing your arms freely. Feet wide, A little wider than your hips, Keeping your knees gently bent the whole time. Before we start an invitation to you. Fit the movement to size. If folding all the way down makes your head swim, Fold halfway and rise slowly. You don't have to hang upside down to get the gift of this, But if it feels good, Go with it. Here we go, Breathe in and sweep both arms up overhead, Reach up, Lengthen the whole front of you opening. Now fold forward from the hips and let the knees bend deeply this time. Sink them as far as you like, Almost into a squat if that feels good to you. Swing your arms down and back behind you like wings reaching up and back. And as you fold, Let the breath go out through your mouth. Wide open mouth, Tongue out loud. Let it roar out of you. Yes, Actually do it. Make the sound look completely ridiculous. There's no one watching and ridiculousness is half the cure. At the bottom hanging there, Roar the last of it out, Tongue extended. Then breathe in as you rise all the way back up, Arms floating up overhead. Again, Arms up, Reach for the sky, And then fold, Swing, Wings back, Mouth wide, Tongue out, Let it all go, Roaring. And rise back up. Breathing in, Arms up, Lengthen up, Fold, Exhale loud and undignified all the way out and back up. Now keep going on your own, Seven or eight in total, Or a few more if you're on a roll. I'll stop talking and let you find your own rhythm. Spend the charge, Big breath up, Everything out as you fold. Make noise, Have fun. When you're done, Rise up slowly one last time and let your arms come down by your sides. Stand. Don't do anything yet. Just stand. And notice what you feel. The body. The mind. The mood. Feel that. The body's warmer. The breath bigger, Moving on its own. A charge that had nowhere to go. Has gone. At least some of it. You didn't talk yourself down. You shook yourself loose. Now the easy part. Stay standing. Or feel free to walk around the room if you prefer. Let the breathing carry on by itself. Now make the out-breath. A little longer than the in-breath. Breathing in. And then extending the exhale. The movement has spent the fuel. The long exhale sends the all clear. Keep going! A few more. You are just barely doing anything at all. You've let the breath of the exhale leave a little more slowly than it arrived. The body's doing most of this without you. Really, You're just watching it do its thing. Now notice where you are. Most likely, The wired edge has come down a little more. Perhaps not gone entirely, But lower. And if it hasn't fully settled, That's fine too. You move the charge, You send the signal. And both of those have had an effect. Even on the days where the charge is too big for seven minutes. That's still something to count on. So you have two versions of this now. This full one, When you have the floor space and the freedom to look ridiculous. And a quiet one for when you don't. A cue, A meeting. Two in the morning when you skip the wings and simply let one exhale run long. And then perhaps another. The movement is the strong medicine. The breath alone is the version you can carry anywhere. Three minutes is the sweet spot if you have the time. But even a few breaths makes a difference.