Week Twenty: Being Present to This Breath and Other Coping Skills

As we continue to cope with the effects of the recent terrorist attacks on
New York and Washington, each of us will notice the ways in which this trauma
continues to reverberate in our lives and in ourselves. When we feel
overwhelmed in these ways, it is helpful to recall the value of coming back
to the present moment, to this breath. I've been reminding myself to use the
various tools I have available to ease the strain of dealing with such
difficult times, and I wanted to share some of these with you again.

And so, for this week, I'd like to invite all of us to remember to practice
returning to the breath as a way to ease some of the stress and tension that
accompany this level of trauma. If you find your mind racing with thoughts
about the future, or reviewing scenes from September 11, take a moment simply
to notice the breath you are taking right now. Becoming aware of the breath
you're taking right now is a way to stop for a moment, breathe all the way in
and out, and give yourself a momentary respite from the stress and strain of
coping with trauma.

Then, take a moment to notice your body. Are you holding your shoulders up,
or in some other way storing tension in your shoulders or neck? If so, take
a moment to imagine that you are wearing a heavy cloak - feel its weight on
you - and notice your experience as you allow it to drop to the floor.
Another way to loosen your shoulders is to pull them up around your ears and
hold that position for a few moments. Then, as you let your shoulders drop
back down into their usual position, notice how the feeling of letting go
relaxes those muscles.

Also, is your chest tight? If so, take a moment to invite all those muscles
in your chest to loosen up and let go. Opening your heart during a time like
this is difficult, but it's a real gift to yourself to allow your chest and
heart to open for a moment in the privacy of your own inner awareness and
experience.

Is your mind racing or numb? If so, recall that within and behind every
conceivable kind of awareness is stillness. Allow yourself to recall the
background of stillness that's here with each of us in every moment. It may
seem next to impossible to access stillness when there is so much distress on
all sides. There's no need to pressure yourself to feel still; this is an
invitation to become aware of the stillness that's the background of
experience - something you can lean into for a moment's respite from the
challenge of moving through traumatic experience.

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