Hello, traveller.
Thank you for your interest in the Marathon process.
First, let's check in with your (assumed to be human-ish) physiology.
//(please select one of the following)//
) [[breathing]]
[[heartbeat]] (
) [[hydration]]Breathe in, deep.
Push out your belly with your breath.
There's an ache, yes, and this is a form of //''eustress''//.
Stressors - //dis//stress; //eu//stress; and otherwise - can raise our [[heartbeat]] rate, and until we intentionally engage our //''parasympathetic nervous system''//, our bodies may not entirely reset. Over time, this leads to an increased resting heart rate, which puts more stress on your whole pysiology.
Breathe into the ache until it opens up.
This is a [[mindfulness]] exercise to engage the [[listening mind ]], the less-well-known part of our brain that is not a [[storyteller]]. The listening mind is the part of your nervous system that takes in sensations, notices things, and recharges us after something puts stress on our body, mind, or spirit.
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Notice where the breath enters your body.
This is a form of meditation, facilitated by noticing and deepening your breathing.
The lower in your body the air can travel, and the deeper and longer the breaths you take and the slower and more regular, the better you enable this recharge mode of your body.
Take this slowly. Allow sensations to happen, notice them, and as you exhale notice your breath again. Return to your breath each time, and feel the air pooling in your chest. Feel how it cools or warms you as you draw it in, and listen for the rush of it past your sinuses.
Remember to stay [[hydrated|hydration]], when breathing this deeply, and you may feel the need to cough, it's okay to allow your body to expel whatever is in those deep parts of your lungs. Getting "unclogged" can take a few breathing sessions - some times a week or more of several times daily during times of poor air quality - so be patient. Taking a sip of water and breathing deeply several times can aid habit forming, and the benefits accumulate as you practice this over time.
If your body feels pressure from your abdomen when breathing, that's okay. This exercise also helps us notice when there's been a change in how what we [[eat|sustainance]] affects our body. Give your body time and space to adjust to this meditation, and this pairs well with taking a pause midway through a meal to check in on whether we are still hungry, or simply not yet full.
Breathing is our constant companion, alongside the beat of our hearts, from the day we are born to the day we depart this world. Breathing intentionally, following the sensations of how we take in air, is one of the semi-autonomic processes in the body, and as such acts as a bridge between the intentional and automatic. In doing so, it allows us to slow down our heartbeat, reduce tension and anxiety, focus under stress, recharge from small moments in the day, and keeps us present in conversations when [[accessibility]] is an intersecting factor.When was the last time you drank some fluids?
If you're feeling at all dry-mouthed, hungry, or have a headache, start with water.
Drink slowly. Roll the water around in your mouth.
Feel the temperature change, and listen for any flavours that come through.
Focus intently on the act of swallowing, wait for a few moments, then take another drink.
Remember to keep [[breathing]] between sips.
Give your body 10-15 minutes to absorb that, then checkin with your body on whether it's time to [[eat|sustainance]].
Meanwhile, have you noticed your [[heartbeat]] lately?"Every storyteller has two sides, at least...the artist, and the judge, or parasite."
At the intersection of rationality and emotionalism, there is a place of being informed by both, and listing neither too much or too little to the stories, sensations, and conclusions our mind has formed. This place is calle //wise mind//, and without it very little of deep worth can be done properly.
Our perceptions do not alway deceive us, but we abstract away details in memory even if we are convinced we remember it with poignant perfection.
By holding our thoughts loosely, investigating what we feel through the lens of reason and vice versa, and recognizing that the stories our mind tells are [[trying to keep us safe|subconcious motivations]], we can develop the skill of [[holding space]] by first holding space for ourselves.
For some, the storyteller can be diverted into [[affirmative self-talk]], for others [[reverse self-psychology|ek#rp?]] will work, and often what works can change with time, so try a variety of these [[mental health tools]].The quiet half of our brain, the interface for feelings and sensation rathjer than [[coherent thought|storyteller]].Are we are hungry, bored, seeking comfort, or simply not yet full?
This is the question that [[hydration]] first, and with a small snack of some protien or healthy oils, helps us answer.
Small meals throughout the day, prepared as fuel for whatever task we will be demanding of our body, can help shift us into a restorative, resting mode, and this pairs well with [[breathing]] to engage with [[listening mind ]]. The sensations of eating something with a taste that delights, the hearty warmth of a comfort snack, and the way we feel afterwards - even the next day - are all part of staying [[mindful|mindfulness]] of that.