Jana Remy
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Jana Remy

  • Writing
    • Disability
    • Making History
    • Digital Humanities
      • dayofDH
    • Canoeing
    • Creative Nonfiction & Essays
    • Feminism
    • Bibliographies
      • Pacific Worlds Bibliography
    • Social Media
      • Mentions/Links
  • Scholarship
    • Awards/Fellowships
    • Conferences & Invited Talks
    • Collaboration
    • Workshops
    • Conference Planning
    • Technical Skills
  • Teaching
    • Blogposts About Teaching
deep thoughtsthings I like

learning to…breathe (again)

written by Jana June 2, 2014

pink flower photoToday was the first official day of my summer sabbatical.  My goals for this time period are legion and include many plans for writing, reading, relaxing, reconnecting, and letting some of the stresses of this past year roll off of my shoulders.

But my largest goal is to stretch, everyday.

My shoulders and hips and legs are so tight that I’ve been in nearly-constant pain for the past 4 months.  I’ve had too many hours at my desk, too many hours commuting by car.  And when I have been exercising, it’s generally been a power activity like canoeing or rock climbing, and not an activity that increases my limberness.

So today: yoga.

Gentle restorative stretches to ease the tightness in my lower back.  It’s humbling to realize how far I’ve drifted from my previous, flexible self.  And things weren’t going so well with the yoga stretching (ouch) until I realized that I’d forgotten to breathe. My jaw was still clenched tight, my mind remained focused on some stressors that I can’t control.  My hands were tight fists.

So I stoked the coals in my belly and started to send the heat out to my aching muscles.

Inhaling and exhaling from deep inside.

And it worked.  I got looser (a bit).  I stretched for an hour and then I spent my 10 minutes of shavasana focusing solely on breathing.  When I sat up afterwards, the pain was definitely decreased, and I felt more alert, more hopeful, and more ready for what lies ahead.

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Jana

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0 comment

Vajra June 2, 2014 - 4:03 pm

I need this too. I’ve just let my self-care slide this year. Also my meditative practices just stopped a month ago when I had to deal with a death in the family. As always, Jana, you inspire me.

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About Me

About Me

Hi there friend, and welcome to my blog. I started writing on the internet two decades ago. Since then I've started and finished a PhD program, left the Mormon church and became a Quaker, got divorced, remarried, found full-time work in academia, took up rock climbing and outrigger canoeing, and traveled across the globe (China! Belgium! Italy! Chicago! Montana! Portland! Gettysburg! and oh-so-many points in-between). This blog is eclectic and random--it has poetry and cooking and books. And cats. And flowers. And the ocean (my ocean). But in that sense it's a good reflection of me and my wide-ranging, far-reaching, magpie curiosity.

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