Transforming Business

Innovation 101: How to Stop Getting Stuck in Your Head

July 6, 2017 by Jessica Leave a Comment

How often do you run into a brick wall as you follow the thread of an idea?

Get a spark and have it immediately snuffed out when your brain steps in to list all the reasons the idea won’t work?

Or otherwise feel like you’re failing as an entrepreneur because all your best ideas seem to be hiding behind a thick membrane you can’t quite get through?

And how often does everyone else respond, “Oh, you just need to get out of your head.”

Step away. Take a deep breath. Give yourself some space.

Disconnect…

But when you try to switch off and unplug, nothing really changes. You come back to the same place, with the same issues and frustrations. And you feel like the time away was wasted. You might as well have stayed and tried to power through.

It may sound totally counterintuitive, but what if I told you that you need to reconnect, before you can disconnect?

Get in to get out

It’s kind of like the old meme featuring a Golden Retriever. You probably remember the one — “Let me in. I need to go back out again.”

You need to get back into your body, to reconnect with your muscles and joints. To embody the physical vessel your brain resides in, so that you can start to tap into the full power of your mind.

As a constantly-connected always-on and hustling entrepreneur, chances are that you’ve stepped so far outside your body (and away from your mind) that you need to find your way back in.

Before you can disconnect and give yourself space to innovate in a meaningful way.

Understand the rules before you break them

Your body (and by connection, your mind) is a self-limiting device.

Lack of sleep, poor nutrition, stagnation — these can all cause your body to perform poorly. And the usual response to issues that arise might be to medicate them away, or to ignore them. To power through.

And when you disconnect in this way, it shorts out the bond to your internal wisdom.

When you isolate yourself from your self, that’s when you start to run up against the limits of your mind. You lose the ability to innovate. To make outside-the-box neural connections and see the answers that are hiding just on the other side of the membrane.

In the same way that you need to have an understanding of the rules of a system before you can start to manipulate it, you need to reconnect to the body in a meaningful way before you can step away and get the type of brain-space you need to access true innovation.

Gain behind-the-scenes access to your potential

That’s where practices like yoga and other mindfulness tools come in.

You give yourself a chance to reconnect with your body — so that you can disconnect in a meaningful way. You get up close and personal with the physical vessel so you can understand how and where it might be holding you back. And from a place of deep connection, you gain the space you need to break through.

This is one of the key tenants of the Yoga of Innovation, a 5-week series that I run here in Charlottesville. This idea of reconnection with the body is the focus for the first week, setting a foundation for the practices that came in later weeks — the practices that allow us to tap into a limitless part of the brain, where innovation becomes as instinctive as breathing.

If you’ve been feeling a bit stuck, or just want to learn some practices that will help you break through the barriers that hold your business back, stay tuned for the next class series.

3 Powerful Practices to Help You Clean & Detox Your Body

May 30, 2017 by Jessica 1 Comment

Spring cleaning: it’s not just for houses.

I don’t know about you, but when spring rolls around I often feel all kinds of clogged up and sticky from my winter hibernation. This feeling usually means there’s a bunch of junk stored up in my body that needs to get the heck out!

If you feel sluggish or tired all the time, spring may be a good time to consider some internal cleansing — and what better time than when the weather is starting to warm up and your natural tendency is to get more active!

While you may be aware that you can detox through what you eat and drink, did you know you can also help your body to naturally detoxify through breath and movement?

Let’s take a look at three potent practices that will help you support your body’s natural detoxification processes.

1. Kapalabhati (Skull Shining Breath)

Unlike some of the gentle breathing practices we’ve covered in this 3 Practices series, Kapalabhati is pretty intense. It really gets the oxygen flowing through your veins, stimulates the digestive organs, and can even help clear up sinus congestion. (Keep some tissues handy when you’re doing this one.)

How to do it:

Kapalabhati is rapid abdominal breathing. The exhalation is forceful, and the inhale that follows is automatic.

It may be helpful to place your right hand on your lower abdomen, so you can feel the muscles contract in toward the spine.

Step 1: Sit up comfortably, with a long neutral spine. To exhale, snap in (aka quickly contract) the abdomen. This will push air out through the nostrils.

Step 2: Relax the abdomen, and allow the inhalation to occur naturally. (You won’t have to actively draw breath back in to the lungs.)

Step 3: Continue this pattern of forceful contraction of the abdomen and relaxation for a total of 10 breaths. Aim for one exhalation per second if you’re new to this pranayama practice.

Step 4: Exhale completely, pulling the abdomen in. Then inhale a full, 3-part breath.

Step 5: Return the breath to a normal pattern, and observe how you feel. Can you sense the extra oxygen starting to circulate through your system? You may feel slightly tingly or more alert.

Step 6 [optional]: You may want to repeat this cycle two more times, for a total of 3 cycles of 10 breaths each. Start with short sessions, and work your way up as you get more comfortable with the practice.

By pulling lots of oxygen-rich air into your lungs, you end up circulating extra oxygen into the blood stream. And all that oxygen helps your body not only efficiently absorb vitamins, but also boosts white blood cell production.

You can find more info here.

Health note: if you ever feel dizzy or lightheaded, stop immediately and return your breath to normal. And you may want to be especially careful to give yourself enough time after you eat to do this one — intense contractions of the lower abdominal muscles plus a full stomach may equal disaster. Just sayin’…

2. Karana Mudra (Instrument Gesture)

In Sanskrit, karana means “instrument” — not like a guitar or saxophone, but rather a tool that we use to help us complete a particular action. In this case, the mudra itself is an instrument that we can use to help purify the physical body.

In plain English, it helps us to detoxify by strengthening both the urinary and kidney energy lines in the body.

This particular mudra reminds me of the “rock on” gesture, and a little bit of that heavy metal intensity could be called for, depending on how much crap you feel like you need to clear out.

How to do it:

You can practice this mudra any way that’s comfortable — sitting, standing, laying down. This mudra is practiced with only the right hand, so keep your left hand gently unengaged somewhere that’s comfortable.

Bend the middle and ring fingers of your right hand down toward your palm, and press down on both fingernails with the pad of your right thumb. Allow the index and pinky fingers to remain extended, and slightly relaxed. Hold this gesture for as long as feels comfortable.

For more information, take a look at this mudra in the book Mudras for Modern Life.

3. Ardha Matsyendrasana (Half Spinal Twist)

Twists are one of the best ways to detoxify the body. By bringing gentle compression to the internal organs, you begin to squeeze out old blood and lymph — and when you release the twist, the resulting flow of freshly oxygenated blood back into the cells flushes out anything that’s been loosened up.

Your lymphatic system is one of the main drainage systems that helps your body get rid of all the stuff it doesn’t want anymore — dead cells, unused nutrients and plasma, and toxins. And most of our circulatory systems come with a built-in pump. The heart circulates blood, the lungs circulate oxygen, the digestive system pushes food through…

But the lymphatic system doesn’t have a pump. It relies on you to keep the lymph moving through. That’s where practices like dry brushing, deep breathing, and legs up the wall come in — as well as bendy, twisty yoga poses.

While any twists that you might take will be beneficial, Ardha Matsyendrasana is particularly good for you because it also brings compression into the lymph nodes that are located in the area at the front of the hips.

How to do it:

Find a comfortable seated posture with your legs stretched out in front of you. It can be helpful to sit up on the edge of a blanket, especially if you have tight hips or hamstrings.

Draw your right knee in toward your chest, with the sole of the foot on the floor next to your outstretched left leg. Then step the right foot across your left leg.

Either take hold of the base of the right knee with your left hand, or wrap the crease of the left elbow around the raised knee, to bring yourself into the twist. Place the right hand behind your back, and turn the gaze gently over the right shoulder.

You can either leave the left leg outstretched, or draw it back toward the hip (as pictured here).

Breathe deeply, imagining drawing the breath up and down the length of the spine — from the base of the spine up to the top of the head on the inhale, and allowing the exhale to release back down the length of the spine. Stay here for at least a few breaths, or as long as the twist feels comfortable.

To release out of the pose, bring the gaze back to center and then release the left arm. Untwist, and consider taking a counter-twist in the opposite direction to release the spine.

Then repeat on the opposite side.

This pose helps to balance not only the digestive and lymphatic systems, but also the immune, nervous, muscular, and skeletal systems. It’s balancing for all three Ayurvedic doshas (Vata, Pitta, and Kapha), and activates all five of the elements in the body (earth, water, fire, air, and ether).

Health note: it’s good to remember that detoxification may make you feel worse before you feel better. As your body is processing and getting rid of all the stuff you’re moving out, you may feel a little gross — these reactions vary from person to person.

But if you stay well hydrated and make sure to get enough rest, you’ll be back to feeling great before you know it. And you might even feel better than you have in a long time!

Let that shit go…

While January 1st may be the traditional start to our new year, the spring season is really when a lot of folks get motivated to make changes, to declare “out with the old, in with the new” — and your desire to detox may be no different.

By implementing the practices in this post, you’ll be well on your way to supporting your body systems as they do just what they’re meant to do.

So take one (or all three) of these practices and give your body a break. You deserve it!

Want to put “detox through movement” into practice? Join my online yoga mailing list and you’ll be the first to hear about new yoga classes and workshops.

Lawn Care vs Self Care: Simple Wisdom from Mother Nature

May 16, 2017 by Jessica Leave a Comment

Mother Nature doesn’t wait.

The sun rises and sets. The moon waxes and wanes. The tides ebb and flow. The seasons change.

And as entrepreneurs and freelancers, we deal with the cycle of feast and famine — when the work is good, there’s usually more of it than you’d like to deal with. And when it’s lean, it’s like crickets took over the internet.

Chirp. Chirp.

But no matter what’s going on in your personal life, the world keeps turning. No matter the pile of stuff you need to deal with on your desk, or the looming “to do” list that’s threatening to crush you, the grass keeps growing.

When you’re in the feast cycle, it’s tempting to take on everything that comes your way. To burn the midnight oil. To go-go-go while the getting is good.

But as you slave away at that massive pile of work, the grass is still growing. And unless you have someone to mow it for you (hint: most of us don’t), it doesn’t just magically stay at the perfect manageable length all spring, summer, and fall.

Mother Nature reminds us that you have to stop and take care of yourself. To cut your damn grass, before the neighbors start complaining. Before your yard becomes a jungle, your lawnmower can’t even begin to handle the mess, and your house gets swallowed up by the overgrowth.

But… Huh? You’re not a lawn!

I know, I know. Maybe it’s taking the metaphor a little too far, but there are some great lessons you can take away from the cyclical flow of Mother Nature.

So — let’s take a look at how to take this slightly offbeat example and apply it to your life and business (as well as your body and your health).

Fact: your internal grass is constantly growing. It needs consistent care and watering.

And by that, I mean that you need to get enough sleep, fuel your body properly, get some kind of movement in regularly, maybe even take the time to pause and reflect and connect with your community.

Self care, blah, blah, blah… It’s become a hot topic these days, to the point where you may feel like you’ll spew if you read yet another blog post telling you about the Top 5 Juice Detoxes or the Best Advanced Vinyasa Flows to Banish Stress Forever…

Except that as much as we may try to ignore the internal grass, it’s in there. Growing. Threatening to turn your body and mind into an impermeable jungle that can’t be tamed.

It’s like a friend of mine says:

“Eat, drink, and meditate properly. Because a sucky body makes you sucky at business.” – Rocky Kev

So as we head into the summer season, how are you taking care of your metaphorical lawn — and your not-at-all-metaphorical business?

You have a few choices:

1. The Untamed Wilderness

Let it grow wild. Who needs a well-kept lawn, or a functional body? A high-performing body and mind is for losers. Things you might hear yourself say if this is the type of lawn/self care you choose: “I’ll sleep when I’m dead,” or “I’ll just cram this can of Pringles in my face while I finish up a couple more hours of work,” or “I can work out tomorrow… or next week.”

A lot of people choose this option. I’m not judging, because I’ve dabbled in this approach, but I believe that there’s a better way. My multiple forays into burnout also seem to be an indicator that this isn’t the most useful approach… Just sayin’.

2. The Neglected Yard

Proceed in fits and starts — let the grass get almost out of control, and then take a weed whacker to it because the lawn mower won’t work once it’s this deep. Promise you’ll do better the next time. After a few days, see that the yard needs to be mowed… but you really have to push to make your next deadline. Let the grass grow unchecked. Rinse, and repeat.

While this option is better than number one – and it’s usually where you end up as you’re transitioning away from your wild phase – there’s still room for improvement.

3. The Ideal Lawn

Make a plan, and give your lawn attention on a regular basis. Sometimes it’ll rain for a week and the grass will grow like crazy while there’s nothing you can do about it. In those instances, you wait until the grass dries enough to get back out there and get back on top of things. But the rest of the time, the yard will take less time to keep at a manageable level, and (bonus!) the people next door won’t want to banish you from the neighborhood.

This is the ideal that we can all strive for. It takes into account that life happens and things get busy. That no one is perfect. But by making a plan for integrating self care into your life, you’ll set a strong foundation that lets you bounce back from those times where things don’t go exactly as planned.

4. The Golf Course Wannabe

And then… there’s that crazy neighbor who is out at all hours on their riding mower, cutting the grass even when it’s completely unnecessary. They go completely over the top, and get manic about the single dandelion that tries to manifest in the middle of their perfectly manicured lawn. Best lawn in the neighborhood? Try best lawn in the world!

We all know that guy. Don’t be that guy. There’s a balance to everything, and it’s just as unhelpful when you let any one part of life smother the rest. Seriously — just don’t.

Now that we’ve looked at a cross section of different approaches, let’s also shed light on the fact that no matter how well you think you’re doing…

The Grass is Always Greener

While it can be tempting, don’t compare your life or business to anyone else. Especially not what you see on social media — the perfectly curated, balanced, and envy-creating narrative that only shows the good, and glosses over anything less than perfect. Even those people who claim to be transparent aren’t showing 100% of what’s going on behind the scenes, for good reason.

Like most things in life, whatever approach you take will ebb and flow. The ideal balance of self care will shift depending on what’s going on in your life.

During the busy times, you may find that your meditation practice turns into 10 minutes a day instead of 20 — or you make it to the gym a couple of times, instead of working out every day. But when you’ve got some downtime, maybe those are the days of 30 minute meditations and long walks with your dog.

Wherever you are in the cycle, cut yourself some slack. Nobody is perfect, and no one’s lawn is, either. Not even the crazy neighbor who thinks that their perfect lawn can compete with the greens at Pebble Beach or Augusta…

What’s important is to be aware and consistent. To make progress toward your goals. And to not burn out – or drive yourself crazy – in the process. Sounds like an approach that’s helpful in life, and in business, huh?

What kind of approach do you take to taking care of yourself? Is there a way you can shift toward a more sustainable balance, or are you taking good care of your internal grass? Let me know in the comments!

3 Simple Practices to Help You Relax & Recharge

March 23, 2017 by Jessica Leave a Comment

Life.

It’s both wonderful and awful. Happy and sad. Amazing and painful. All at the same time.

And so often in our go-go-go modern world, it’s just plain stressful. Even if everything you’re doing is something you want to do, and your schedule is full of “hell yes” it can still be hard to come down from the daily rush.

You spend so much time actively doing things that you often forget that you also need to balance it with just being. You expend a lot of energy and activate your sympathetic nervous system…

But how often do you focus on turning inward and activating your parasympathetic nervous system? That’s the one that helps you slow down, and encourages your physical body to rest and digest.

Today, let’s look at three simple practices that will help you tap into your own personal relaxation machine.

1. 4-7-8 Breathing (Relaxing Breath)

Pioneered by Dr Andrew Weil, the name of this breath pretty much covers how to practice it.

Your breathing is a huge key to controlling what goes on in both your body and your mind. Dr Weil claims that it fosters almost immediate relaxation in the body (and even that it can help you fall asleep within 60 seconds — individual results may vary).

How to do it:

Step 1: Sit in a comfortable upright position. Place the tip of your tongue on the ridge directly behind your top front teeth.

Step 2: Exhale completely through an open mouth, allowing the breath to make a sound. (You’ll be exhaling around your tongue, which may feel a little weird at first, but go with it.)

Step 3: Close your mouth and inhale through your nose for a count of 4.

Step 4: Hold your breath for a count of 7.

Step 5: Open your mouth and exhale audibly for a count of 8 (still exhaling around your tongue).

Step 6: Repeat the cycle 3 more times (for a total of 4 breaths).

Then close your eyes and return the breath to normal. You may notice that even after just a few of these breaths that your heart rate slows and your body starts to feel more relaxed.

Health note: if you ever feel dizzy or lightheaded, stop immediately and return your breath to normal.

You can find more info here.

2. Jnana Mudra (Wisdom Gesture)

So far in this series, you’ve learned the Chin mudra and the Sukham mudra.

This week, we’ll look at another calming mudra, or hand gesture. This mudra is very similar to the Chin mudra, except that the hands end up palms down for a more grounding experience.

Jnana Mudra is great for helping you contain your energy or get calm and grounded.

How to do it:

Join the tip of each index finger with the thumb of that same hand, forming a circle.

Rest the inside of each wrist on your knees with the fingers and palms facing down.

Hold this mudra for as long as it feels comfortable.

You can find more info here.

3. Reclining Bound Angle (Supta Baddha Konasana)

This pose may be a little bit challenging if your hips are tight, but with some modifications it can be downright delicious for most people — and incredibly relaxing.

It’s great for balancing the lymphatic, eliminatory, urinary, reproductive, muscular, and skeletal systems, as well as helping to calm down the physical body and the mind.

How to do it:

Lay on your back and draw the soles of your feet together and toward your buttocks. If you have tight hips, or there’s any kind of resistance coming from anywhere in your hips or legs, roll up a blanket (or use a pillow) under each knee to relieve any discomfort.

This is a pose where it’s good to find your edge, and then back off.

The arms can be outstretched along the body with the palms up, or resting comfortably on the abdomen. Tune in to what your body is asking for, and do that.

Spend at least a couple of minutes here, allowing the hips and leg muscles to begin to release. If you give it 3-5 minutes, you’ll often reach a point where any tightness begins to release and allow you to sink a little bit deeper.

When you’re ready to come out of the pose, take hold of your knees and draw them gently together. It might feel good to roll around on your back or make some circles with your knees to help the lower back release and work out any stickiness from holding the pose.

From stressed and spun out… to relaxed and restored

No matter what the world throws at you, yoga offers you many tools to help balance out the stress of being human in this day and age.

So get back out there and keep doing your amazing work.

But remember to balance out the hustle with some relaxation. Like the battery in your phone, after heavy use you need to be recharged!

How do you relax and unwind after a stressful day or week? Can you incorporate any of these practices into your unwinding? Let me know in the comments!

The Busy Entrepreneur’s Guide to Getting Shit Done

February 14, 2017 by Jessica Leave a Comment

“I don’t have enough time!”

It’s the refrain of the busy entrepreneur. Too many things to do. Not enough time to get it all done.

You start your day with grand aspirations. Yes, there are 25 tasks you need to do before the end of the day, but you’ll get them all done.

Today is going to be the day. You can feel it.

Then suddenly it’s noon. And you’ve only checked off one task. Either something urgent came up and you had to put a fire out — or you got distracted and went down the rabbit hole.

And it’s all downhill from there. By the end of the day you’re exhausted, frustrated, and not much has changed on your to do list.

So you decide to call it a day, push all those tasks until tomorrow… and swear that tomorrow will be different.

Lather. Rinse. And repeat.

But what if there was a different way?

What if you took an honest look at your priorities and schedule and created a work flow that set you up for success?

Turns out, it’s possible.

Here are the steps you can take to get your priorities back under control.

Step 1: Don’t Let Time Slip Away

To figure out your best schedule, it’s good to know how you’re actually using your time.

Not just how you think you use your time in an ideal world. How you really spend the hours during your day.

Here’s your challenge: take one or two days this week (ideally on days that are the closest to a “normal” schedule for you) and write down everything you do during those days. Break it down by hour, and possibly even into 15 minute chunks.

Accidentally get sucked into scrolling through your Facebook or Instagram feed for an hour? Write that shit down.

Intend to write for 2 hours, but end up spending an hour searching for that piece of paper where you wrote down your idea, 45 minutes “researching” your topic, and 15 minutes actually writing? Write that shit down.

Spend an hour doing uninterrupted work on one of your projects? Woohoo! Write that shit down!

Once your eyes have been opened to how you’re spending your time, it’s easier to make changes. Remember, admitting you have a problem is the first step to recovery.

Now that you’ve got a grasp on how you’re spending your time, you’ll move on to how you want to spend your days.

Step 2: Live Your Life on Purpose

This step is all about figuring out what sets you on fire. It’s about a combination of the things that you love doing and your bigger purpose.

One fun exercise you can do is to envision your perfect day. In an ideal world, how would you spend your morning? Where would you eat lunch? What would you do during the afternoon? How much would you work, and how much time would you allow for having fun? Who would you spend it with?

Then take a look at what lights you up. Have there been days in your past where you couldn’t wait to wake up and spring out of bed? What had you so excited? What kind of impact do you want to have on the world? What legacy do you want to leave behind?

Having a guiding purpose that’s larger than you can be just what you need to keep moving forward. Call it motivation, inspiration, purpose — it’s easier to stay on track when you have a clear idea of why you’re doing what you’re doing.

You now know how your days usually go and how you’d like to spend your time. Next let’s look at how to figure out what stays and what goes.

Step 3: Make a List & Check it Twice

Take all the tasks you do during your normal week and write them out into one long list. Add in the tasks you’d like to be doing from step 2. And then take a couple of minutes to think about any other tasks that you do on a fairly regular basis. Write them all down.

Now comes the fun part. 😉 Take that list, and divide it up into categories — this works differently for different people, so choose what works best for you. You might choose to use something like the Eisenhower Decision Matrix, or your own set of categories (things to outsource, things you love doing, everyday things that have to get done, things I’m not sure about, etc).

However you categorize your list, make sure that it doesn’t leave you with 1,000 things that are all “important” — you want to cut out the stuff that’s not important so that you can focus on the list of things that actually move your projects forward!

Once you have your list categorized, delete the tasks that aren’t important. You can put the list aside and come back to look at it later, but for now imagine that those tasks are no longer yours to deal with.

Feels pretty good, doesn’t it?

Now that you have a list of the things that you want and need to be doing, it’s time to put it into a schedule that works for you.

Step 4: Schedule Yourself Sane

Take your pared-down list of tasks, and start to work them into a schedule.

It’s helpful to create a visual calendar. Using something like Google Calendar or Excel, create chunks of time that line up with the bigger categories of tasks. For example, you might have chunks of time for paid client work or your day job, chunks for side projects, chunks for exercise, chunks for chores and things around the house that you have to get done, etc.

I’d recommend putting the important, non-negotiable things into the calendar first. Things that are paying your bills? Schedule that time first. Exercise or mindfulness to keep you healthy? Schedule that time first. Whatever is important and helps you move toward that purpose you figured out in step 2? Schedule it first!

Now step back and admire your creation:

Priorities that line up with where you want to go? Check.
A schedule that will help you get there? Check.

Now, if you’re thinking, “that’s all great in theory, but it sounds complicated. And don’t most people make big changes like this only to have them slip away after a few weeks? Um, New Years Resolutions much?”

And you’d have a point.

Together is Better

I see so many entrepreneurs struggling with actually getting shit done. They work really hard, but so often they either don’t really know where they’re headed, or they let small and ultimately unimportant things derail them.

And I get it. It can feel really good to be “busy” — because then it feels like you’re accomplishing something. It feels like you’re moving forward.

But really. In the long run, would you rather spend your life being busy and not getting anything important done… or buckling down and making progress? Think back to your bigger purpose from step 2. Wouldn’t it feel so amazing to see that bigger purpose realized?

I believe that you can get there. It just takes a willingness to do the things that matter. To step outside your comfort zone and get honest.

Want to become one of those entrepreneurs who actually gets shit done? I believe that the first step is setting priorities and a schedule that works for you.

Back in November, I mentioned that I’ve been working on something special.

FOMO, No’Mo: The Busy Entrepreneur’s Guide to Getting Shit Done, is live to the world starting today. The 2-week email course will help you kick FOMO to the curb (FOMO = fear of missing out, a key reason we get stuck in the “busy” trap because we want to do all the things) and prioritize the things that really matter in your business and life.

For the time being, it’s only available as a bonus for attendees of the Simple Living Summit. But the good news is that the Summit is free, and it starts tomorrow! My interview goes live on Friday — Wuyen and I chat about the best ways to relieve stress, the individuality of what’s “best” for each of us, and how yoga fits in to a simple lifestyle.

Make your mark on the world. Sign up for the Summit, and get in line to access FOMO, No’Mo: The Busy Entrepreneur’s Guide to Getting Shit Done.

3 Calming Practices for When the World Doesn’t Make Any Fucking Sense

January 31, 2017 by Jessica Leave a Comment

Some days.

Or maybe it’s more like some weeks… months… even years…

When it seems like life is spiraling out of control. Things are moving too fast. You barely know how to hold on for the ride, much less figure out where you want to go. Or how you’re going to get there.

On the other hand, maybe you have your shit together. But the world? Not so much.

So when life throws you lemons, or coal, or loads of steaming poo… there are a few things you can do to help slow down what’s going on inside your head.

Now, you may be tempted to put all your focus on fixing the world.

But that’s step 2.

Before you can calm down the world, let’s start with you.

1. Deep Three-Part Breathing (Deergha Swasam)

Your mom may have taught you something about breathing when you were little. “When you’re angry take a deep breath and count to 10 before you say something you might regret.”

Here’s another way to approach it: take 10 deep breaths.

Your breathing is the key to controlling both your body and your mind.

This breathing practice can be done whenever, wherever. Sitting at your desk, driving in your car, riding on the bus, laying down. Even on a beach, in a suit. Like that dude…

How to do it:

Step 1: Start by taking a slow, deep breath all the way down into your lower abdomen. Exhale fully, squeezing the air out of your lungs. Take another breath or two this way.

Step 2: Extend your inhale to include filling up your lower abdomen and into your lower ribcage. Exhale fully, and take another breath or two like this.

Step 3: Then extend your inhale to fill up your lower abdomen, ribs, and into your chest. Imagine the air filling you up from bottom to top, like water filling up a pitcher. With a deep enough breath, you might even feel your collarbones rise. Exhale fully, and take another breath or two.

After taking those breaths, you may feel like you’ve had enough. If so, return your breath to normal.

You can increase the number of breaths – as well as the length of the inhalations and exhalations – as you become more comfortable with the practice.

Health note: if you ever feel dizzy or lightheaded, stop immediately and return your breath to normal.

2. Sukham Mudra (Stress Relief Gesture)

The last mudra you learned was the Chin mudra.

This week, we’ll take a look at another calming mudra, or hand gesture. No, not that kind of hand gesture… 😉

Sukham mudra is great for helping you survive (and maybe even thrive) in your fast-paced life. By taking a few minutes to slow down during your day, it can help you reduce your overall stress levels.

How to do it:

Bring the tip of your right thumb to meet the ends of your middle and little fingers. Then use the thumb of your left hand to press into the nail of your little finger.

Best practiced sitting down with your eyes closed, hold this mudra for at least a couple of minutes.

You can find more info here.

3. Legs Up The Wall (Viparita Karani)

This pose is quite possibly one of my favorites.

I usually end my day with this pose when I’ve been on my feet a lot, when I’m traveling, or when my to do list is pressing a little too insistently into my brain.

It’s not only great for relieving tired legs and feet, but also for helping with insomnia (especially when you can’t sleep because your brain won’t turn off). Reversing the pull of gravity on your circulatory and lymphatic systems is very beneficial; the lymphatic system doesn’t have its own pump, and most of the time the blood in your legs is fighting against gravity.

So turn your world upside down every once in a while. It’s good for more than a change in perspective.

How to do it:

There are a few options for this one.

I personally like laying in bed with my feet up the wall at the head of the bed. You can also lay on the floor if you’d like a more solid surface under your upper body.

You can even put a blanket or bolster under your buttocks or hips if it feels good, taking care to be gentle with your lower back.

Getting into and out of the pose is pretty simple. Sit down sideways next to the wall with one hip close to the wall. Lay down on your side, and then swing your feet up the wall as you roll onto your back.

Adjust the distance between your buttocks and the wall to get comfortable. You may need to bend your knees a little bit to get comfy.

Stay here for anywhere between 5 to 20 minutes. Admittedly, I’ve fallen asleep like this — it just makes your legs a little tingly when you wake up and realize your legs are still above your head.

When you release your legs, be sure to pause for a couple of breaths with your legs on the floor before you get up.

Health note: there are a few health conditions that contraindicate doing any kind of inversion. As always, check with your doc before engaging in physical activity.

4. Yoga Nidra

Extra bonus time!

What good super-relaxing routine would be complete without talking about Yoga Nidra?

I won’t go into too much detail here, since I wrote an entire post about it. Just know that this deep relaxation technique can do some pretty amazing things. If you’ve had one of those days (or weeks) where you feel like you just can’t take it any more, carve out 20 minutes and go through a session.

It’s easy, and the stress relieving benefits are pretty magical.

Make the transition from AAAAH! to ahhhh…

The world may be (more than) a little crazy, but that doesn’t mean you have to be.

Just imagine, a world where other people are freaking out and you’re calm, cool, and collected.

With a little bit of mindfulness and movement, you can take the first steps to getting there.

So go ahead — pick one of these stress-relieving techniques. (Or all of the above!)

And the next time you feel like you’re about to flip your shit, stop… and give one of these a try.

Are you already using stress relieving strategies? If so, how’s it going? If not, which of the techniques in this post are you going to try? Let me know in the comments!