When I lift weights, my favorite exercise to do is squats; they make me feel powerful – like I’m strengthening every part of my body with one simple movement. But I’ve been struggling lately with getting my form right. No matter what adjustment I make in my posture, I end up with tightness in my pelvic floor.
Let’s pause for a second and talk about the pelvic floor. The pelvic floor is a group of muscles that form a hammock attaching at the pubic bone, tailbone, and the walls of the pelvis. This hammock is what supports our bladder, intestines, and for women, the uterus – without it, these organs could fall to the floor (okay, that’s a little dramatic, but it’s not too far from the truth).
Never have I ever learned more about this invaluable muscle in my body until I started having troubles with it. Throughout the pandemic I came to learn about my pelvic floor as a problematic area that caused tightness in my tailbone, carried tension from anxiety, and now I know – a crucial component when I’m lifting weights.
So why on earth am I sharing all of this about the pelvic floor?
What could this possibly have to do with encouraging you?
The key to a happy pelvic floor is breath.
I’ve been working hard on breathing deeply and expanding my diaphragm to help my pelvic floor loosen and contract as it should. And as I do, I keep coming up with this question: What if taking a breath is the secret sauce to finding strength in all areas of our life?
We live in a fast paced, hurry and hustle, culture. We go through life rapidly jumping from one thing to the next. Just look at social media. Scroll, scroll, scroll, and on to the next photo or video without even a millisecond in between. Even Netflix, doesn’t want us to pause before watching another episode – “the next episode starts in 5…4…3…2…1”
In so many ways we are trained to go without breath.
On one particular day I went from the grocery store, home to write an Instagram post, hopped from one phone call to another, worked on more writing, and then turned on Netflix at the end of the day to unwind. I didn’t even take a second, not one second, to pause before I tapped the Apple TV remote and turned on my latest show. There was absolutely no break in between.
Think about your day leading up to this moment. Did you pause in between the various activities of your day? Or did each activity flow immediately into the next?
If we don’t take time to breathe, we rob ourselves of so many things:
a calm nervous system
a relaxed body
a properly functioning pelvic floor, as I’m learning
and most importantly… quiet moments of stillness to hear the Lord speak
We have an awesome God who actively speaks to us. He speaks to us through His word, and He speaks to us in our every day lives through the Holy Spirit. Even if we’re overly busy, He finds a way to speak to us – we are so blessed in that regard. But, what if all it took to hear the Lord more, was a little more breath?
Take a breath at each transition
I’d like to offer you one simple way to add more breath today:
Instead of rushing through your day, take a breath at each transition.
I heard a yoga instructor use this phrase – take a breath at each transition – in an online slow flow class I took recently. The beauty of yoga is the synchronicity of breath and movement; the shift from pose to pose is led by inhales and exhales. But even in yoga, sometimes the flow is nonstop.
In this particular class, we took intentional longer pauses to breathe before transitioning to a new pose. And it nourished my nervous system.
As you go through your day today, pay attention to the moments of transition.
The moment you’re walking to your car to go pick up groceries.
The moment you hear your child call your name after waking up from a nap.
The moment at the end of the day when you crash onto your couch ready for some much needed mindless time.
In these moments of transition, pause to breathe. As you inhale and exhale, take notice of how your body feels, and thank the Lord for the blessings you’ve seen that day.
I’ve been practicing this the past week and it has helped me find pockets of calm in the midst of a really busy week. Beyond sustaining me, here’s the ultimate why - the more we practice this simple act of taking a breath in the transition – the more we open ourselves up to experience the stillness that comes from knowing Christ Jesus.
My prayer is that you might experience peace and breath this week, no matter what your calendar holds. If you try it, and you feel like it’s impactful, will you email me? Just tap this link and let me know how it went. I’d love to celebrate alongside you.
