Today at work our women’s network had nationally recognized self-defense speakers Debbie and Mike Gardner. They were excellent and I highly recommend them. She’s a former police officer and I believe he’s still a current officer. They teach the “really-really” message of how to prevent and/or survive an attack. Excellent stuff but not the same old messages of fear. This is the gritty stuff that you need to know. But most importantly – it was filled with courage coaching and how to enable yourself to do what you need to do.
The first thing they teach you is why people “freeze”. It’s actually not freezing at all – it’s holding our breath. And when we hold our breath we cannot think, walk, or react because the blood and oxygen aren’t there. There was so much info packed in the 2 hours but it was surprisingly easy to remember.
What really strikes me is, once again, it’s a lesson on not holding our breath as a foundational lesson. It brings another level of awareness that the “breath of life” is indeed not just for stress reduction – it’s for survival. As Debbie says, “The last one breathing wins!” Here’s a link back to my previous posting/poem related to breathing – Shifting.
There is a repeating message in my life these days. I can shift my life by breathing. I can relax and calm myself by breathing. And now, I can save myself and others by breathing. I’m excited to know that it STARTS with something as simple as this, now the hard part is remembering it and following through with the rest.
And this reminds me of a song … and another “breath” I cannot live without. Take a listen to Amy Grant singing “Breath of Heaven”.
Breathe my friends! Don’t forget that this simple thing is the key to so many things we need to live and to survive. Breathe and be blessed!
Mighty Inspiration 