Unknown Speaker 0:03 musical interlude Jessica Stover 0:05 This recording is an offering of Networks for Training and Development's Online University. Rosa McAllister 0:17 So hi, everyone. This is Rosa McAllister. And we're here for another session of Muck to Mojo. This is a podcast series we have started recently, monthly. And these are just easy discussions, tips, ideas for all of us trying to keep our sparkle in these tough times. And this is part of our, our Trauma series at Networks... this is one part of it. And we have the wonderful folks at Northumberland County, who are helping us out with this. This is their Trauma Committee and an adventure of their Trauma Committee. And we have with us today various folks, members of the committee... you might want to say hi... [Various members: Hi!] Anyone else? More committee members: Hello, hello! Hey, everyone!] We have probably, oh sorry, probably seven of us, I think eight of us who are here as part of Northumberland County's Trauma Committee. And we thought that we would offer these just brief about 20 minutes or so, sessions, feel-good sessions.... we're all kind of in the midst of some muck, I would say, and trying to remember that we do have mojo. And so we are here together once a month, trying to remember that and trying to enjoy. To get us started, Lauren, would you like to? Lauren Hackenburg 1:43 Sure I'd be happy to, thank you. Okay, so I have this deck of cards and entitled "52 Relaxing Rituals". So last month, we did, we did one of them. Today, I narrowed it down to about 10! But I know I'm only supposed to do one. So I'm actually I really am having a hard time deciding between the two, I'm gonna read them both because the one will just take like just 30 seconds. And it's something to sort of think about for moving kind of forward in time, maybe something that we can do between now and the next session. And then the other one I'd like us to do all together. So if that's alright, I'm just going to break the rules a little bit and just do two real quick cards today. [Rosa: Do it!] Awesome. Thank you. Okay, so the first one is called Regress. And this is the one to just as I read it, just think about maybe how you could incorporate this into your life between now and the next session. Just some simple advice called regress. "As an adult, you are probably terribly in control every day. Take time out every once in a while to be a child and regress. Roll down hills, blow bubbles, fingerpaint, build a fort, eat with your hands, jump on the bed, curl up with your favorite children's book and stuffed animal.... one night a week or take in a day at the zoo. There's always Saturday morning cartoons, and Fruit Loops." So that was kind of the one for in-between sessions. And on that note about the favorite children's book and sort of training and sort of preparing for a trauma class I'm doing with youth coming up, I've been reading this Henny Penny. That's a good old fable type story by Paul Gudon. Henny Penny a folk tale classic. That's just a suggestion of one to maybe revisit and think about actually how it applies to this subject that we talked about. Okay, so that's the first one regress. And now the second one is called Breathe Deeply. Now I know probably a lot of people on this call are like, "Oh, really breathe deeply? That's it, we always we know that you take deep breaths when you're worked up." But this one offers some advice that I thought was kind of cool of like exactly how to breathe deeply. So it's really good, if you're ever in a situation, you know, like a, you know the situation's escalating, this may be something that you could then take and share with other people. So I'm going to read through the card first. And then I'll go through and do the application and if maybe everybody could just do it in their heads as we're on this on this call together. We can all get a real good sense of calm. So it's called breathe deeply. And this is it. "It is amazing what taking 10 slow, deep breaths can do for your body and brain. This technique is perfect for crisis intervention, because you can do it anywhere. Imagine you're standing at the top of a flight of 10 steps. Slowly count backwards from 10 to 1. Exhale with each count, while imagining you are descending down a step. Each stair takes you closer to complete relaxation. By the time you reach the bottom step, you will probably feel totally calm. If not, try to do another 10 descending steps." So now I'm going to do that for you guys, I'm just going to go backwards from 10 to 1, and I just encourage you to do what the card says... you're, again, you're going to be imagining you're on a flight of stairs. And every time I say a number, you take down a step. And as you go down a step, again, you're gonna exhale with each count. Okay, and I like to imagine, since you're supposed to be getting to total relaxation, that maybe at the bottom of the staircase is like your happy place, whatever that is... if it's the mountain, if it's a lake, or a creek or the beach, or, you know, just just somewhere that you feel safe. So we're taking 10 steps down an imaginary staircase as we breathe deeply to get to our place of relaxation. Okay, and I'll do the count. So all you have to do is focus on your breathing again, exhale on every number 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, and 1. Lauren Hackenburg 6:50 And that's it. Thank you. Rosa McAllister 6:54 Oh, my gosh, that's beautiful. Thank you so much. Lauren Hackenburg 6:58 Thank you. Rosa McAllister 7:01 And fun enough, I had two different exercises. This is Rosa again, and I'm leading today's discussion, I had two different possible activities to lead us in. And given what Lauren just did, hmmmmm, I'm trying to think of which might be better. So I think I'm going to do this one. It's called, for lack of a better word, 'controlled visualization'. So we know in meditation, and in relaxation exercises, there are a lot of visualizations, guided visualizations, and guided imagery Things you can download, things you can read, where someone kind of takes you on a journey, if you will... with the idea, as Lauren talked about kind of visualizing a favorite place, or a beach, or a mountain stream, or the woods, something like that, where you're through words, and through other explanations, you're guided into this image into this experience. And it helps us, it's been shown to really help us bring down our blood pressure, even out our breathing, and do so much more even internally for us to help us slow down and refocus. Well, this exercise I'm going to talk about called it's a version of visualization, but it's known as 'controlled visualization'. Because the idea is you're not passive. You're not having the experience put on you, and you're along for the ride. You're doing it yourself. So the idea with this version of controlled visualization is I want you to, if if eyesight works for you, let me just put it that way. If your vision is such that eyesight doesn't work for you just imagine this. Otherwise, look around you and find an object that has four corners within your visual field. Four Corners. Now, when you start looking at this and thinking about this, this is so easy, because no matter where you are, I bet you you can find at least something that has four corners. It could be a box, it could be a computer screen, picture frame, a window, a pattern on a wall, your phone, it may be more of a rectangle, but that's okay, it's still four corners. It doesn't have to be a square. Find something nearby you that has four corners. Start by looking or imagining that you're looking at the upper left corner. Everybody with me? You're in your upper left corner of whatever it is you're looking at that has four corners... upper left corner, inhale for the count of 4 --- 1, 2, 3, 4. Now turn your gaze to the upper right corner and hold your breath for four counts -- 1, 2, 3, 4. Move to the lower right corner, and exhale for four counts -- 1, 2, 3, 4. Now shift your attention to the lower left corner. Tell yourself to relax and smile as you hold your breath for four counts -- 1, 2, 3, 4. Now repeat this at least seven times. So we're going to do it again. But I'm not going to count for you this time because you need to find your own speed. Try to see if you can slow your breath down. So you start at the top left corner, upper left corner, and inhale for the count of four.. Move, move over to the right corner with your eyes and hold your breath for four counts. Move to the lower right corner and exhale for four counts. Shift your attention to the lower left corner, tell yourself to relax and smile as you hold your breath for four counts. Let's do it again. The upper left corner, inhale for four counts. Upper right corner, hold your breath for four counts. Lower right corner. Exhale for four counts. Lower left corner, relax, smile and hold your breath for four counts. We're doing it again.... upper left corner, Inhale for four counts. Upper right corner, hold your breath for four counts. Rosa McAllister 12:03 Move to the lower right corner and exhale for four counts. Shift your attention to the lower left corner, tell yourself to relax and smile and hold your breath for four counts. We're going to do it again. Start at the upper left corner, inhale for four counts. Turn your gaze to the upper right corner and hold your breath for four counts. Move to the lower right corner and exhale for four counts. Shift your attention to the lower left corner and tell yourself to relax and smile as you hold your breath for four counts. We have two more times. Upper left corner, inhale for four counts. Look to the right corner and hold your breath for four counts. Move to the lower right corner and exhale for four counts. Shift your attention to the lower left corner, tell yourself to relax and smile as you hold your breath for four counts. Last one, let's make it a good one! Upper left corner, inhale for four counts. Turn your gaze to the upper right corner, hold your breath for four counts. Move to the lower right corner and exhale for four counts. Now shift your attention to the lower left corner and tell yourself to relax and smile as you hold your breath for four counts. Rosa McAllister 13:52 Now find your own rhythm. Rosa McAllister 14:00 Breathing, within. Think about your favorite color. Pretend that you're breathing in beautiful ribbons and smells of that favorite color. Let that breath go through your nose, and tickle your brain and sinuses... throughout your body, just dancing and weaving that beautiful color of yours through your body. If it comes up against anything like a negative thought or a bad feeling or a kinda ache or pain, just let that ribbon of your color just gently nudge whatever it comes up against. Just nudge it a little bit, dance around it, tickle it. You can control how that beautiful ribbon of color moves through you with your breath. Let it dance and bathe and soother you all on your own... in your time, in your way. Rosa McAllister 15:26 Just breathe. It's the easiest and sometimes the hardest thing for us to do, especially when we're feeling tense. When we're feeling sad, when we're feeling unsure, but it's the most important thing to do to heal us and to soothe us iand to calm us. And sometimes by focusing on it a little bit, and sometimes by focusing on it but not focusing on it... like using the squares, the four corners to help us breathe, or a ribbon of our own favorite color.... sometimes that helps us to breathe without thinking about it. Particularly if we're in a stressful time where our breath is short and rapid. Sometimes doing these things, help us to slow it down, calm it down, and help us to calm. Rosa McAllister 16:33 So I invite you to as you're sitting, laying... I invite you to just keep your breath going... in your way. Rosa McAllister 19:22 [gentle music playing] Rosa McAllister 19:46 I hope you found your way of breathing. easy and comfortable. Breath is the elixir of life, as we call it. Here In Hawaii, the word for breath is 'Ha', h - a. It's the root of our greeting, Aloha, which means easily translates to "I see the breath within you". Aloha means hello, it means goodbye. It means love. It means many, many, many things. And it's used frequently a lot because it's acknowledging the life elixir, the breath, in all of us. So be well, do well, and breathe. Breathe in the way that suits you, in the way that comforts you. And when you're feeling your breath is either escaping you or too much, too hard, remember, there's always four corners near you, that you can help to use to help you focus. There's always music, and there's always your favorite color that you can breathe in. So I'm going to open this up to our group here. See if there's any words, any, anything that they would like to add in from our Trauma Committee here, our members in the last couple of minutes that we have left. Anyone? "I really enjoyed that, Rosa, -- centering, grounding and relaxing." Thanks, Ginny. Okay, well with that.... thanks for joining us today for another session of Muck to Mojo... "Thanks" Lauren says, "that was neat. Thank you... funny the card was a breathing one!" I know. I thought the same thing. The importance of that breath. "The guided imagery, one we will start with next time, too." Sounds perfect. Thanks so much. Stevie said, "Thank you. I really enjoyed this." Thanks, Stevie, we're glad you joined us. Kris said, "I was in a movie theater smelling licorice and sharing it with my friends and Olaf." Awesome! Awesome. Perfect, Kris. So all of you and wishing you a month of joy and happiness. And if there's some struggles along the way, which there probably will be for all of us, I wish you deep cleansing beautiful breaths that you can find within yourself. Thanks, everyone. Jessica Stover 22:40 Thank you for listening. We hope the information provided was helpful. Don't forget to stop by our website and take advantage of all we have to offer. Transcribed by https://otter.ai