How to Keep Calm (on Your Curb!)

While we usually curate ideas to enhance your curb, now is the time to enjoy your curb! During this time of stress and uncertainty, fresh air can do wonders. We put together a simple mental wellness practice to help clear your mind and recharge your thoughts! 

It’s important to not only take care of your physical health right now, but also your mental health. Meditation is a great exercise to help you get present and clear. If you have kids in the home, you’ll be surprised to find they are open to learning a meditation practice, too! 

We’ve connected with a local yoga and meditation teacher to bring you this easy and effective practice. 

Get Outside! Find a tree or a space on the grass.

Find a spot in your yard where you can lean against a tree or comfortably sit on the grass. This will help to ground you and promote a feeling of stability. 

Start short and build up over time.

A lot of people are intimidated by meditation because it seems impossible to sit still for 10-20 minutes. Well, if you’re new to the practice you’ll be happy to hear you should start short! If you never ran before, you wouldn’t start with a marathon, right? The same goes for meditation. 

Start with 1 to 3 minutes on the clock. Set a timer on your phone, but make sure to choose a gentle alarm or vibration, so it doesn’t jar your nervous system when it goes off.

You’re allowed to think.

Many people try meditation once and immediately quit because they think they are doing it wrong. Your mind is made to think and it’s okay to think during meditation. Silencing the mind is possible for an advanced meditator, but if you’re just starting out… go easy on yourself. 

In the next step, you’ll receive what’s called an “anchor.” Any time you have a thought, notice it and then return to your anchor. 

Use breath as your “anchor.” 

Look at meditation as a practice of focus, rather than a practice of nothingness. Many meditation practices use an “anchor,” which is what you focus on instead of your thoughts. Anchors can be breath, words, sounds, movements, etc. Today we will be using breath as your anchor.

First, you want to make sure you are breathing correctly. Many people breathe backwards because we are walking around with a lot of tension and have the habit of sucking in our stomachs. Sit with your legs crossed, elongate your spine and relax your stomach completely. When inhaling, your belly should expand out like a balloon. When exhaling, your belly should empty and pull in toward your spine. 

Your breath flow for this meditation is the following:
Inhale through your nose for 4 seconds, hold the inhale in for 4 seconds
Exhale through the mouth for 4 seconds, hold the exhale out for 4 seconds
(repeat) 

You may count the seconds in your head, but it’s best to just feel into it and be with the sensation of your breath. We don’t have to get too literal with this practice!! 

Now it’s time to meditate!

Set your timer. Close your eyes. Place your hands in your lap. Relax your belly. Begin your breath flow. Remember, any time you have a thought just acknowledge it as if it’s a cloud floating by and then return to your focus on the breath flow. When your timer goes off, slowly and gently open your eyes. You have successfully meditated!!!

Stay consistent. 

It’s recommended to do this practice at least once a day, especially during a time of stress. It will improve your ability to think clearly, problem solve and find the higher perspective. 

Enjoy Your Curb Meditation!!