Navigate Stress to Get to Success - Using Body-Mind Connection to Support Creative Energy

by Luna Lacey

If there’s one thing I experience on a regular basis at my job, it’s knowing when I’m ‘on’ and when I’m not. But how do I get the creative juices flowing if I’m just not inspired that day? This has been a big question for me throughout my career. At times the innovative spark may be immediately available to me. At other times, I struggle to move an inch in any direction. Over the years, I’ve had a chance to see a few things that greatly impact the amount of creative energy available to me at any given moment.

What happens when I have a deadline coming up, and I need a catalyst to help me finish? Most often, I panic and try to force it. I sometimes sit in front of the computer aimlessly trying this or that, and end up wasting energy. This leads to fatigue and frustration, distancing me further from the energy needed to finish the project.  Whether I’m six hours or sixty hours away from a deadline, I have a choice.  

When I’m sitting there forcing myself to do one more thing, I can see that I need help, and I wish to do something essential for myself. I can accept that the current state of affairs is such that I’m struggling, and not able to work. Acceptance doesn’t mean giving up.  I don’t have to go to the bar, or go home and start watching my favorite Netflix series. Acceptance means I recognize, without self-judgment, that I need help.

The body is the best tool to help me. I can connect to the support of the body via the breath.  I can take a deep breath and register my body sitting in the chair. I can connect to my body by registering an inhalation and an exhalation. I can experience my lungs filling with air and expelling the air, which brings me to body-mind connection.  I see this supports me to relax and refocus, and offers the support that I need in order to reconnect to inspiration.

When I practice body-mind connection in a Breema class, or practice a Breema sequence with my family or friends, I learn how to bring the mind’s attention to the activity of the body. The more I practice, the more I am able to stay with body-mind connection. There are many tools that can help us, but we need to learn to use and practice these tools. It’s like exercise. If I don’t learn to ride a bike and practice as needed, I’m not going to be successful in a triathlon. Doing Breema is the same. I want to do a lot of Breema, so that I can practice using the tools it offers. Then, when that time comes, I can apply them in my daily activities.

I’m not saying this is easy, I’m saying that it’s possible. It takes time to have enough experiences to be able to use these tools when needed.  First, I have to be able to see when the frustration and anxiety is cramping my style, and second, I need to accept that this is the state of affairs. Only then, if I have the ability to do something that connects me with my body, I may have an opportunity to reconnect to the creative energy that supports me. Doing something with my body can be as easy as getting up out of my chair and doing a Self-Breema exercise, taking a walk, or pouring myself a glass of water and being connected to the movement of the body while drinking it.

Time and time again, I’ve seen that this practice works. I really do have enough energy and inspiration for my projects to be successful. I just need to be available to navigate through the stress to get to the success. Each time I am able to have body-mind connection and support myself in this way, I wish to remember that the next time I’m in the same situation. This practice applies to all areas of my life. Just as it affects my energy for my job, I see it has the potential to positively impact every aspect of my life.

Luna Lacey is a staff Instructor at the Breema Center. To find out about upcoming classes Luna is teaching, visit breema.info/lunalacey.