By Khadi Madama
Quick-Seat Chair Wellness Coordinator
Ronald Coleman
When I was a young girl, I was allowed to watch many classic movies that were featured on Million Dollar Movie. A movie Lost Horizon, based on the novel by James Hilton, captured my ten year old imagination more than any other, even more than The Wizard of Oz. Million Dollar Movie would play the move over and over again twice daily for a week and if I wasn’t in school I would watch the movies over and over again until I could almost recite the entire script from memory. At least I could when The Harvey Girls were featured! Lost Horizon was so well written and produced that I believed Shangri La existed. Don’t tell anyone, but I still believe it exists. Maybe not the way that director Frank Capra directed it or Ronald Coleman and others portrayed it, but I never stopped believing that within each of us is a hidden secret place where we can find shelter from the worries of the world-and especially those that seem to lurk around every corner at work on especially bad days. It became increasingly important for me to incorporate elements in the movie into the stress program, with known proven statistics about stress and its effects on our bodies and lives. So, I’m happy to bring us to the next leg (no pun intended) of our journey to Shangri La, together, through this next installment.
12 Steps To Our Own Office Shangri LaStep 1: Say and believe the words.
Begin by simply saying the words, “I am calm. I am at ease,” three times. This short circuits the brain’s stress response to create calm instantly.
Step 2: Happy Breathing
With eyes closed, take one long slow deep breath, breathing in through the nostrils. Exhale through the nostrils slowly, concentrating on feeling the breath leaving your body. Now let the breath find it’s own rhythm, letting it rise and fall quietly as you breathe in and out. Think of one simple thought such as something you are looking forward to at the end of the week, a loved one, your new pet, a lovely scene, etc. (Make sure you have a list of happy thoughts in your journal from which to choose. On very stressful days it is sometimes hard to grasp a happy thought-but your list will be right at hand.)
Step # 3 To Shangri La: The Heart lock
Get in touch with your heartbeat Place your right hand over your heart to get in touch with your heartbeat. You can also place your left hand over your right to create the “lock.” Now practice breathing as in step #2 and feed your mind one lovely thought after another. Notice how your heart becomes calm. Studies show that practicing the Heart lock increases the production of large healthy amounts of oxygen, serotonin, collagen and oxytocin into your body to help heal it and rid it of dangerous cortisol. You can practice the Heart lock anywhere such as lying in bed, sitting in a chair, laying on a blanket at the beach. You should plan to practice the Heart lock for 2-8 minutes with 8 minutes being optimum. These are our first3 Steps towards Finding Shangri La at the Office. Don’t miss next month when we reveal the next 3. Believe-
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