Not long ago I placed an order with a local plant nursery for some perennials that I intended to grow in my front yard. A week after the order was placed (and the money taken), I received an email announcing the sudden closing of said nursery. I was told my order was cancelled and money would be refunded within 3-5 days. Of course, nothing was received during the expected timeframe. I emailed them for clarification and the email address was no longer working. Their website was also taken down. Now, I don’t believe they purposefully took my money and ran away. Sometimes closings can be messy and, given that it was on such short notice, I think there probably are many legal matters that are awaiting to be resolved by a very stressed out and anxious individual. But I also don’t believe it’s my responsibility to wait for someone else to get their life back together. So I proceeded to call my bank to have the charge cancelled.
Credit card disputes are very daunting because they’re confrontational and often take several weeks. During this time, I observed a roller coaster of responses from my body: feelings of impatience & frustration, a faster heartbeat, pressure in the heart & throat space, uneven or nonexistent breath, sensing a contraction of my body, etc. This is just one example situation where agitation arises, but there are many others: airports, hospitals, family gatherings, performance reviews, phone calls, interviews, medical appointments… If like me you’re also prone to agitation in the heart space or the throat chakra when dealing with everyday life situations, here are some breathing techniques that can maybe help. If you enjoy them, I would suggest practising even when you don’t feel agitated. That way, when faced with a difficult situation, these techniques will come quickly and naturally.
Square Breathing: Sometimes called box breathing, this is an equal inhale / equal exhale (through the nose) with pauses, that allows the breath to reset. You can practice this breath when you notice that you're holding your breath, or when your breath is uneven. Try this for 5-6 rounds and then breathe naturally. Not recommended during pregnancy. Inhale for a count of 1-2-3-4 Pause for a count of 1-2-3-4 Exhale for a count of 1-2-3-4 Pause for a count of 1-2-3-4 Long Exhales: Generally speaking, a long exhale signals to our nervous system that it can relax. When the parasympathetic nervous system is turned on, important bodily functions such as rest-digest and feed-breed can occur. The technique for this breath is to allow your exhale to be longer than your inhale. You don't need to count, but you can if it helps (suggested count below). Inhale through the nose. Exhale through the mouth by forming a small o-shape with your lips, as if you were blowing air through a straw. You can try this breath a few times before returning to your regular breathing. Inhale deep for a count of 1-2-3-4 Exhale slow for a count of 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8 Cleansing Breath / Lion's Breath: This breath is great to use before attempting something difficult, or when you need to focus on a task. It consists of a strong inhale through the nose, and a powerful exhale through the mouth. In the Lion variation, you would also stick your tongue out on the exhale. Try it 3 times in a row, then return to regular breathing. (Try Lion's breath in downward facing dog or goddess pose for a change of pace. Sometimes this variation is called Kali's breath.) Inhale deeply through the nose, filling your core with prana. Open your mouth (stick out your tongue) and powerfully sigh everything out.