Waking Energy 7 Timeless Practices Designed to Reboot Your Body and Unleash Your Potential

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the breath of life
Imagine that you’re driving along in your car with the radio on, calmly heading toward a favorite
destination. Suddenly, your cell phone dings, signaling that a text message has come in, and even
though you’re not going to rummage through your bag to look for it because it’s dangerous (not to
mention illegal in some states), your pulse has already quickened. In this scientific experiment,
Pavlov’s bell has rung. In a way that would make Pavlov proud, you’re jumping because the addictive
part of your brain has been triggered and you’re no longer as present as you were seconds before.
Forget that you’re operating a large piece of machinery where your safety—your very life, in fact—is
at risk.
“Ding!” Another text! And wait, now what? The phone is actually ringing, which you feel
compelled to answer, but you won’t because you know better, right? Yet squelching that reflex to
respond requires more energy than you might imagine, and you’re suddenly feeling stressed, muttering
under your breath about forgetting to turn off the ringer, again.
Our brains are so overwhelmed today by information overload—phone calls, messages, social
media notifications, news reports, TV, Internet—that we can’t keep up with all the things we’re
supposed to tick off our endless to-do lists. Your car isn’t out of gas, but you are. You feel exhausted
and anxious. And you’re in a really, really bad mood. Is it just me, or do you feel like shouting, “Stop
the madness! I want to get off this merry-go-round and leave it all behind—the crush, the noise, the
nonstop activity!”?
Let me remind you of something. You’re in charge. All you need to do to make life-enhancing
choices, like turning your cell phone off, is to stop and take a breath—a deep, complete, unhurried,
full-body breath—and you’ll have the clarity to create greater peace, not just in your car, but
anywhere you choose.
When was the last time you took a deep breath? I’m going to bet that you just did. Notice that you
suddenly feel refreshed, more awake, and more aware? The quickest way to wake your energy? Take
a deep breath. It’s the source for oxygen, which is the body’s key element in producing energy.
Each time you respond to your phone, it targets the brain’s pleasure and addiction center, the
nucleus accumbens, flooding it with dopamine, which is then reinforced by the hippocampus, which
makes sure you’ll remember this feeling of instant gratification by laying down sweet memories of it