Finally, I sat down and figured how to start a blog! After thinking for awhile about what the first note ought to be, I thought I’d start off with something that has been close to my heart.
We have all heard on numerous occasions on the importance of ‘breathing’ and why it is essential to control one’s breath, especially when under pressure. I would like to narrate an interesting event that is so closely related to the topic.
I vividly recall how tense i was just before My Symposium Presentation at the International Conference on Sport Psychology held at Sydney in 2005. To my discomfort, I had to address the audience at the Tumbalong (read huge!) Auditorium. In order to gain confidence and soothe my nerves, I went to get a feel of the place the previous evening. While, I waited for the proceedings to end and go on stage, a gentlemen and one of the best Sport Psychologists Dr. Kenneth Ravezza approached me and enquired if I had a presentation the next day. I silently nodded and what he did still touches my very being. He quietly held my hand, led me to the stage and pointed to the far extreme ‘green exit board’ and said. ‘Just remember to look at the board and breathe every time’. On a lighter note, he added, ‘no one will know what you’re looking at as it is beyond the audience.’
I vividly recall how tense i was just before My Symposium Presentation at the International Conference on Sport Psychology held at Sydney in 2005. To my discomfort, I had to address the audience at the Tumbalong (read huge!) Auditorium. In order to gain confidence and soothe my nerves, I went to get a feel of the place the previous evening. While, I waited for the proceedings to end and go on stage, a gentlemen and one of the best Sport Psychologists Dr. Kenneth Ravezza approached me and enquired if I had a presentation the next day. I silently nodded and what he did still touches my very being. He quietly held my hand, led me to the stage and pointed to the far extreme ‘green exit board’ and said. ‘Just remember to look at the board and breathe every time’. On a lighter note, he added, ‘no one will know what you’re looking at as it is beyond the audience.’
No prizes for guessing as that is exactly what I did the following day. And of course, Ken was present to support me and later came and congratulated me. It was a big thing for me, especially since it was my first one in Australia. What Ken did was to use the green board as an ‘anchor or trigger’ to release pressure and emphasize positivity.
Recently, read an article which emphasized how breathing could be used as a strategy to ‘let go’. All the exercise requires one to do is to ‘imagine saying the word ‘let’ as you inhale and ‘go’ as you exhale’. There by, the inhalation and exhalation process of breathing becomes a tool of ‘letting go’ and also aids in bringing ‘one’s awareness back to the present’.
If we have observed our breath during pressure, anger or critical moments, it is normally short. To think clearly one’s breathing needs to be long and rhythmic. This simple exercise of ‘letting go’ can be beneficial in various situations, especially in sports when one wants to bring his/her awareness to the task at hand. This also helps in focusing on what is essential and helpful, and not on what has already happened.
Of course, one needs to consciously perform this exercise during normal day-to day situations so that it becomes a part of us in the sub-conscious. Only then can it be employed to perfection in tenser, critical moments!
Let’s all wake up to the ‘power of breathing’ which is essential to life itself! I have been trying it out myself and it has helped me cool off on a few occasions! Moreover, deep breathing is known to have numerous health benefits!
I dedicate my first blog article to ‘Dr. Kenneth Ravezza’ for reaching out and bringing out the best in me, despite not knowing me. Some times the smallest of gestures can mean a lot to a person. The power of reaching out cannot be emphasized enough. Let’s intend to reach out in whatever manner we can to those who require it!
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