Now what? Breathe

Survival by going non-routine.

To keep in the flow of love is to embrace the unexpected as an important, even necessary, part of your soul’s journey. Gratefully accept what is happening at any moment, rather than fighting or resisting it; and then apply a positive, loving acceptance and attitude toward the situation before you respond. This approach keeps you balanced and in loving flow with life no matter what is happening around you, but especially when things don’t go your way, which if you think about it, happens pretty often.

When I was a flight attendant, we called the unplanned and unexpected “going non-routine.” While in training, we were advised to be ready for the unexpected every time we went to work. We were especially cautioned to be prepared for the worst when working what we called a “turnaround” trip—in other words, a working trip that leaves your city in the morning, and turns around and ends up back there at the end of the day.

One time I was assigned a short turnaround to St. Louis and back from Chicago, a working day that usually lasted only five hours from start to finish, so I took a chance and left without a suitcase. In fact, all I had with me was my purse. Almost as if on cue, after the first leg of the trip, another flight attendant called in sick and went home. I was now left to fill in for her and had to fulfill her schedule for the next four days without a change of clothes, makeup, a toothbrush, or anything to freshen up. It was the most challenging five days of my flight-attendant life, and a lesson well learned.

No matter what comes your way, always remember that the best way to quickly get back into the flow of love when life throws you a curveball, is—you guessed it—to breathe. The unexpected can steal away your breath and traumatize your nervous system, causing you to crash into anxiety and victimhood, so always remember to draw in a deep breath first whenever you get caught off guard.

The “6-4-6” breath exercise is a great one to draw upon when thrown off course: Start your morning with this basic deep breathing exercise. First, exhale all the air in your lungs. Next, breathe in deeply through your nose to the count of six. Hold your breath gently to the count of four. Exhale slowly through your mouth to the count of six. And then breathe in again and hold to the count of four. Do this at least 10 to 15 times. Be careful not to rush your count or your breath. Allow yourself to mentally relax and surrender to your breath. Try to stop thinking, and just experience this process. This basic deep-breathing exercise oxygenates the blood, relaxes the nervous system, and resets the fight-or-flight syndrome. Do this breath exercise every day. Breath is the foundation of and fuel for your life’s journey. Without adequate breath, you are struggling in survival mode. With breath, you are in Spirit and flow.

Adjust your attitude and enjoy the unexpected, allowing for the possibility that with it will come exciting new challenges. Like expert skiers who joyfully navigate moguls on the mountain, learn to be flexible when you hit life’s bumps. I had a dear flight-attendant friend, David, who met his wife, another flight attendant at the time, while both were stranded in the Pittsburgh airport for 21 hours together on a non-routine flight during the worst snowstorm of the year many years ago. Although the situation itself was highly challenging, their meeting was the most delightful surprise either of them could have ever imagined occurring, and would never have happened if the storm hadn’t thrown them together.

Excerpted from Traveling at the Speed of Love by Sonia Choquette. Copyright © 2011 (Hay House).

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