"My God, My Tourniquet"

One of the hats I wear is that of a legal interpreter. As I stood in the court room today next to the judge's bench prepared to interpret, I practiced a technique that enables me to navigate the many tragic scenarios relayed in court. I call my practice, "Heart-Centered Breathing." I don't know if this happens to you, but sometimes when I experience something difficult, my breathing catches, almost like I'm holding my breath. The "walling-off," as I've learned to recognize it, seems like a subconscious contraction, as if I'm resisting the experience. Consciously breathing from my center where I notice the restriction helps me recognize my reaction while providing a gentle and effective remedy. Here's the practice: simply breathe in from the heart and breathe out through the heart.

Recently, equipment has measured the heart's electrical frequency 18 feet from the body. My theory is that our energetic influence is even more expansive, but as of yet we don't have equipment sensitive enough to pick up beyond 18 feet. The brain's electrical frequency is measurable about 2 inches from the skull. Our bodies electrical impulses have been proven to affect the electrical impulses of others, and most people's heart and brain rhthyms will come into synchronization within a few moments of being in each other's sphere of influence.

The day I was preparing this article for post, I saw a friend of mine who I hadn't seen in a few years. When I asked her what was new, she told of a horrible car accident that had left her in constant pain and unable to do her trade. I looked at her young, sweet face and was reminded to breathe. My brain with its judgment and problem-solving (and puney 2 inch influence!) disengaged and my heart opened to the moment. We had a nice talk and she instantly reached out for a gentle hug (heart-to-heart, I might add...hmmm.) Is it enough to just breathe? I find it's a first step, almost like a tourniquet that stops the wound from getting worse. But sometimes one can't "just breathe" for the pain is sustained, like in the instance of my above mentioned friend; "just breathe, just leave the tourniquet on," isn't realistic. What then? This question has inspired part II of "My God, My Tourniquet." Please stay tuned.