Breathe. Smile. Relax. The Keys to Wellness.
About 20 years ago I was visiting my best friend from childhood, my bestie. This was around the time pottery painting places were new and popular, and we decided to bring her three-year-old son (I still can’t believe he’s 23 now!) and go be artistic. I decided to make some round circles (I know so creative) and paint some words and colors on them with the plan to hang them somewhere. When I got home, I tucked them away and kind of forgot about them.
Fast forward through the many moves Sharing Yoga has made over the years and then landing in our current spot. Pair that with some cleaning and clearing out of “stuff,” and I located the pieces I made with my bestie and her son so many years ago. To my surprise, the three words I had chosen way back then were breathe, smile, and relax. We had actually started putting those words on t-shirts a few years before I found them, so I loved discovering that I’d been sitting with the value of these words for even longer than I realized.
Breathe.
The breath is one of the most remarkable systems in the body. We don’t have to think about it, the body just breathes. We can be sound asleep and the respiratory system keeps right on working. And yet, we can also direct the breath. We can choose to take a deep inhale, hold it, sigh it out, let it go. When we breathe consciously, meaning we are breathing on purpose with intention, we can influence the nervous system. And the nervous system touches and influences so many other areas of the body and mind. Through yoga and conscious breathing, we can bring the body and mind together in the present moment, easing anxiety, finding ground, and creating a little more space inside.
Smile.
Smiling is such a simple and impactful practice. Research shows that when we smile, the body releases endorphins, dopamine, and serotonin. These feel-good neurotransmitters that elevate mood, alleviate stress, and help relax the body. Even more interesting is what’s called the facial-feedback effect: when our smiling muscles contract, they send a signal back to the brain that stimulates our reward system and increases our sense of wellbeing. So when the brain feels happy, we smile, and when we smile, the brain feels happier.
The smile helps us and those around us. Have you ever noticed how someone else’s smile can shift something in you? Research confirms that smiling is contagious. Seeing someone smile triggers our mirror neurons and naturally draws a smile out of us in return.
That said, I’m not talking about forced or performative smiling, or pushing other emotions down behind a plastered-on grin. Let it be authentic. Let it form from the inside and grow from there. See how it makes you feel.
Relax.
There is so much stimulation around us. Our to-do lists grow every day. We find ways to do more, multitask, and often fall into bed exhausted. Relaxation can start to feel like just one more thing to add to an already lengthy list.
I like to think about relaxation as opportunities woven throughout the day rather than a destination to reach. It doesn’t have to be an hour-long restorative yoga class, though I do highly recommend that! It can be a pause. A reset. Maybe it’s closing your eyes for a few seconds and taking one deep breath. Maybe it’s looking out a window at the trees, the birds, the sky. Small moments of stillness add up.
The Keys to Wellness.
Those three round ceramic circles – breathe, smile, relax – are hanging at the front of the studio in the window. They’re not the most polished pieces of artwork, but they carry more meaning than I can really put into words. It’s a philosophy I’ve been living for over 20 years without fully realizing it.
I don’t know exactly why I chose those three words that day, but something in me knew they were important. And they continue to be as relevant and true with each passing year. I’ve loved leaning into these words and exploring their meaning on a physical, mental, and energetic level. I am constantly learning more subtle practices around each one, exploring their deeper layers.
Sometimes we hear a word and jump quickly to how we relate to it. I encourage you to get curious and explore the edges of these words for yourself. See if they might offer a little extra support and perhaps your own keys to wellness.
