301. How to Unwind: Sandals On, Shoulders Down

Aloha and welcome to our Summer Relax and Unwind Series! In this third episode we hear from Karl (Green) who shares his top tips for relaxing our bodies to step into pure chill zone.  

Ideal listen for anyone who knows their body could do with an unwind to enable full enjoyment of their break.  Set that Out Of Office in your shoulders and enjoy yourself.

Transcript

Resetting Into Holiday Mode

SPEAKER_00 0:11

Welcome to the Secret Stummer Coach Podcast, where step, relaxed, and unwind with the stomach series.

SPEAKER_02 0:21

Debs. Law, welcome back. Yeah, how are you doing? How's your head? I'm not doing alright actually. I've actually taken that time out that I, you know, Mel sort of helped us with, but I also used as a call to action to just permission to slow down. And I actually feel a lot calmer and not as rushed, and I'm noticing a lot more that's going on around me. So I definitely have that moment of being very mindful, not mindful, right here, right now. And it's just incredibly powerful to just reset and just breathe and let your brain breathe as well. And yeah, it's the sun hat has worked amazingly.

SPEAKER_03 1:00

And if you're thinking, what is Deb talking about? This is the third in our four-part focus looking at how to get into relaxed holiday mode. So relax unwind, we've called it, because many of us worked so hard and we look forward to this refuge point of having a holiday, whether you're in paid employment or you know, everyone's got tasks that are on their to-do list. And wouldn't it be a shame if that hard-won time we just lay there worried about stuff? Because actually being able to number one shift into holiday mode with your five top tips, that passport to get through the border of busy mind into calm mind, time for you. Last week we had the most relaxing voice in the business, Mel taking us through five top tips to be able to relax your mind. So you might be there physically present, but if your mind is elsewhere caught up in work, then that's almost even more stressful because you can't do anything about that task load. And I cannot wait to hear from our Carl, who's got the bendiest body in the business.

SPEAKER_02 2:06

He definitely has, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 2:08

And he is gonna give us lessons from his professional performing background about how do you actually relax your body so you're able to shift from all of that stress and tension that might be held, because where your body goes, your mind will follow, and vice versa. So I cannot wait to listen to Carl's episode. He's giving us sandals, how to put your sandals on and just shift shift vibe a little bit, and five tips to de stress our bodies with Carl.

Start With Shoulders And Breath

SPEAKER_01 2:42

Yay, how are you both? It's so good to be back, and thank you so much for allowing me to come back and share some of my tips on just how to unwind and you know how to just, as you say, slip those sandals on and shoulders down, um, and really finding that space for getting us into a real pure, pure chill zone. I'm very, very excited to share this with you because what we're gonna do is really enable that out of office to really switch in. And we're gonna let the body just really switch off. So, what I wanted to do was take this uh summer, you know, feel safe over the summer um and feel like you can just really, really relax. And for me, that's something that starts quite anesthetically and almost a bit somatically, um, where you can just switch off. And for me, that has to start physical. It has to start with your shoulders. I think what we don't realize is that we carry far more stress in our bodies than we probably give ourselves credit for. Um, and every time that we notice tension, what I'm gonna invite is just to take a really slow breath in and deliberately let your shoulders come up and then just let them drop. And as you breathe out, what that really enables you to do is just like just oh, it feels lovely. I really hope that. I'm gonna encourage all your listeners to do this as I'm talking now. Um, but I'm just gonna really encourage all of you as we go through each of these to just let your body do what it needs, you know, let it just find its rhythm, find its flow, and just let it relax. So, like I just said, my first tip would be start with your shoulders. My second one is we have to be able to slow our breathing down before we slow our mind down. And it's not having to stop thinking to relax because it's almost impossible, right? I feel like if we could all stop thinking, we'd all just be like, oh you know, and we we can't do that. But your body often leads the way. Our thoughts are there, but it's our body that chooses the action, it's our body that leads the way. So, what I'm gonna invite you to do, dear listeners, is try inhaling just for four seconds and then exhaling for six. What that encourages is a longer exhale signals to your nervous system that it is safe to unwind. So we're gonna do that together because I think I might I might just need it for a moment. So, four seconds in and long exhale out. So we've got and we just let it out. What's really nice is that actually there's something called box breathing, and this is something where you can breathe in for four, breathe out for six, and then breathe in for four, and then breathe out for six. So you almost get into that rhythm of I'm gonna breathe in. And I'm gonna breathe out. God, and I mean, for anyone that's watching it, you've probably just seen my entire body just totally, totally relaxed in that moment. Um, there's always really good to keep yourself on a rhythm. So if you want to keep yourself on a rhythm, you can. And it's just that gentle reminder breathe in for four, breathe out for six. My third

Permission To Do Nothing

SPEAKER_01 6:42

top tip to tell your body that it is safe to relax and unwind over summer is to just give yourself to do nothing. It's really interesting, I think your human experience is. Oh, I've been so busy, I've been doing this, I've done it. The summer's come around. And rest is something that we have to earn. But it's not. Because if your holiday just becomes another to-do list, and if you're thinking, I've got to sort this out, and I've got to get that done, or I've got to put this, and I've got to do that, and then when you get there, you're thinking, I've got an itinerary, I've got to go here, I've got to see the sights. Give yourself permission to do nothing. Your body never gets the message that it's okay to switch off. And what that opens us up to is just constantly running on that kind of winster wheel of get up, work, do, do, single this, do that, let's get this done, finish, fix it, go for that, cook, stood in the dirt, and then you're like, oh, and it's bedtime. Well, when you go, when you have that time where you're switching out of office, give yourself permission to do nothing. And just notice how nice it is to l to just sit within that nothingness. Well, I must feel that. Put my hand to my heart for a moment then. Notice the sound of the sea. I mean, just you know, smell the fresh air, taste your coffee slowly. It doesn't need to be something that we rush in the morning, just taste it slowly. What are the notes? What are you what are you getting? What what sort of where is your coffee even taking you? The more present you are, the less that your mind is living in next week. The more you're able to sit in the now and be present in the now, the less time we spend ignoring what we're feeling and what we're sensing. So

Move Gently Not Perfectly

SPEAKER_01 8:56

my fifth top tip comes from the times where I was working in the contemporary world and I was doing a lot of contemporary dance and connecting to a feeling, and it's actually something that I think sits maybe we forget. And I think sometimes it's we have to remind ourselves to move gently, um, not perfectly. And for me, that's that's even just you know, for anyone that I think does yoga or laties and connection, um, it's a real mind-body thing. It's um, you know, if if we were in a dance studio, I'd be inviting you just to shut your eyes and just notice your body's natural way that it wants to move, notice where, you know, maybe my shoulder just slips a little. Maybe I want to breathe in and just breathe out. Move gently, not perfectly. For any of us that are a little bit like, oh, don't know how I feel about just moving around. It could just even be a short walk. I mean, even a swim for those of us who are jet setting somewhere gorgeous where you can walk into the sea like it's a warm hug. Um, even if it's just a stretch, you know, on the balcony, or you know, like we just said, even just dancing around, just feeling how your body wants to move, because it all helps release so much physical, like physical tension. And what's so interesting is our bodies love movement. You know, it doesn't, our brain doesn't signal to us that it's a punishment. If anything, it goes oh. That's a real that's a real joy. So move gently, not perfectly. My sixth

Leave Work Out Of Your Body

SPEAKER_01 10:42

top tip would be leave work in your out of office, not just your inbox. If you catch yourself mentally replying to emails or planning Monday's meeting, gently, just very gently, remind yourself. And a really nice thing to do is even if you want to place a hand somewhere that you feel connects you to you, for me it's my for me, it's my chest. Um, I think it's actually on my heart, it's on my heart's side. Um that can wait. Right now, I'm here. And that's actually what was actually a really lovely thing just to go. God, you know what, that can wait. Because right now, I'm here. I'm in this moment. So, my final thought, and just I suppose my um let's say my share the secret is wherever you're listening from, whether you're, you know, by the pool, whether you're just walking the dog, sitting in your garden, or or you know, just laying on the beach, I want you just to take one slow breath, drop your shoulders, unclench your jaw, and just remind yourself that you don't have to be anywhere else right now. This moment is enough.

SPEAKER_03 12:13

All

Takeaways, Call To Action, Outro

SPEAKER_03 12:14

debbed, oh lord, just feeling really much more relaxed. Those those simple techniques, it's amazing the impact they can have because even though I might be having calming thoughts going through my mind as my jaw is clenched, my shoulders are up to me, I'm standing in a wonky pose because I can't stand straight anymore because I've been having bags for the last eight months. Holiday time is the time just to reset and unwind. So thank you, Carl, for sharing your top tips. What would your call to action be, Debs?

SPEAKER_02 12:45

So, my call to action on this one, apart from get your shimmy going and know how you can do it, shake your shoulders, um, notice what your body is telling you. I think that's the key here is listening to what is my body telling me and making sure that you are taking care of it. So, exactly what Carl shared and what Mel shared as well earlier, as you and you said it, if wherever if your body is, what did you say?

SPEAKER_03 13:09

If your body's where your body goes, your mind will flow.

SPEAKER_02 13:13

Yes, so it all works both ways. So that's what would be my sort of call to action is yeah, get Jimmy ready, but actually listen to the body. What does it need right now and do it? Yeah, what's your share the secret, Law?

SPEAKER_03 13:26

My share the secret would be if you've got a mate or a friend or a colleague who say, I feel so old, I feel so old, and everything aches and pains and you've been listening to me too much, Lau. I've got the osteo soon, so yeah, but with my neck cream, I've got the knock of a 23-year-old. I love it anyway. I love it. It's just the knees that become the giveaway. So, um, yeah, if you've got a mate and a friend who is saying, Oh, I just I don't feel like me, like I just feel so tense and hit up, and I'm about to go on holiday and I haven't packed anything and just stressed, getting to listen to this because actually sometimes those simple things can just help give honour our body and give it the break it deserves.

SPEAKER_02 14:15

Definitely. And I'm definitely going to do that this week before we have our final little bit about getting ready for to relax and unwind, which I'm looking forward to. And all right.

SPEAKER_03 14:25

Love you lot. Love you lots, Deb. We hope you've enjoyed this podcast. We'd love to hear from you. Email us at contact at Secretstummercoach.com or follow us on Instagram or Facebook. If you're a Spotify listener, give us a rating as it's easier for people to find us. And if you want to know more, visit our website www.secretsomecoach.com and sign up for our newsletter. Here to cheer you on and help you thrive in the ever-changing world of work.