Roaring

Every morning seems to bring a new wrinkle. And often a new ache. We could list them -- and maybe should. It makes you wonder how best to wake up in the morning. With fear? with gratitude? with foreboding? with purpose? with stretching?

I was thinking about this recently and remembered one of the exercises my stretch teacher has us do. She calls it the "lion's roar," and it is an adaptation of a yoga breathing pose. Basically, you inhale and then let the breath out with as much noise as possible. You virtually roar, like a ...you know what. Try it.

This lion's roar lets you exhale concern, worry, tiredness. Sometimes it helps you feel like a lion, waking yourself up and releasing the old so as to be ready and open for the new.

There are some videos on the web that show you how to roar, in case you're not actually conversant with roaring. They also mention that the roar of the lion in nature wakes up the other smaller animals. That might be a plus for you too. They mention too that the yoga pose of the lion gives the muscles of the jaw, throat, eyes, and face a stretch that can ease problems such as teeth grinding and clenched jaws (things we often experience unknowingly through the night).

Roaring and stretching that part of the body might prevent a little wrinkle or two. No claims, but who knows? It couldn't hurt.