I wake up groggy this morning because of the allergy meds my doctor prescribed. I’m not sure which is worse, though: trying to sleep with a stuffed-up nose, or feeling a bit nauseous all night from the meds.
So I’m elated when the clock finally turns to 5 a.m. I jump out of bed, remembering “I have yoga today!”
The night-time anti-congestion pill has worn off by the time I’m sipping my first cup of tea, though, and I begin to worry.
Will I be able to practice yoga while sneezing every 10 minutes and with nostrils that seem to be filled with five-pound bags of cotton?
I shrug off my concern. I need to stretch and meditate and pose myself into joy.
The room is quiet and dark. The yoga teacher, a woman in her early 40s with a matter-of fact voice and the ability to pose in the down-dog position for long minutes, turns up her IPod to the slow rhythmic chanting of gentle monks.
I feel myself relax.
“Breathe in for a count of six,” the teacher says.
I try, but my nose makes the sound of a garbage truck rumbling down a pot-holed street.
“And exhale for six.”
Now I sound like six garbage trucks.
“Now we’ll move into the butterfly pose, yin style, with feet together, knees out, head down, for a long stretch.”
I almost faint. With my head down, I can’t get any air through my nostrils. I have to open my mouth. Is that okay? We’re supposed to breathe in and out through our nose.
Then the teacher says something brilliant:
“This stretch is challenging. But discomfort is not an emergency.”
Oh. That’s true.
I open my mouth and breathe in six. Let go six. Oxygen relaxes my muscles into a more open pose.
Ouch. But it’s a slow “hmmm, this is working,” ouch.
I start a new mantra:. Just peace out, whatever way I breathe.
And in my peaced-out state of mind, I receive a soul-full revelation.
In all things in which we challenge ourselves, we should breathe in the mantra: DISCOMFORT IS NOT AN EMERGENCY!
good write up
Kindest Regards Harriet
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Thanks for breathing along with me, Harriet!
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This seems a particularly bad spring allergy season. Everyone seems to be affected. I hope you feel better soon!
(I remember one daughter telling me about a college yoga class where someone farted, and then they couldn’t stop laughing.) 🙂
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Letting go does seem to lead to lots of different kinds of bodily sounds, Merrill. 😁
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Hahahaha. Yes.
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I hope you are feeling a lot better Pamela. I love the mantra.
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The older we get, Brigid, the more we may need to use that mantra. 🙃
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I love the mantra! I thought my allergies were bad enough, but yours sound a lot worse. No sounds like a garbage truck rumbling down a pot-holed street — yet.
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May your breathing sounds stay as smooth as a car on a well-tarred highway, Barbara. 😛
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Yuk from the allergies and the meds. That adds up to no peace – so cheers the mantra’s benefit.
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As long as the pollen remains an inch thick on car roofs, I shall be sneezing and using that mantra, Frank. 😏
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Having suffered similar congestions, I really took to this post. And in future I shall remember, discomfort is not an emergency. 🙂
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Good luck with the mantra. Sometimes it’s easy to forget when we’re blowing our nose for five minutes, 10 minutes, 15 minutes… 🤨
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Oh, I’m a bit tougher than that.
Memories of my youngest saying, ‘Why don’t you take me to hospital when I hurt myself?’
Cos mostly I could mend her myself.
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🙃
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“Discomfort is not an emergency.” What words of peace-filled wisdom this morning! And to realize that, whatever the circumstances, we can still keep breathing in and out. (Until we can’t, and then it won’t matter any more, right?)
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At this point, Kathy, I would not mind growing gills also. 🤪
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I usually fart during yoga….so , you know….feel better
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Haha! Your comment got the attention of a lot of readers here. Very good. Now go do a down dog or something. 😛❤️
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😉
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From one allergy sufferer to another, I feel your pain … and oxygen deprivation. I too don’t know what’s worse … the feeling like I’m drowning in my snottiness or the fuzzy-headedness caused by the antihistamines with the vague nausea they create.
Yoga is very forgiving. Sometimes you just have to modify to accommodate some injury or limitation at the moment. It’s still going to be good.
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Yoga certainly helps me forget my discomfort for that hour, Joanne. Now, about the other 23 hours… May your discomfort lessen soon. XO
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That is such a great philosophy, discomfort is not an emergency! Doing Yin Yoga was the best thing I ever did for myself. The instructor always started by saying, there will be weird noises coming from some of us, don’t let it bother you. xo
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Yoga may be the only place where weird noises are acceptable and even encouraged! 🙃
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Habbing a stuffed up nose makes it hard to breathe . . . but breathe we must! Glad that you are able to bounce out of bed at 5 am. THAT is something I haven’t accomplished in quite some time. 😆
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Well, perhaps I shouldn’t have used the word “jumping” out of bed. Maybe more like stumbling? 😁
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Your metaphors are beautiful! Hope you’re feeling better today… ♥♥♥
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Metaphorically speaking, I feel like a water buffalo stuck out of water with its nostrils stuffed with hay. 🤨
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Congrats on being able to relax, breath in more deeply, and gain insights. No emergency required! 🙂
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May we always breathe in deeply enough that nothing is an emergency. 💙
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Oh that is an excellent mantra for life isn’t it? Having worked in emergency rooms some of my nursing career it might be a good sign on the door there as well. I also love the line get comfortable with the uncomfortable. It often is used in exercise realms. Hope your breathing is now clear but yes just breathe however you can. 🙂
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Laughing, Sue. A sign that says – discomfort is not an emergency – would be pretty funny but I doubt would go well with hospital policy. 😆🙏
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And a metaphor for life to boot. It’s safe to say you’ve given us all a new mantra for at least the next 24 hours, Pam.
I always get this awful feeling of claustrophobia when I’m stuffed up and have a cold. It hits me worse at night when I awake in a fright. I’ll try to remember “discomfort is not an emergency” when that happens next time! – Marty
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So glad you shared the fact that you get that claustrophobic feeling when having congestion. I do too, but I thought I was the only one. Yes in the middle of the night when we’re trying to breathe through our nose and it doesn’t happen, the body wakes us up in a fright. May we breath ourselves out of the emergency and may the discomfort leave as well .. 🥴
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You always manage to work in a bit of humor, no matter the seriousness of your topic—I love that! Yoga is a hilarious (think downward dog) discipline, requiring superhuman flexibility, and I commend you for sticking with it! I laughed and cried throughout my ‘yoga period’, eventually giving it up in favor of going to the gym.
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I’ve heard there are even “laughing yoga” classes. Perhaps you should look for a class like that! 😁 I have been practicing yoga for so many years that the stretches come naturally and I enjoy them very much-except when I can’t breathe !
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It depends on the discomforts Pam…sometimes I feel like chopping off my nose!!
Thanks for an inspiring write up.
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Ohhh, Balroop, I so understand. I hope your nose clears up soon and that you are ready to smell the flowers again soon. 🌸
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Good reminder. Something to carry through the day.
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👌💙
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Yoga is most relaxing, Pam. I would do it if I don’t put writing ahead of such things. I hope you recover quickly from your cold.
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Yoga can stretch the mind as well as the body, Robbie. So I find an hour of yoga opens up my creativity. But… right now the nose is not cooperating. 😏
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Such wisdom in that one statement! I love that. A path to serenity that I’ll remember, Pam, when things aren’t going well. Great post. And I hope you’re feeling better!
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Doctor just prescribed pills for my sinus infection, so hopefully things will clear up soon. Still, it was not an emergency. However, I admit that my Serenity was disturbed a bit. 😏
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Hopefully your serenity is recovering 🙂 No more dump truck noises during yoga!
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What helps is that there are other “dump trucks” in the yoga class. Allergies are virulent right now. 🙂
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Oh no. Well I hope you all get well soon.
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Your post is primo and so are the comments, which included farting during yoga. Ha ha!
Sometimes I miss my Pilates class if I feel congested. (Allergens abound in Florida from January to late May and beyond.)
Yoga poses release toxins, so drink plenty of water. You probably won’t fart, but you’ll flush out the poisons, or so I believe. Another bit of advice from nurse Marian: Take allergy meds with some food to reduce nausea.
Writers know, of course, that some discomfort is not an emergency. Thanks for your wisdom for the day, Pamela! I’ll chew on it — after I blow my nose!
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Thank you so much for the advice, nurse Marian! I am taking it to heart and drinking my fluids and eating something before I take my meds. I think it does help a bit. I loved what you said at the end though; writing can definitely be a discomfort, and it definitely is not an emergency even though we may have tears flowing.
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Good mantra to remember!
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Think I’d like to put the mantra “discomfort is not an emergency,” on my refrigerator, on my writing computer, and on my yoga mat. 😃
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What a great quote! I need to remember that when I’m huffing it up a steep hill during my daily walks. Sometime I feel like I’m going to collapse… but I haven’t yet so I’m pretty sure it’s not an emergency.
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You are right. This mantra is perfect for our daily walks in which we wonder why we’re doing it. We’re doing it so that we don’t have any emergencies in our future! 😎
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Wonderful wisdom. I like yoga but have become a slug about doing it. You inspire me to try it again, remembering your newfound mantra as I do so.
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Go for the yoga, Ally! In the end, it always makes me feel so much better, even if I moan during the long ying stretches. 😛🙏
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This is a very wise reminder. Hope you are feeling better now, Pam!
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Still sneezing and congested but sure am enjoying the beauty of this spring! Hope you are able to glory in the splendor also. 💚
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Love the quote, Pamela. Thank you
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😎🙏
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So good to know that – about discomfort not being an emergency. Otherwise I’d be having a lot of emergencies as I get older.
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I know! We need to repeat this mantra several times a day I think! 🤨
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I can’t believe you went to yoga in that state. And, you sure are an early riser. Well done on the yoga moves and the breathing. I was feeling sick for a week or so during our house sit and skipped my exercises those days.
Yep, discomfort is not an emergency. If it were, I’d have to call 911 almost every day at some point. 🙂 Being uncomfortable makes you realize you’re alive. It’s also part of yoga. For me, anyway.
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I have “made” myself go to my dance and yoga classes despite my discomfort. Somehow, I feel human again during those hour-long sessions. 🙂 As you say, moving and breathing and even discomfort helps us realize “yay, another day on this Earth!” ❤
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Hi Pam, I find yoga can be a challenge when I am not feeling well. Stuffed up, nausea, bloating…..I guess it depends on the symptoms. I like your morning wake-up “Pose myself into joy” (I made a note of your words). Your new mantra speaks volumes. Namaste:) Erica
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My yoga teacher tells all of us in the class that just the yogic breathing alone can help us feel better and to cope with the discomfort. I think she’s right, unless I can’t breathe well enough to …. breathe! 🙂
Hope you’re posing joyfully today, Erica. xo
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Somehow, through your suffering, you make me laugh. So do some of the comments. I am SO grateful I don’t have allergies.
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Laughing is better than whining, I suppose. Actually, I whine too, but it’s harder to do that when I can’t breathe. 🙂 Yes, be glad….be very glad you don’t have allergies. xo
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What a terrific reminder, Pam, that achieving something worthwhile will likely involve pushing through a bit of discomfort. And how many of us become distracted chasing an ambulance when it’s only a garbage truck rumbling over potholes?
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Haha. Great metaphor Molly. We have to stop chasing those ambulances. 😛👌
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Always a good read here, Pam. I trust your head cold has moved up and out by now, rather than down and dirty.
Yoga has such a wealth of good lessons for us. My all time favorite, learned years ago now (I even refer to it in my memoir) was about finding our point of resistance, you know that place where it starts to hurt and we want to back off; instead, play with it. Back and forth, in and out. Breathing all the while. How easy it is to forget to breathe.
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Whoever would’ve guessed that the breathing is the hardest part… And the most important?
Thanks for still checking in here and reading my blog post, Janet. No, I’ve now been diagnosed with a sinus infection. 🥴 Breathing should help.
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Be careful with your sinus infection, they can be very nasty. Make sure you get enough rest. I think Yoga has kept me sane throughout my life. I hope you feel better soon.
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Oh, I agree Gerlinde. Yoga helps our sanity! I bet you have some great yoga offerings in your area. Namaste and hugs. ❤
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That’s good to know because the older I get, the more discomforts I have!
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Ain’t it the truth…!! 🙂
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I like that mantra, Pamela. I’ll try to practice it.
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👌🤓
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Pam…I just have to say that every morning when I wake up something hurts!! Discomfort is a way of life after a certain age!
p.s. I had to find your blog in order to read this.
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May our discomfort never lead to an emergency, Karen!
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I think pushing through discomfort is what we women do, eh? I hope you’re feeling better, Pam.
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Ohhhh, you are so right, Jill! ❤
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I enjoyed being with you in the yoga class, Pam; well written and humorous too. I especially like the mantra “discomfort is not an emergency.” Wonderful post.
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Thanks, Jet. I find myself chanting the mantra every time I sniffle and blow my nose. ;-0 🙂
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Essential Oils. It’s called Thieves. It WORKS. I can BREATHE!!
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Really?! I’ll look for it. Another person recommended holistic Turmeric capsules, but they have not helped. ;-(
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Essential oils are diffused in water while you sleep like a cool mist humidifier. I LOVE it. I can sleep all night like a baby.
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Love the mantra Pam. I’m sorry about your annoying allergies. 🙂
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Annoying Allergies – a great alliterative description of this seasonal discomfort!
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Lol. 🙂
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So sorry you suffer through allergies.
Glad the yoga helped at least in accepting that discomfort is not an emergency! So funny.
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The motto helps put everything into perspective. 🙂
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I’m writing that down and taping it to my refrigerator. Thank you! 🤧
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🙂
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Stuffy head while doing yoga does not sound pleasant but we must persevere if we want to make gains of any kind! Great piece!
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Smiling and nodding in agreement (and sniffling…. still).
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Discomfort is not an emergency…I’ll have to tell that one to my son when we are next together for meditation (this Saturday)…I wonder if he will frown or smile at me. I love that quote and I will use it for myself going forward. I think as long as we are up, verticle each day we are doing good.
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Vertical is good! So is meditating through discomfort. 🙂 Namaste to you Cheryl. xo
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Wishing you lots of Metta this week Pam.
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