The Big E – Exercise Your Brain

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130 – September, 2022

By Elaine Lessig

When I finally boarded my flight home on a recent Sunday night, I was truly feeling tired. Anyone who knows me will have to agree that my stamina and endurance are well-recognized. Well, on that night, both were definitely on a leave of absence. As I settled into my seat, I had a feeling that an appearance at the featherbed ball would quickly follow. No sooner did the plane take off then the pilot calmly announced, “Air Traffic Control has informed me that the plane is going to be encountering some pretty rough air soon. The cabin crew will remain in their jump seats and the passengers in theirs with seat belts firmly strapped across their laps. When it is safe to get up, the crew will commence their cabin service.”

Within ten minutes, I felt like a rodeo star doing my best to stay on a bucking bronco aka my seat. Obviously, the ability to drop into dreamland was no longer a thought. Instead, my mind was off to the races, going at full warp speed. My sympathetic response (fight or flight) kicked in quickly. I knew I needed to get into a calmer parasympathetic response (rest and digest) to reduce my rapidly accelerating heart rate.

Years of doing Yin Yoga provided me the skills to move me from fight or flight to a calmer place. I started to control my breathing, keeping my inhalation as long as my exhalation. The counting worked for awhile until the plane started into a bit of a rollercoaster mode for a very long ten minute stretch. Instead of the counting in my head, all I could hear was the rattling of the metal service carts in the galley. Everyone on the plane was silent, even the babies.

We were forty-five minutes into the turbulence when the first officer pronounced, “We are moving into calmer airspace. Soon the flight attendants will be assuming their excellent service. Feel free to get up and use the restrooms.” With great relief, the flight continued with no more bumps. By then I was wide awake, the fatigue gone, and nearly two hours left in the air.

Click here to read the complete article
130 – September, 2022

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Posted by AnthonyA on Aug 13 2022. Filed under Current Articles, Featured. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. Both comments and pings are currently closed.