Being a parent is hard (duh!). And it’s one of those jobs that you really can’t put off doing. One of the hardest things I found about being a parent was the stress of making dinner. Not only do you need to worry about nutrition and individual tastes, but you’re trying to get everything ready while a tornado (or more) is ripping through your house, destroying everything. I’ve had to get dinner on the table while: giving a kid a bath, changing diapers, cleaning out lunch boxes, helping with coloring and yelling at everyone to stop screaming and finish putting away their backpacks. If only there was a quick way to de-stress while making dinner.
Fortunately, there are a few ways to help calm down and deal with stressful situations. I was lucky enough to talk to my friend Rachie Dvorin, who is a certified yoga therapist and a mom of two. Although Rachie could lead you through an entire yoga practice while making dinner for her own family, she was able to share a few tried and true quick tricks for the rest of us.
Just Breathe
According to Rachie, it’s a well taught concept from the yoga masters that if you can breathe, then you can do yoga. Which is great news, since you also need to breathe in order to cook. So if you can cook, then you can also do yoga while cooking. Breath (and not twisting yourself into a complicated pretzel) is the key to yoga. You can use your breath to “override” the nervous system. So if your body is responding to stress, there are a few breathing tricks you can do to quickly and easily recenter yourself.
Is there a right way to breathe?
Yes! Short, shallow breathing is the opposite of what we want here. Shallow breathing sends the message to your body that this is a state of emergency. Although this response is helpful in true emergencies, it’s important to distinguish between being chased by a tiger and burning soup. So start with a deep, full, inhale followed by a long exhale. Think of your belly as a balloon that inflates when you breathe in and deflates when you breathe out. That’s the first way to send your body the message to calm itself down. In general, Rachie also recommends breathing through the nose, which helps to slow down the breath and warms and filters the air.
3 Yoga Breathing Techniques you can do while cooking:
1 – Keep Breathing.
That’s right. The easiest way to keep calm is by doing what you’re already doing (just mindfully). Or maybe to start doing what you stopped doing. When people get stressed, they tend to hold their breath.To start breathing, inhale for a count of 4 and exhale for a count of 6. (We want a longer exhale). Long exhales help with relaxation. You can work your way up to an 8 count exhale when you’re ready. Try this elongated breathing for 10 breaths and you’ll probably already feel a difference.
Want to get your kids involved too? (Did I mention that Rachie has 2 kids?) Have your child blow into a straw or (if you can bear the noise) a kazoo. This will automatically help them slow down their breathing and make their exhales even longer. Note: Kazoos and straws are not only for kids. Straw breathing is something you can do together, even make it into a contest to see who can blow out the longest. Even a few deep inhales and exhales start to relieve tension. So when you feel like you’re going to blow up, blow out.
2 – Alternate Nostril Breathing
This one is a little more involved, but also super convenient. Rachie recommends using it ALL THE TIME. This technique is also very calming for the nervous system, and helps to enhance concentration. (So basically the cure for having kids in the first place).
To do this, place your right thumb on your right nostril and your ring and pinky fingers over your left, while tucking the index and middle fingers into you thumb pad. Gently close your right nostril and breathe in through only your left. Then cover the left nostril and breathe out through the right. Breathe in again through the right, then cover your right nostril and breathe out through the left. Keep going as long as you need to, keeping the length of the inhales and exhales equal this time. You should start feeling calmer (and smarter) after only 10 breaths. If you have a kid who enjoys picking noses, they might like helping out with this.
3 – Yell (Make Some Noise).
So let’s pretend that you are about to lose it. You can feel the tension rising, you take a deep breathe in and then you just want to scream. What should you do in that situation? Go ahead and let it out constructively, advises Rachie. Yelling is just another word for “long exhale to help relieve stress.” But instead of yelling “Get your shoes out of this kitchen right now before I trip over them again” (for example…) you can belt out your mantra. A mantra is a repeated word, phrase or sound that give you inspiration or focus. Like “This too shall pass” or “one day you will thank me for this.” It’s actually a form of meditation, so you can use it to refocus inward instead of thinking about the craziness in your kitchen.
Get your kids involved too. Kids seem to really like making a lot of noise. Have them pick an animal and make that animal’s sound as loud as they can. Guaranteed to help alleviate any stress and tension (although those shoes might still be in the middle of the floor).
Quick Kitchen Yoga Pose you can do while cooking:
In addition to breathing, there are a few physical yoga poses (aka asanas) that Rachie recommends. These are a little more physical, so make sure you have space before busting out some yoga moves. If you have any injuries or medical conditions you should also be careful or consult a healthcare practitioner being before doing any poses
1 – Ragdoll
This pose is really just perfect for those moments when you can’t even. You bend forward and just hang there. This helps calm the nervous system and also literally takes the weight off your shoulders. When you reverse gravity, you release tension in your neck and back. To do it, stand with your feet hip distance apart and loosely bend your knees. Start by raising your arms up overhead and then fold over from your hips so your head is pointing toward the ground and just hang out. You can also bend over a chair or keep your hands on the counter. Come back up (slowly) when you’re ready to get back to dinner.
2 – Tree Pose
Ah a balancing pose. These are all about focus. This pose is grounding and calming, plus it’s fun to do. To start, stand with your feet hip distance apart and place the sole of your right foot on either the shin or thigh of your inner left leg (avoid the knee joint). Bring your knee out so it points away from your body and bring the palms of your hands together at the center of your chest or your arms up and outward like branches on a tree. Stand as tall as you possibly can and breathe.
There are a few tricks to doing this pose. First, don’t look at the mess in your kitchen. This is about focus, and messes are distracting. Next, yoga is all about respecting your body. If you can’t get your foot off the floor without falling, then don’t. You can always use a chair or the counter top to help balance. Switch sides and repeat with the other leg. Kids love this pose too. Just keep in mind that balancing on 1 foot is hard, for kids and for adults too. The important part of the pose is focusing your mind
Check out our handy visual guide to these poses.
Interested in more? There are a few resources Rachie recommends:
