Sourcing the Source: A Conversation with Beth's Daughter, Jordan

Imagine feeling like moments of your life are like a movie where you don’t even have the control of the director. Dr. Beth Reese’s daughter, Jordan, relates that for her having sensory processing disorder sometimes feels like there’s a disconnect between what she’s doing and what her brain processes. She also describes that practical, self-regulation tools she uses manage her mind and actions, including Flower Power breath and imagining she presses pause on that movie scene. Jordan uses these mindfulness and yoga off the mat skills to empower her to make choices in her life aligned with who she says she is, not just moment-to-moment reactions.

“I think it’s really important to just breathe sometimes,” says Jordan. “Just that one thing can really change your whole life.”

Using breath to curate your best self are skills that Beth teaches in her weekend courses and trainings at schools. In their recent podcast, Sourcing the Source: A Conversation with Beth's Daughter, Beth sharing several breathing and postures as tools along with anecdotes illustrating how they have literally transformed lives of herself, her son Cole while playing baseball, her daughter on a school field trip, a high school student and principal, and more. These practical techniques include:

• Get grounded in any situation, including at work and when traveling
• Baseball breath and suggestions on translating breathing techniques for different ages and interests
• Shanti hug
• Hand Hat

Remember that a key to creating success with these tools is to explore the Winner’s Circle. Beth loves to talk about Houston Rockets player, James Harden, who often shoots over 60 points a game as a result, in part, of the number of 3-point shots he makes. To do that he had to learn, practice, and be in the game. Consider that athletes all use these 3 steps to enter the Winner’s Circle:

• Learn: someone has taught them a skill and various options and ways to succeed—they have access to a toolbox.
• Practice: athletes practice and scrimmage to get better, to try what they are learning and see under what conditions which skill works best. This is like learning Flower Power breath, Shanti Hug, and baseball breath, and more, and then knowing you can try them at different times under different contexts.
• Be in the Game: apply the skills you learn in the game of life. Here you explore in real-time how applying various tools makes a difference in your being amidst any circumstance.