Self care: Emily Hightower

Emily is a resilience coach who helps high performers who have been exposed to trauma to become steady, empowered,
and rested. Thanks to the involvement of BSO Kevin Long she has been running a series of breath workshops for Members.

Emily Hightower might not be an amputee, but she knows how difficult circumstances can affect your mental health – and how to find a way back to wellness again.

“My own trauma brought me into the work I do,” says the 46-year-old resilience coach from Colorado, USA. “We often need to heal ourselves before we can help to heal others, and there was a ton of instability in my formative years. My mum had a traumatic brain injury, and my dad committed suicide when I was 15. But I was lucky that I had a mentor who brought me into yoga. It helped me survive. And eventually I got into yoga Pranayama breathing. That is what helped
with my own trauma the most.”

Emily now has a company, Intrinsic, which runs workshops and courses for veterans. The focus is on controlling the breath which, in turn, improves wellbeing, pain control, and mental health. She has partnered with Challenge Aspen Military Opportunities (CAMO), a course that many Members have attended in Colorado, as well as the annual ski trip. Now, during coronavirus, she is leading a group of Members on a six-week course via an online video conferencing app.

"When you’ve got a room full of Blesma Members on a course, all with different physical and cognitive challenges, it can be difficult to adapt the physical yoga. Breath work is acutely powerful, and is accessible to everyone regardless of their injury, so we focus on that."

TRY ONE OF EMILY’S DE-STRESSING BREATHING EXERCISES FOR YOURSELF

“Human beings are designed to breathe through the nose most of the time,” says Emily. “If a lion jumps out on you, for example, you’ll breathe through your mouth – shallow and fast. This gives you a rush of adrenaline and cortisol, which is great for a survival situation, but not when you’re stuck in traffic or at work!

“All of us are operating in ‘anxious world’ all the time which tells us to do more, faster, and with less. This exercise returns you to your senses – and reminds you that you have a lot of choices, one of which includes just being . That’s a huge resource.”

1. Try to identify agitation in the nervous system, notice when you experience a high level of anxiety or when pain is getting out of control. This is a good time to take back control with a breathing exercise.

2. Inhale through the nose for the slow count of four. This will open up the lungs and activate tissue in the deepest part of the lungs. “It changes the chemistry in your brain,” says Emily.

3. Pause for a count of two and then exhale, out of the nose or mouth, for a count of six. “The pause creates awareness and stillness in the nervous system, and allows you to take in extra oxygen,” says Emily. “The long exhale deactivates you, telling the body that this is a safe, relaxing time.”

4. Wait for the next breath, through the nose, to come. “Don’t force it – become embodied in the breath in a way that can shift your state of reactivity to active engagement,” says Emily.

5. Repeat the cycle.

To learn more about Emily’s course talk to your BSO or read about The Skill of Stress course at intrinsicway.com