School, exams, stress and breath

I exchanged early morning salutations with the receptionist at the health club. Instead of the usual "Fine, thanks", she said: "I'm really stressed... I'm doing my A levels (critical UK exams that determine whether and where you'll go to university)."

I said: "Just try breathing gently into you stomach..." She did and a pall of stress lifted from her face...

Hopes she gets the grades she needs...

Talking of schools, also today I was reading the newsletter of the Association of Boarding School Survivors, Boarding Concern. As such a survivor - and also victim of abuse at the hands of two paedophile school teachers - I was concerned - and later relieved - after reading in their lead story: "Though linked with privilege, boarding schools were founded on a philosophy that excludes all that is vulnerable and voluptuous in life. In order to adapt, children have to make many self-betrayals and self-inventions, striving to banish whatever it is emotional or sexual, childish or feminine. A adults, they find it nigh impossible to unlearn the strategies once put in place."

I can own up to all that... But where my relief sets in is that I am slowing recovering from the cold, shut-off survival personality that I grew - out of self -protection. A major plank in my "unlearning strategy" has been breath work - in the beginning Buteyko and more recently, reading and practising around the subject....