PUT
YOUR FINGERS ON YOUR LIPS!
You may remember when you first went to school at
the age of four or five; when the teacher wanted the class to be quiet she
would command everyone to put their finger on their lips. I have memories of
sitting there with my forefinger on my lips, the tip of the finger touching my
nose. It always struck me at that age that when my finger was in that position
I felt less inclined to talk in a nice way.
These days I’m always struck how rituals that are
old and instinctive contain a germ of truth.
The express intention of teachers making children
put their fingers on their lips may have been to stop the lips moving. However,
the effectiveness of the ritual is probably rooted in something else.
That old ritual is a lovely, simple soother that will work for you as an adult. I find it works best when I’m tired or weary and I have a moment to sit down and not do anything. Here’s how to do it:
Step One: Make sure
you’re sitting down.
Step Two: Now take the
index finger of either hand and place it vertically over your lips with the tip
touching the bottom of your nose and lying in the groove above your top lip.
Allow the lower part of that finger to rest against your chin.
Step Three: close your
eyes and exhale. Notice how soothing that feels.
That’s it. Play, enjoy. Let your finger be relaxed,
support your chin with the same hand if you wish, but be sure to keep the
length of your index finger in contact with your skin, from chin to tip of
nose.
As always I welcome questions and feedback either here or
on facebook:
or if you
prefer, privately in an e mail:
Thanks for looking; now, go out and soothe yourself!
Rex.
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