John Du Cane

The Gentle Obsession

January 6, 2018 By John Du Cane

“For an artist, the absence of positive obsessions leads to long periods of blockage, repetitive work that bores the artist himself, and existential ailments of all sorts.”—Eric Maisel

Great stand-up comedians obsess about jokes. They are “jokes waiting to happen”. They are early warning systems for that first faint glint of humor—to be snagged, seized upon and worked up. Until eventually they arrive at the final, tingling pleasure of a joke well told.

The moment that hint of a joke pops into consciousness, they write it down, let it incubate, refine it, test it, practice it, then refine it some more. It’s a never-ending, obsessive love affair with humor creation.

And so it is with all great artists, musicians, writers, creators. Positive obsession is the driving force behind their art work for the ages.

In our using days, our major obsession was our drug of choice, right? Drugs were our life. We were a “drug-buzz waiting to happen”. We were consumed with the never-ending quest for the perfect chemical high. We obsessed over source, supply-chain, stash. We lived in constant fear of loss. Our happiness was measured by the shaking spoonful. We lived to drug… We were married to a relentless beast that had us by the throat…

In recovery, one of the best things we can do for ourselves is to redirect our previous obsession with mood-altering chemicals into a gentle obsession with mood-altering health practices. We can re-write the evolving saga of our bodies into a more poetic and pleasant journey.

If we can but taste again the beauty of our own body’s natural song, we can enjoy the gentler bliss of “health waiting to happen.”

For today, here’s a simple but very powerful breathing practice that can quickly make you feel wonderful:

Sit comfortably with good posture, or lie down and relax. Inhale deeply and quickly through the mouth taking in big gulps of oxygen. Exhale with vigor. Repeat 20 to 30 times. After the final exhale, hold the empty breath for as long as you can—without being too extreme about it. Allow some discomfort—but you know how we can be… easy does it, at a certain point, please!

Do anywhere from just one set to five sets of this breathing. When you feel complete, close your eyes, relax and let yourself feel your body. Hang out in this place for as long as you want.

I love the blissful feelings that come from simply breathing well.

My Dear Spine

January 5, 2018 By John Du Cane Leave a Comment

“Look well to the spine for the cause of disease.”—Hippocrates

What are we in recovery, without our support systems? We learned through bitter trial and error that handling our challenges alone could be a perilous choice. Loneliness can dog us into risk. A compassionate group of friends can maintain and comfort us when we struggle. Without a good support network, we can “lack the spine” to overcome our obstacles. With a good set of friends, we can have the backbone to face any adversity with confidence and resolve.

Now friendship, of course, is a two-way street. Reciprocity is a must. We give to be given to, in a spirit of natural kindness. And so it is with our once-in-a-lifetime bodies. Care for our body, that it cares for us. Which brings us to our all-important spinal column—our literal support system for carrying us through our world. For just as friendship taken for granted can become friendship lost, so a disregard for our spine can lead a cascade of issues. A cared-for spine will return the favor with a calmer nervous system, greater vigor and reduced discomfort. Let’s love our spine so it may love us back…

Here’s a fun, simple movement to release and enliven our spine for today:

Stand with knees slightly bent and the arms at your sides. Swing your arms round to the left side, turning your waist in the same direction, while sinking your weight into your right leg. Reverse and repeat to the other side in a fluid, super-relaxed manner. Breathe softly. Continue for twenty to thirty reps each side. Have a hint of a smile on your face.

It feels great to have reconnected with my spine today—so we can heal ourselves together.

Let Go and Let Health

January 4, 2018 By John Du Cane 2 Comments

“In the end, only three things matter: how much you loved, how gently you lived, and how gracefully you let go of things not meant for you.”—Buddha

It’s odd isn’t it, how often we can be reluctant to relax and let go of our pain? It seems we sometimes feel safer with the dis-ease we know than the ease we don’t. We sometimes cling to the familiar just because it IS familiar, however risky it may be to do so…

In these early days of the New Year, we can encourage ourselves to be bold and to let go of what may be holding us back in our quest for a healthier, stronger recovery. To use a technical term here, we may be holding on to “lurking crud”. Lurking crud has an emotional component but here we are referring to all those toxins silting up our tissues. The body’s primary janitor for cleansing crud from our system is called the lymph system.

When we don’t move or breathe well—and as we age—the lymph system fails to do a competent job, becoming more and more sluggish. However, the good news is that by simply breathing in a certain manner, we can re-energize that lazy janitor and get him back into action.

Here’s all you have to do right now to let go and let some health happen:

While standing, place both hands on your stomach just below your navel and put your attention in the same area. Gently inhale into the stomach and feel the stomach inflating under your hands. As you exhale feel the stomach subside of its own accord. Do 10 to 30 repetitions.

Notice, perhaps, the rather delicious feeling of relaxation? That’s another wonderful benefit of an energized lymph system—it induces an automatic relaxation response…

It is feeling so good to shake up my sleepy janitor—and to let go of my lurking crud!

My Mood, My Posture

January 3, 2018 By John Du Cane Leave a Comment

“Posture is the key to life.”—Mark Twain

Our self-respect took quite the hammering in those difficult old days of chemical and other abuse… And the dark shadows of our past insanities can still cast their spell on our sometime fragile serenity. One way our past shows up in our present is often in our carriage. Many of us, for instance, have slumped shoulders and sunken chests. While our deskbound culture and attachment to mobile devices has created an epidemic of poor upper body posture, our careless disregard for our bodies while using contributed often to this look of resigned defeat.

Modern research, however, has shown a strong correlation between our moods and how we carry ourselves. More specifically, scientists have proven that we can often positively affect our emotions simply by modifying our posture. And it can happen within minutes of taking action. How wonderful is that!

So, for today, we will help our self-respect by performing a set of movements to release and improve our shoulder placement. This exercise can help strengthen our upper back muscles, restore mobility, reduce discomfort and—over time—improve both mood and posture. You may feel a tingling, buzzing sensation as fresh blood floods into the area. Enjoy the pleasurable feeling, as it’s a welcome sign of healing.

Stand with feet at shoulder-width, arms resting by your sides and your butt tucked gently forward. Circle your shoulders up, forwards, down and backwards, making a full 360-degree rotation. Repeat in the opposite direction. Do up to 20 repetitions in both directions.

Next, pull your shoulders back and down, bringing your shoulder blades together as close as possible. Keep the chest area as relaxed as possible. Tighten the muscles in the upper back and hold for five seconds. Relax. Repeat five to ten times. And enjoy the boost to your mood!

I am excited to have changed my mood for the better, by changing my posture for the better.

My Body, My Art Work

January 2, 2018 By John Du Cane Leave a Comment

“The human body is the best work of art.”—Jess C. Scott

It’s helpful and healing to think of our bodies as ongoing works of art. We are all creators of the flesh that carries us through life. We can choose to further refine the natural beauty of our bodies through graceful movement, toning exercise and the infusion of energizing breath. We can be proud of our creative play—and delight in our ever-changing shape and form.

All too often though, our recovery is bogged down by shame and self-disgust at what we perceive as our ugly bodies. We despair at the state of our physical beings and would prefer to hide rather than display our “goods”. This can be a risky, slippery slope for those of us in recovery. A self-defeating cycle of revulsion can tempt us to medicate our distress. An attitude shift of acceptance can change all of this in a heartbeat. Let’s take the art work we have in front of us—and today take a step to making it stronger and more appealing. Let movement and breath be our medicine…

A fine body needs a fine pair of legs to present itself on and to move around with confidence. Let’s work on those all-important pistons today—with the Full Bodyweight Squat!

Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart. Cross your arms over your chest and squat down as low as you can, preferably below parallel and eventually with your thighs touching your calves. Keep your knees from bowing in by aligning them with your feet. Keep your back as straight as possible. Come back up and lock out your legs and hips completely. Squeeze the muscles in your legs as tightly as possible for a second, relax and repeat the squat. Inhale and hold the breath as you descend. Exhale as you ascend. Do ten repetitions—and feel the energizing rush to boot!

I am proud to be recreating my body, each day anew, as an ongoing work of art.