60 BPM

So Fri. the 8th I had my last visit with my surgeon before our NEXT meeting - the more fateful one - next Wed. 2/27.

The one where she will take back out what she originally put in: the hardware that taught my L clavicle-in-two-parts to play nicely together again, to bridge any divide that may be separating it from itself, to finally be made whole.

Do that, come back and see me.

I went through the usual battery of pre-op tests, including an EKG.

This was done with the 10 or so points of contact adhered to the bare, upper chest, those contacts then all plugged into a machine which then reads back to you your heartbeat, in real time (the realist!).

I felt relaxed and curious as she hooked me up.

Sure enough, it started winking back at me my current palpative state - a kind of crazy mirror that reflects back at you not brushed teeth, a symmetrical collar or combed hair, but rather the heart's ultimate statement: it's indefatigable Rhythm. The Mother of all Music.

It also gave the rate numerically:

58bpm

I simultaneously thought two things,

(1) Wow, that is pretty low, I guess I AM relaxed

and

(2) God, this is COOL! To SEE your heartbeat!

And of course the next thought was,

My excitement at this sight will cause the heart rate to increase, no?

*and*

Is this still an accurate reading if I'm drooling all over the machine, loving what it does?
____ _______

Well, it came up, but only to 59, and then to 60 where it sat.

And I thought hmmm...

60 Beats Per Minute

That is one second.

(Why are they called seconds? Shouldn't they be: Firsts, Minutes, Hours)

That is where the yogic breathing is at -

Yoga Practice:
Put your metronome on at 60
Put it under a pillow if it is too loud.
During the postures, breathe 6 seconds in, 6 out.
Repeat 5 times. This is one minute.
Never lose the breath.
In the asanas, count.
At rest, count.
While meditating, count.
This will become more natural.

Your heartbeat will adjust to this steady, mellow pulse.