Happiness and Breathing Formula

Martin Seligman came up with this formula for Happiness: H=S+C+V or

Level of Happiness = Set point for Happiness + Current Conditions/Circumstances + Voluntary Activities.

Walking in the woods with my friend, Nancy, was my voluntary activity today. We stretched ourselves by taking a mountain bike path along Ridenour Lake in Nitro, West Virginia

. We had no idea where it would lead us nor how long it would take. According to Nancy’s Fitbit, we walked 3.34 miles, 8,739 steps, and climbed the equivalent of 72 stairs.

Since walking increased our brain emissions of alpha waves after about 20 minutes, I felt I was more in a relaxed meditative state and stopped to look up at the clouds in a yoga pose. As we walked, we breathed in and out only through our noses as James Nestor in his latest book, Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art, has taught us.

I got this text tonight from Nancy, “We are resilient and growing stronger! I really loved our hike today. The steeper and more breathless, the better! Let’s keep it up ;)”