Super skill: Designing micro-breaks for the body-mind
Why this matters today
Here’s the hard truth: Most people spend all day using (or abusing) their bodies.
They bend it in unhealthy ways just to see the screen better.
They sit all day because it ‘feels comfortable’, but is as bad as chronic smoking.
Even when they eat, they focus only on taste, not nourishment.
They do all this not out of hate for the body, but out of love for the mind.
Yet they forget the mind lives inside the body:
When one is depleted, the other is starved.
Super skill
Today’s super skill is designing body-mind breaks that keep you resourced, not just productive.
Step 1. Recognise and stop being disembodied:
Being disembodied is not some dramatic state where you can’t feel your body.
It’s the chronic habit of not noticing:
You stop tracking your posture.
You eat on autopilot.
You don’t check in with the places that are tense, tight, or quietly asking for help.
When you understand the power of truly being in your body,
And you set the intentions for wanting to meet it adequately,
You’ve already won half the battle. Awareness is always the first step.
Step 2. Design the kind of break you will actually do:
Don’t make this vague. Design it:
How long?
Where will you do it, work, home, car, or pantry?
How often?
What exactly will you do?
My simplest technique:
2 to 4 intentional breaths.
Gaze at one point, or close your eyes.
Inhale for 6 seconds. Exhale for 8 seconds.That’s it.
What it does naturally:
It gives you a real break (about 1 minute).
It pulls attention back into the body.
It interrupts the mental tunnel that makes you forget.
Then your body will usually take over: You adjust your posture, stretch as needed, and feel grounded again.
No impossible poses, just making room for your body intelligence to speak.
Step 3. Set up a reminder system:
If you’ve read this far, you probably already know the value of taking care of your body.
You might even already know exactly what helps, you just forget.
You’re not alone. The intention is there, but the follow-through feels weirdly elusive.
That’s normal. This is why mindfulness matters; it strengthens the link between intention and action.
So set up reminders.
Physical reminders where you drift: Desk, laptop, kitchen counter, etc…
Digital reminders: Calendars or recurring task.
Pro tip: Use your phone alarm (please don’t add another app, you don’t need another distractor).Label it something simple: Body-mind micro-break.
Then do one minute whenever you’re aware of it and need a break.
Becoming Super
Becoming Super isn’t about ‘hacking the system’.
It is about living in a way your nervous system can actually sustain.
When you can return to the body on demand, you think clearer, respond better, and recover faster. You lead better. You parent better. You stop paying for ‘productivity’ with tension, fatigue, and low-grade burnout.
Start small: One minute, a few times a day. Then let consistency do the heavy lifting.
Have a Super Sunday! 💪
With much joy,
Hashim
PS. February Stress Mastery Cohort opens soon. I’ll send the details in a few days; spaces are limited in each round.