{"id":15505,"date":"2024-03-26T22:39:52","date_gmt":"2024-03-26T14:39:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.visakanv.com\/blog\/?p=15505"},"modified":"2026-04-25T15:50:42","modified_gmt":"2026-04-25T07:50:42","slug":"sigh","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.visakanv.com\/blog\/sigh\/","title":{"rendered":"sigh"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>I met an old friend for lunch a while ago. He observed that I was initially tense and weary, but that I then visibly relaxed over the course of the conversation. Particularly he noticed that I would do these big sighs. I thought about it again when hanging out with my 5-month-old son, who does his own big sighs all the time. I recently gave my wife a massage, and noticed afterwards that she kept yawning repeatedly. And I find myself thinking about phrases people use like \u201cload off my shoulders\/chest\u201d. I feel like all of these are related phenomena. There\u2019s something about patterns of tension and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visakanv.com\/blog\/emotional-knottedness\/\">knottedness<\/a> that are intertwingled across body and mind. We tense our bodies up when we\u2019re stressed or worried, as if to protect ourselves from being physically attacked. I love this phrase from Christopher Alexander: the \u201csleepy, awkward grace which comes from perfect ease\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>^ the above was a snippet from a draft of an essay that didn&#8217;t go anywhere, but I&#8217;m publishing it because I get the sense that I&#8217;m going to be referencing sighs more often.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u2731 <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I&#8217;ve since learned about Gabi Abr\u00e3o, aka sighswoon, who writes:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>Life is composed of moments that make us both Sigh and Swoon. Sighs carry us through the average day-to-day maintenance of living. Sighs may also greet us in moments of decline or defeat, offering a path to acceptance. Swoons, on the other hand, are special visitors&#8211;transcendent, fated events, winks, and gifts scattered throughout our daily transit. Swoons can be found in subtle hints of bliss, but also in grand sweeping motions, euphoric, energizing spells that mushroom-cloud into the heart and head and aura. A Swoon can dissolve every Sigh you&#8217;ve ever felt, even if only for a moment. Equally, a Sigh can make you forget every Swoon.<br><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>I met an old friend for lunch a while ago. 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