Crazy times, eh?
No matter what’s going on outside of us, there are always practices to support the inner work necessary to help us reset and move from fear-based thinking to the love and courage inside each of us.
I’ve been experimenting with such practices and have developed a few that help me reset quickly and consistently.
I have discovered that the ones that are most effective are body-based because trying to sit in meditation when I’m spinning with fear and overwhelm makes it harder for me to reconnect with myself and my higher purpose.
I call these the 5/5/5 practices—five things you can do in five minutes to help you feel at least five percent better. Do any of them and you will feel better.
Tip 1 : Close your eyes for the numbers one and two.
Tip 2: Do a mental check-in of your mind and body before you do all these exercises and then another one afterwards.
Sounding
The most consistent way I have found to reset my being-state is sounding. Simply humming or singing (think of how great you feel singing your favorite song) is often enough, but I love to full out get my stereotypical hippy on and chant OM. There’s also a practice called resonant sounding, which helps balance energy in the body.
Some details behind sounding: it tones the ventral vagus nerve, which is involved in positive social engagement and physiological safety in the body.
Also, sounding and chanting elongates your exhale, which helps to calm you down and have a greater sense of peace. Chanting OM, which is said to be the sum of all vibration (whoa), also raises your personal vibration, which is the energy you transmit without saying a word.
Try this: inhale O for five counts and exhale M for ten counts. Repeat for five minutes.
Fascial massage
You can do this anyway that feels good to you. I usually work with one or two fingers and I start with light pressure and then work up to hard. Use your own guidance here.
Here’s the order I go in but do it any way that works for you:
- Sides of neck
- Under chin and front of neck (really gentle on the thyroid)
- Jaw—start at TMJ where the jaw meets the cheekbone. Move down to jawline.
- Chin
- Cheekbones
- Inner/Out Eye Sockets
- Temples/Forehead/Third Eye
- Skin on Skull—use all fingers
- Occiput
Brain Spill
This is basically Julia Cameron’s Morning Pages but done anytime you need it. Just handwrite two pages (I use spiral notebook paper) without censoring yourself. No editing. This is a great habit to do in the actual morning, too.
ToDo list brain dump: Write down all the tasks that are clucking around in your head. Then categorize.
Shake It Out
Not the Taylor Swift song (although you can play it while doing this one). Just start at your feet and shake out all your parts. Go to town on this but mind the head and neck. Pause when done and then repeat for a couple of rounds for up to five minutes.
Walk outside. On the grass, even.
Pretty obvious, but here’s an abridged overview of the science—both the a.c. and computers we are so often in and near produce positive ions. The outdoors produces negative ions, which promote peace and well-being. Bodies of water a full of negative ions, which is why most of us feel better around them. Bodies of water aren’t always available but walking outside is.
Science aside, there’s just something different about outdoor air–try to get as much as you can.
By developing body-based practices, you are in the best possible position to reach your personal goals in a grounded, holistic way.
Enjoy. Xo-M
