It’s going to be a raw unedited post today. Please forgive grammar and typos if they occur. Copyediting will happen later (if we can go back to it).
We are in the middle of unprecedented times. What is going on really? Is it a virus, a financial crash, a military boycott? I don’t know and don’t want to take part on any of the theories out there. We might get to know now day, or maybe not.
What I do know is that times like this are a huge opportunity for change, from the core, from within. We either collaborate and act as a planetary community or chances are things are not going to go so well. But we have an amazing opportunity to make a difference and be together through this.
Uncertainty is the norm, but we can definitely learn to be present and live each moment at a time, like all spiritual practices around the world have been trying to teach us.
Who are you?
Maybe you are expecting, no matter what your gender is, and then uncertainty becomes even more challenging. What is this world that a new human, not even born is going to land into? Does a baby deserve to be born in this chaos?
Maybe you are not expecting, but you had projects, plans and ideas of the future all of which are currently dissolving or put on hold, as we don’t know when things will get back to normal.
Maybe you are all positive and upbeat and expect the best. But maybe you are living in a swinging emotional state from positive to negative and anything in between.
Maybe you are all of the above or none. Maybe you are reading this and thinking when is she going to get to the point.
As this is not meant to be a long read, I am going to try to take you on a short trip to dive in, to get your emotional being closer to the centre, and give you a couple of little tools to protect yourself and your immune system while finding hope and calm in the middle of uncertain times.
Fear and isolation
It’s very well documented that stress and fear deplete the immune response of the human body. I am not going to add references here as this is not supposed to be a peer reviewed paper. But I can help you touch base to the basics of your body through breathing, imagination and a little bit of time.
Staying in – don’t use the new catchphrase ‘social isolation’ (this will make you sick) –is giving us a new way of living. New routines need to take place. Can you make space for a couple of minutes a day just for you?
If this is difficult, may I suggest you take a ‘wellness shower’ instead of a rushed one? Or perhaps 5 minutes before bedtime?
Above all, please do not make anything in this moment of history become a chore. Do not add to your already full plate. Let’s try to make this a little ‘mental spa’
I call this the ‘3 steps to the centre within’.
The first one is connecting to the breath and regulating through breath the brain waves. Second is flush the bad out. And third, protection.
If this sounds appealing, please keep reading.
Nadi Shodhana
Next time you find yourself doing too many things at once, or you sense panic or anxiety begin to rise, move through a few rounds of alternate nostril breathing. It’s a great way to hit the reset button for your mental state.
Take a comfortable and tall seat, making sure your spine is straight and your heart is open.
Relax your left palm comfortably into your lap and bring your right hand just in front of your face.
With your right hand, bring your pointer finger and middle finger to rest between your eyebrows, lightly using them as an anchor. The fingers we’ll be actively using are the thumb and ring finger.
Close your eyes and take a deep breath in and out through your nose.
Close your right nostril with your right thumb. Inhale through the left nostril slowly and steadily.
Close the left nostril with your ring finger so both nostrils are held closed; retain your breath at the top of the inhale for a brief pause.
Open your right nostril and release the breath slowly through the right side; pause briefly at the bottom of the exhale.
Inhale through the right side slowly.
Hold both nostrils closed (with ring finger and thumb).
Open your left nostril and release breath slowly through the left side. Pause briefly at the bottom.
Repeat 5-10 cycles, allowing your mind to follow your inhales and exhales.
Steps 5-9 represent one complete cycle of alternate nostril breathing. If you’re moving through the sequence slowly, one cycle should take you about 30-40 seconds.
DO: practice whenever you need calming - every time you feel nervous, upset or irritable.
DO: Consistency is helpful, so try to work on ratios of 4:4:8, then increase to 8:4:8, then 8:8:8. This might take months.
DON’T: push yourself with the holding position or by increasing the ratio until you are comfortable doing so.
DON’T: make the breath rhythmic, smooth and slow. You can work on making in inaudible eventually.
Flush the bad out.
Have you ever used a salad spinner? One of those plastic containers that have a mesh inside where you place your washed lettuce leaves, push a button or wind it and the leaves come out dry?
Well, here’s were I want you to close your eyes and imagine you are the lettuce. After the breathing you should be calm and focused, and imaginary will come in easier. If you are not a very visual person, just hold an image of it in front of you.
You want to spin yourself in your minds eye. Imagine all bad energy, negativity and of course, any physical pathogens and viruses to get out, though the mesh, leaving you dry and clean.
And now, time to protect yourself.
Protection.
a. In your mind’s eye again, imagine light coming from above you into your crown and coming down the spine. If you are familiar with the chakras, you can imagine one after the other receiving this light. If not, not to worry, just feel this light coming down and going towards the centre of the earth. Gather some warmth there and let the energy come back up the spine, coming out the crown and then turning around forming a torus shape around your body. Like the image below.
Try and feel the warmth of this movement until you feel energized.
b. This moving structure is now going to receive a shielding, a bit more static one.
In your minds eye, imagine your torus to be inside a merkhaba.
And we are done!
You are ready to start your day or finish it on the best possible note.
Lastly, you can finish with some affirmations. I suggest things like “I am healthy”, “ my immune system is strong”, “I navigate uncertainty with ease”, etc.
Please let me know how you feel after this, and if you shared this with close ones.
How have you connected today?
I hope you are keeping in touch with loved ones through phone, video or whatever means of communication you can find. As I mentioned above, social isolation is cause of dis-ease. So please stay connected. Your immunity will follow :)
We can all stay grounded and connected. As a community we can raise our thoughts above anything that is happening.