Ever feel like “Stop the World--I want to get off! “ And have
you noticed? The world doesn’t show any signs of stopping, or slowing down…in
fact, it’s the opposite. Time has sped up and life seems to be getting fuller
and busier.
It’s so easy to get overwhelmed—and the constant inflow of
emails, text messages, etc. just add to the overwhelm. When we are overwhelmed, we get triggered
into a stress response—fight or flight. Triggered, you will feel feel fear, anxiety,
maybe anger or irritability, or just want to check out. You're not thinking clearly, or in touch with
our resources, power, problem solving abilities.
What to do, since stopping the world isn’t an option? Focus
on what you CAN do, which is shift how you RESPOND. Here
are two quick things you can do daily, and as you need them. Use them to shift from stress and overwhelm to
more peace and presence. In short, get more done and have more fun. Sound good?
Remember, these are practices, so the more regularly you do
them, the more you will benefit. If you
want group support, consider joining me for Morning Medical Qigong classes
locally in Santa Fe, or by Skype.
#1: FREE, SIMPLE, BASIC--always with you--your BREATH. Deep breathing, especially in and out through
your nose, can transform your state of being instantly. The best way is breathing in and out, SLOWLY
and DEEPLY, through the nose , because it stimulates the vagus nerve and our parasympathetic
nervous system—so it’s the most relaxing.
Feeling emotional? Then breathe in
through the nose, and OUT through the mouth, and let out any sighs, groans or
other sounds that want to come out.
Take time each day to
pause, and take some breaths. Do this
right before you eat and you’ll digest your food better—and enjoy it more. That’s because your parasympathetic nervous
system is active during digestion, and we need to switch into parasympathetic
dominance to digest well. Rushing,
multi-tasking are NOT good for digestion.
Deep breathing is a key component of the weight loss and conscious
eating plan called the Slow Down Diet—10 deep breaths before you start each
meal. Another weight loss plan called
New You in 22 also has you do breathing to reduce stress.
#2: GROUNDING AND
STANDING AT STAKE
Grounding is very important—we can’t really handle anything
well if we’re not grounded and present, if we’re in the future or in the past,
if we’re not really in our bodies. We
can get ungrounded when we are rushing, super busy, or doing too much
multi-tasking. Strong emotions, a
shocking event, can also make us ungrounded and not present. How to
ground: stand with your knees slightly bent, and imagine you are pushing your
feet down into wet mud (easier to do without shoes), sending roots down into
the earth. Imagine energy coming up from
the earth and helping you feel grounded.
If you need more grounding, put your hands on the top of
your head and run them gently down your face, front of your body and all the
way down to your feet.
STANDING AT STAKE is a standing meditation that is part of
Qigong. It’s great to do after you do
your grounding. With your knees still
bent, raise your arms in front of you, as though you were hugging a tree. Your hands are a little higher up than your
upper arms and shoulders, and shoulders are relaxed. The palms are facing towards you, fingertips
of each hand almost touching.
Stand in this position for at least a minute, and if you
can, up to 5 or 10 minutes. You will
start to feel warmth and energy building—that is your Qi, your life force
energy or vitality. Not only will this
help you feel calmer, more grounded and peaceful but it can actually give you
energy and help you heal any health issues, over time.
Go ahead, try these—what do you have to lose but your stress
and overwhelm? Let me know how it goes..and feel free to email me with questions at HeartsAbode@gmail.com. Remember you can join
me for classes, too.
