I love to use these techniques at any point during my day to help calm down my crazy mind, clear out any fears/anxiety that I've picked up and shift my focus back to the present moment and I know they can help you throughout your day and life as well.
All of the meditative practices I'm sharing here today are so powerful because they activate the parasympathetic nervous system + allows us to physically relax. By relaxing through meditation, we turn down the volume on the fearful ego so we can welcome in the wise, inner guide to come through and lead the way.
#1. Box Breathing
Also known as equal breathing; is a very simple yet powerful technique and just 1-3 mins of doing this kind of breathing calms the nervous system and brings the breath back to it's natural rhythm.
This is my go-to beathing exercise when I find myself in high stress situations and stuck in anxiety - it helps bring me out of those funky feelings and back into a state of calm so I can choose how to respond instead of mindlessly reacting to what (and who) is around me.
How to:
1. Inhale through the nose, expanding the belly and bringing the breath up through diaphram + center chest. (4 seconds)
2. Hold at the top (4 seconds)
3. Exhale, letting the breath go from the upper chest, ribcage and then the belly, bringing the belly back in. (4 seconds)
4. Hold at the bottom (4 seconds)
5. REPEAT this cycle of breath for 1-3 mins working up to 5 - 10 mins.
This breath is so powerful because it stimulates the nerves that activate the parasympathetic nervous system + counters the fear response of the sympathetic nervous system.TIP: When doing this breath, to help keep each aspect of the breath equal, tapping the rhythm.
1-2-3-4 really helps to stay on track.
I love to do this breath when I find myself getting overwhelmed (like at work, in traffic... etc lol), when I feel my anxiety rising or when I find myself getting irritated and stuck in a cycle of complaining. This exercise brings me right back to my center + helps me shift into a better mindset instantly!
#2: Peace Begins With Me
I originally learned this beautiful meditaiton from Gabby Bernstein and it really has been such a powerful + easy practice to turn to at any point during my day.
Even if you just have one minute to spare, this practice will bring you back to a place of peace + stillness.
How to:
Touch your thumb to each fingertip while repeating the words of the mantra "Peace Beging With Me" - doing this on each hand at the same time.
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Peace = touch the index
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Begins = touch the middle
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With = touch the ring
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Me = touch the pinky
Repeating for 1-3 mins or as long as you feel you need.
This practice is so powerful and effective in calming the nervous system when you're feeling anxious, stressed, overwhelmed, or just generally out of alignment. Calming the nervous system in this way allows one to shift into a higher, more positive energetic vibration INSTANTLY!
It helps us get out of the energetic disturbance that lives beneath whats happening around us and helps us relax + restore our energy field.
#3: Gamut Point Tapping (EFT)
This next exercise I wanted to teach you is an EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique) tapping point called the Gamut Point or as I like to call it ... the "holy shit" point. If you're not quite sure what EFT is, think of it like accupressure + therapy combined.
It helps us get out of the energetic disturbance that lives beneath whats happening around us and helps us relax + restore our energy field.
There are many different tapping points all over the body used in EFT/TFT. The Gamut point is on the back of both hands in that fleshy area between the knuckles of the pinky + ring finger. Feel around for it, that point will feel a bit sore or tender that how you know it's the spot!
How to:
I like to tap on my left hand, tapping with my right hand. But you can tap the point on either hand you'd like.
Start by taking a slow, deep breath in and out through the nose. Just taking a second to settle + notice how you are feeling... taking full responsibility for your own well-being.
Begin tapping the point with 2 fingers (pointer + middle) and repeat a mantra.
Any mantra that best serves you in the moment. It can be anything you need to say to get you to begin feeling into a higher emotion.
Doing this for about 1-3 minutes.
You can repeat the same mantra or just talk yourself into a better feeling emotion.
Some mantras I enjoy using:
- I trust that the Universe is taking me where I need to go.
- I choose to see this differently, I choose love.
- I can make it through anything.
- This feeling will pass.
- I have the ability to cope.
-- It is not that great right now. But this is not the worst thing either
- This hurts, so I need to be extra kind towards myself.
Tapping the Gamut point like this activates the Vegas nerve which allows the fight or flight response within us to subside so we can get out of a state of hyper arousal.
And those are the 3 simple but totally powerful meditation techniques you can do anytime, anywhere! These techniques have been so great for me to start integrating into my daily life to help calm my anxiety, make good decisions, get back into the present moment and I know these techniques can help you as well! Let me know how these serve you and how you choose to work them into your routine!
~ Sat Nam ~