Here is a favorite meditation of mine to practice and teach. I have been sharing this regularly with clients who are struggling with anxiety and worry.
This meditation is called: Perspective and Emotional Balance, Alternate Nostril Breathing Sit with straight spine on the floor with legs crossed or in a chair. Eyes: Eyes are closed, pressed gently up, focusing at the Brow Point, also called 3rd eye (roll your eyes gently up and then in toward the bridge of your nose) . Mudra (hand position): Left hand is in gian mudra resting on your knee. To do this, press the pad of your index finger into the bad of your thumb. Use the right thumb and right index finger to close off alternate nostrils. Breath: Close off the right nostril with the right thumb. Inhale deeply through the left nostril. When the breath is full, close off the left nostril with the index finger, and exhale smoothly through the right nostril. The breath is complete, continuous, and smooth. Feel the expansion of your belly as you inhale and feel your chest drop down, then draw the navel back toward your spine on the exhale (exhaling completely). Time: Continue with long, deep regular breaths for 3-11 minutes. I recommend starting with 3 minutes and slowly building up if you wish. To End: Inhale, exhale completely, hold the breath out for a moment. Relax completely. Taking a few more breaths here before you move on with your day. I like to recommend practicing meditation at the same time every day, but there is always the ideal and the real. So do what works best for you, but finding a way to practice daily will give best results. You may find you like to start your day with this meditation or end you day with it, or even both. It is excellent to do before bed to let go of the worries of the day. Inhaling through the left nostril is calming and cooling and stimulates the brain's capacity to reset your framework of thinking and feeling, allowing new perspectives. Exhaling through the right nostril relaxes the constant computations and cautions of the brain (worry and anxiety), which helps to break automatic patterns. Regulating your breath pattern in this way sets a new level of brain functioning which establishes emotional balance and calmness after periods of intense stress or shock.
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Listen to Dr. John Douillard and Patrick McKeown discuss the benefits of nostril breathing and how they connect to everything we care about from getting quality sleep and sleep apnea to ADHD, to depression and anxiety, to athletic endurance and performance, to other health issues. It's chock full of substantive information. You can't multi-task this though; while it's easy enough for the layman to understand, it requires your full attention.
Turmeric is an excellent anti-inflammatory, digestive, anti-parasitic & anti-bacterial. It is rich in antioxidants and can boost your immune system. The Turmeric Paste is also excellent stirred into rice or soup with a crack of black pepper to help boost it's immune strengthening properties.
Turmeric Paste: 1/4 cup turmeric 1/2 cup water To make the turmeric paste: Cook turmeric and water in a pan until thick paste is formed. This paste will keep in the fridge for 1-2 weeks. Golden Milk (Individual Cup): 1 cup plant milk (almond, oat, soy are all good) 1 tsp almond oil 1/4 tsp turmeric paste Maple syrup or agave Add the turmeric paste & almond oil to hot milk. Stir in sweetener to taste. This is a must listen. Take the time. You won't regret it.Rich Roll and MD Zach Bush generously shares real information, both science-based and heart-centered, to connect, inspire, and empower. They are not based in fear nor are they complicit in contributing towards power dynamics and dependencies. They bring to us what we need to hear to heal ourselves and the world. It's 1 hour 49 minutes long. If you want to get right into it, start the video at 14:50. The word on the street is yogis are flexible right? This flexibility is not just about the body, more importantly, it's about the mind. We need this flexibility now more than ever to be able to be agile, to change and adapt to new situations quickly. To be able to "move with the cheese" (have you read this book?) means we can live with purpose, open to new possibilities without the stress and worry of what's next. Sounds like a yoga & meditation practice to us. This is why we practice, to prepare for times of uncertainty.
And we see you all doing this! Coming together, supporting each other and us, adjusting to this new virtual way of life with hope and optimism. Thank you for continuing to keep up for yourselves and each other. We are grateful for your kind words of encouragement & gratitude as well as your generosity and support of community members who have been financially impacted by COVID-19. Over the last month we received unsolicited donations ranging between $75-$300. These funds go into our Community Growth fund to support clients who cannot afford to pay for classes due to loss of income. If you would like to make a donation into the Community Growth fund, please visit us here. Or perhaps you know someone in the healthcare or the service industry who could use some self care right now or in coming months. Here we have gift cards available for 10 class passes, Unlimited Yoga, and Bodywork services which can be used at anytime throughout the year. We are grateful for you. We feel blessed to serve you. We honor and pray for you. With love, Savitree & Jodh from Jodh Kaur's blogThe meaning and essence of the mantra Har Har Mukanday is liberation from the challenges that hold you back. Chanting this mantra helps you turn your obstacles into opportunities. What a mantra for this time we are living in! Try chanting this mantra every day in April if: ...you find yourself sinking into fear or anxiety ...you are feeling stuck ...you are running out of projects to complete at home ...you are uncertain about your future ...you are tired of being in the house ...you are frustrated by your current circumstances ...you are bored with technology ...you are worried about the health of yourself, your loved ones, your finances ...your mind isn't turning off even when it's time to sleep ...you are consuming too much media ...you feel things will be different, but aren't sure how ...you are feeling called to make changes in your life big or small. Chant the mantra with music (see below) or without. Commit to chanting it daily for 11 minutes and notice the shifts that take place within you. Notice shifts in your vibration, emotions, mindset and thought patterns. And turn your obstacles into opportunities. With grace & gratitude, Jodh Kaur |
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Favorite LinksKundalini Yoga Quotes:“I’d never felt anything like it; it was just an opening of energy and a feeling of such liberation.” -Marika Bethel, owner, Glowing House |