It’s a wild time in the world. Fortunately our awareness around wellness and well-being has increased dramatically over the past ten years and is in more peoples’ consciousness. But… we don’t always have time to get to the healing center. Or perhaps there isn’t one near us. The good news is that you have more resources in your own being than you might have realized. It’s kind of like the book, All I Really Need To Know I Learned In Kindergarten. You’ve read about or been to the workshop where you’ve learned these tools and techniques. Now to apply them on your own, in the comfort of your home or on your daily commute. Lord knows the subway could use all the help it can get! It can actually be a spiritual journey, that morning commute. If we know how to use the tools we already have in our tool belt.
1. Breathe.
You’ve heard about it in every meditation you’ve ever done. The breath is the beginning and the end of our human experience. From the moment we are born, until the moment we move on to the next phase. Pay attention to it. Right now, pause. How deeply are you breathing? Could you relax your belly a little bit more? Could you bring your breath a little bit lower down into your hips. Bringing awareness to our breath helps us to come into the present moment, out of the mind and its chaos (if your mind is like my mind). Breathing a little bit deeper will help us to ground and to center ourselves in our body.
2. Relax.
It’s a lost art in our society. We are on the go and on the move and on and on and on. It’s exciting because that comes from being creative, ambitious individuals but it’s also important to slow down sometimes and let all that activity, all that information we are taking in constantly to sink it and be processed. Relaxation allows the nervous system to slip into a parasympathetic state where the body naturally heals itself. Try some warm tea and a book at the end of the day instead of a movie or social media. Try a slow walk through the park instead of a jog. What happens when we relax and slow down and take that time out to smell the roses. Our receptivity increases and we can hear the subtler voices of our soul, instead of that noisy mind.
3. Surrender.
What does this mean? I heard it a lot in regards to spirituality and healing, and am still working on applying it in my own life. It’s an even deeper level of relaxation. It’s the knowing that we can’t control things and it comes with a level of trust in the Universe and our selves. When we are over stretched instead of freaking out just saying to ourselves, “Ok, I’ll just do what I can. It’s ok.” Because it is okay and we can only do what we can do. If we take away that layer of stress and just focus on the task at hand then we’ll do that task well and then see what is next. It’s being comfortable with the list never being completed.
4. Laughter.
I’ve studied a lot of different things in my journey as a healer but one of my absolute favorite tools is laughter. When we laugh our bodies secrete the happy neurotransmitters: endorphins, dopamine and serotonin. When we are stressed our body secretes the stress hormones adrenaline and cortisol. Most of the diseases in our society are caused by stress. But the magic behind laughter yoga is that our brains don’t know the difference between fake and real laughter, ha ha. Try it, say “ha ha” out loud. It loosens things. In laughter yoga we do an exercise where we talk about things we are feeling stressed about and we laugh at them. When we choose to laugh at something that we normally wouldn’t we are actually changing our brain chemistry. As we laugh our brain opens up to more creative solutions and we release some of the heaviness out of the situation.
5. Intention.
Our intentions are so powerful! As healers (we all are healers) and as humans our intention is like an umbrella that protects us and will guide us to where we are supposed to be, what we are here for. When I first started studying healing and learning about intention mine came to me: “May I be a clear channel for love and healing.” Ten years later this is the same intention I work with. It’s guided me into magical situations and allowed me to be that channel for healing in and out of the treatment room. What is your intention? The question is also, “What am I here for?” Spend some time with this. In the morning or evening with some time spent in gentle meditation ask yourself, “What am I here for?” You can write the answers also. Sometimes things come through the pen and paper that may not come through the silence. If it doesn't come the first day, continue to ask yourself this. Perhaps growing up we asked ourselves what we wanted to be when we grew up, but this is a slightly different question. Because I can be a healer, and a clear channel for love and healing in different occupations. It’s our secret mission on earth and we all have one. A unique one for each of us.
6. Connect.
When things get rough reach out to a friend or community who uplifts you. We don’t have to do it alone. We’re in this earth experience together. If the healing center isn’t near you call your friends and make the women’s circle. You know how to do it. Intention! Sharing, listening. Maybe some dancing and writing.. Let it come. You will know what to do. Trust yourself. You are more powerful than you realize.
7. Kindness.
Back to the subway! What does everyone need on the subway including ourselves? Kindness! It’s early and we’re all squeezed in tight. Send some metta- that’s the Buddhist loving, kindness meditation. You repeat these phrases, “May I be happy, May I be healthy, May I be peaceful. May you be happy. May you be healthy. May you be peaceful. May all beings be happy. May all beings be healthy. May all beings be peaceful.” When you see someone struggling on the subway, say these phrases to them (to yourself). If you are struggling on the subway, say these phrases to yourself. If you are having a hard time with someone, say these phrases to them in your mind. They are powerful and magical. A healing salve for all of our relationships. It’s a way to bring healing magic into the subway and wherever you go. They're calming for the mind and healing for the World. You can repeat them over and over.
8. Gratitude.
It’s true, we have so much to be grateful for. If you find yourself complaining internally try thinking of some things you are grateful for. There are so many. We are so blessed. Giving thanks uplifts our moods and helps us to come into alignment with our higher selves. An advanced version of this is giving thanks for the challenging things! These are the things that help us to grow so thank them! We are here to grow and evolve. Give thanks for it all.
You have the tools. The trick is remembering them and using them when you are feeling like you need a little uplifting.
