Welcome In Feelings Of Comfort

Breathwork is the most efficient way to make changes in your body and in your energy field. And if you find yourself not yet and soon drifting into sleep, you can continue to welcome in feelings of comfort and ease. If you need to repeat this to yourself a few more times, go ahead and do so now. Each time you read this or hear this, remember these words and soaking up a sense of comfort and ease because it is familiar to you. Welcome in feelings of comfort and ease whether you are not sleeping or sleeping even deeper than before. Breath is the quickest way to change your state. It is through breath that we can begin to shift our brain wave frequency. A calming breath practice can be very helpful in the middle of night, or really anytime. In yogic teachings, it’s said that when we learn to control our breath, we can maintain the mind. Our bodies are preparing for danger and releasing adrenaline even though there is no actual danger. And oftentimes, we get used to breathing shallower breaths just from the upper chest. By slowing down the breath, we can calm the mind.

Breaking Down

Breathe regulation leads to better emotional regulation. There seem to be more and more science journals publishing research on pranayama and breath work. Left nostril breathing activates the parasympathetic nervous system, which is the part of our nervous system responsible for relaxation, rest, and digestion. This can be done lying down. However, if you’ve been tossing and turning for awhile, it might be helpful to sit up and meditate. Take your right index finger and gently hold down the right nostril. Slowly breathe in and out through the left nostril. Slow your breath down as much as you can. Continue for at least three minutes. The left nostril is associated with the energy of the moon, the energy of receptivity, the feminine within us all. You might also imagine a color that you feel is relaxing. Perhaps it’s a soft purple or a pale green.

Something For The Weekend

It should be whatever color represents relaxation for you. And with each breath in and each breath out through the left nostril, visualize breathing that color in and out. Place thumbs to gently hold down the cartilage flap in front of each ear canal to cover the ear canal. Breathe gently in and out. Inhale through the nose. Exhale through the nose as you chant the mantra Om with your mouth closed. Om is the sound and vibration of the entire universe. Feel and hear the reverberation and the hum through your head. Repeat this cycle six times. If you can’t feel the vibration in your head, hum at a higher pitch. Allow your hum to be strong enough to feel but gentle enough to calm your system. Start noticing what time it is when you are waking up.

We All Die Someday

Lungs in traditional Chinese medicine are aligned with grief. So, I’ve been asking myself if there’s some grief I’ve been dealing with recently. I have also been taking the time to feel if grief or loss of some sort resonates, and when I’ve checked in with myself, I’ve found that it doesn’t. So, then I look to the opposite organ on the wheel, which is Bladder. Oddly enough, I have been waking up at that time to use the bathroom. So, my three o’clock wakeups might be an indicator that Bladder energy is low and needs strengthening. It’s been a few weeks since I wrote that last paragraph, and I mentioned that grief wasn’t really resonating at the time. I had a revelation last night that much of my writing struggle is related to grieving my complicated loss of identity as a kundalini yoga teacher. I chose to walk away about a year ago. Kundalini had been such a huge part of my spiritual foundation. Of course, my spirituality is intact and stronger than ever, and I’m learning to let go of my ego that had so identified with teaching and sharing kundalini. Now I’m learning to just be in the liminal space. It’s a bit shocking to realize that I am still in a grieving process and that the feelings in this process can still be painful. By acknowledging and sharing, you can open up space around the wound. Let the emotions unwind themselves and let them move through your system at their own pace. As in this personal example, you may notice that energy often knows more about you than your conscious mind might be ready to acknowledge. When I initially checked in with myself, I couldn’t see that there was grief, but there it was coming to the surface weeks later. So, if you follow the meridian clock and trace it according to your conscious mind, you will only see what your consciousness is dealing with and only work with that top layer of energy. Sometimes it takes time and openness to discover the deeper layers of anxiety. In my case, the fear was there and palpable to my conscious mind, so in the middle of the night I might hold a Bladder point for balancing and clearing fear. But now that I’m aware of my grief, I might hold a Lung point to strengthen myself and allow myself to process this grief. There are many acupressure points that you can learn more about online. With the fingers of the left hand at the temple and the rest of the left hand holding the face, place your right hand on the collarbone at the base of the throat. Hold for a few minutes or however long feels right for you. When you are ready, switch sides and hold the right side with the right hand. This is incredibly soothing for your system and calms the Triple Warmer and the vagus nerve, giving you a sense of peace and safety. The best part is that this hold is easily done while sleeping on your side.