With just a few days to go before winter officially arrives, the pressure of the holidays is mounting! The adrenaline is starting to rise as you think about all the preparations you still have to make?
It's possible to remain calm, as if in the eye of the storm, while everything is moving around you and you're being pulled in many directions. There are so many ways of doing this, but I'd like to offer you four simple and very quick practices that you can use in the run-up to and during the festive season, and indeed at any time of the year when you're feeling unsettled. The more you use them, the more you'll feel the effect, and quickly...
1. Spoon technique
If you use this technique in public, you'll probably be accused of witchcraft like me, because it looks weird, but it's a way of releasing stagnant energy in the feet, activating energy flow, grounding yourself and relaxing.
The feet are our main connection with the energy of the earth and contain a host of acupressure points. The spoon should be stainless steel (slightly magnetic) though. Here's how to use it...
Scrape the top of the foot with the handle, between the tendons of the toes, starting from the ankle. Then, with the back of the spoon, rub the bottom of your foot in circles or figure 8s. Do both feet. About 15 seconds on each foot will be enough, but if it feels good, keep going!
Stress hold
This technique helps you get out of your primal reactions by linking the reptilian brain to the more evolved neocortex, calming the system that makes us flee, freeze or fight when we feel threatened.
With one hand on your forehead and the other behind your head, take a deep breath in through your nose and out through your mouth three to five times, or until you feel your system calm down.
Blow out!
I love this technique for getting rid of excess energy, repressed anger or frustrations that disorganise my thinking. To try it is to adopt it!
Feet apart,
- breathe in with your fists clenched in front of you
- Swing your arms down, back and over your head
- Exhale with an energetic ‘shhhh’ and drop your arms quickly
- Repeat two or three times but do the last one slowly and feel the tension dissipate.
Maintain your bubble
People often refer to their ‘bubble’ as their personal space, and heaven knows that during the festive season many people enter our bubble! The bubble is our energy field, also called the aura, which acts as a filter and protection. It normally reaches our fingertips when we have our arms outstretched. When we're tired, ill, or change time zones, our field may be smaller or offset, making us more vulnerable.
It's very easy to strengthen our aura by waving our arms all around us, including above our head and under our feet, in the shape of figure 8s of different sizes. Finish by imagining the outline of your aura and smoothing it out with your hands.
Use all these techniques in under 10 minutes, or separately if you have less time. Have fun! and don't hesitate to share them with your children and partner to help them calm down and have a peaceful holiday season!
Let me know how it goes and if you have any questions! And if you enjoyed this article, you might also like the previous ones on procrastination and wind entry points. You can find them here. To stay informed of upcoming articles, register for the newsletter.
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