Dearest soulful being,
It’s a lot to take in… the loss, loss of life and jobs, loss of feelings of safety and comfort. But it is essential that you feel the feelings so they can move through you. Over the past eight years I have implemented extreme self-care for myself and taught this to my students and my clients around the world. Here are my 6 go to self care practices. Stay safe, positive and well and always live in a high vibration!
1. Surrender – When it comes to self care surrender may seem a little strange but surrender means you allow yourself to be held in the moment. As a medium, the gift of surrender means I let go of my ego self, I open up so I can see more deeply into any situation that I’m working on and for my clients. It’s as if I am lifted on a cloud and I’m able to be held in the blank and the emptiness. Allow yourself to surrender to the moment and be present in the now, this will be one of the biggest gifts you can give yourself. My go-to is the Serenity Prayer. “God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference”.
2. Rest – Go slow, take it easy. Extreme self-care means sleep in, take naps, sit and just be. We are all stressed out and fearful of what is next, you are not lazy if you rest. Give from your abundance and not from your reserve. It is so essential that you put your energy and yourself first so that you have what you need to be there for the other people in your life. This helps you respond to situations with compassion, kindness, observation and empathy.
3. Meditate – It may seem silly and obvious to say to meditate during chaos but recent studies have shown that as little as 11 hours of cumulative meditation has been shown to actually shift the patterns in the brain, reduce anxiety, boost the immune system, and bring the body into resilience. By cumulative, they mean it could happen over a month or year but 11 hours of meditation total so remember even 5 minutes makes a difference!
4. Abhyanga – Oiling the body. In Ayurvedic medicine, a body massage with oil is essential. The benefits include increased circulation, calming the nerves, lubricates the joints, better sleep at night and purifies the skin, which is your largest organ. To start, use warm sesame or coconut oil, perhaps 1/3 cup, then dip your fingers in the oil and apply light pressure to your heart, belly, hands, feet, apply the oil in a circular motion throughout your whole body and then allow yourself to rest and let your body digest the healing benefits.
5. Tonglen – One of my favorite meditative practices is Tonglen. Here is a meditation led by Pema Chödrön. It is to focus on relieving suffering for all beings everywhere! I’ve been doing it twice a day.
6. Power Posing – As a teacher of therapeutic yoga I understand the importance of power posing and positioning our bodies. Here is a really fun video by Amy Cuddy about power posing. Remember your body is always listening and responding to how you feel- so enjoy this link to power posing.
7. Mudras – Mudras are hand poses that can shift the subtle body. I offer insight and instruction every Monday on my Facebook page. Hope you can join me! Here is a peek at what to expect from Mudra Mondays.
Be well bright beautiful soul, you are more resilient and vibrant than you know.
All the love in my heart and spirit,
Melissa
