If you have ever been on an airplane, you have heard the staff tell the adults to “take the oxygen first” if the air pressure is compromised, This is also an important thing to do in our everyday lives. During a time when we are told “to help others, give to others, and think of others”, taking the oxygen first may sound wrong. But it is more important than ever for us to get to know and nourish our mental/emotional, energetic and physical selves. The stressors of everyday life (work, lack of work, children, illness, spouses, friends) will be easer to handle when you have done the work to create calming practices in your life.
Imagine giving a talk at work after waking up late, full of caffeine after a late night, your body aching from rushing to work after not exercising for days. You are unable to be a team player because you have no energy or patience for anyone else. Now imagine being at work energized from a good night sleep, after eating a full nutritious breakfast and exercising or doing yoga or breath work before heading to the office. Your talk will be much better in the second scenario because you took the time for a morning routine, putting yourself first, nourishing your mind and body. You will also be able to respond to your co-workers in a more calm and thoughtful way.
Another way our bodies hold onto stress and pain is through our thoughts. “Our issues are in our tissues'‘ is a common phrase that talks to the fact that our body absorbs the terrors and joys of daily living. Donald Hebb, a Canadian psychologist, says that our mental activity leaves behind lasting physical structures in our brain and body. If we are constantly allowing negative thoughts and experiences to rule our days, our energy will always be thick or stuck.
After a Reiki session, clients report feeling calmer, lighter, cooler, with a less foggy mind. Pain can be reduced and there is just a sense of well-being. Yoga and breathing or mindfulness exercises can also create flow and awareness in the present moment and how we relate to it. All of these activities encourage the parasympathetic nervous system to rest, relax and digest.
Four sources of prana or energy are:
Breath - our breath is our source of life, we can practice breathing activities that can calm and energize.
Sleep - our body rejuvenates during our sleep, also activating the parasympathetic nervous system
Nutrition - focusing on fruits and vegetables that nourish our bodies
Meditation/mindfulness - maintains low stress by focusing on the living moment. When the mind is left unchecked, it is not a very good master - the mind is much better when it can become the servant. Mindfulness can help the brain and our daily thoughts as it creates a buffer between a stimulus and a response that becomes calm and thoughtful. We have 50,000-70,000 thoughts a day, if left unnoticed our bodies will suffer.
If you are interested in mindfulness, yoga on and off the mat, or Reiki - please contact me!