How To Replenish and Protect Your Energy In Turbulent Times (and all the time).
How are you feeling? Take a little baby moment and check in with yourself so you can go deeper than the perhaps automatically saying “fine”. Take a breath and listen for your response.
I hope you are feeling rested, vivacious or just feeling OK. If you’re doing well then Wahoooooo! This is a huge win. If you’re the opposite of these ways of being right now and headed more towards tired, worried, angry or as my friend said “shredded” then you are not alone. These are turbulent times for us humans to be living in and I get the sense that as with many challenges that I have faced in my personal life, the same applies for us as a global collective; the only way out is through (Alanis Morisette).
So how do we take care of the very centre of our personal universe, which means ourselves, during a challenge? During a pandemic with all the fear mongering that UK Government and media have peddled, also throw in the concerns about recession and on top, one of the most abhorrent acts of racist violent murder and white supremacy televised for us to see. These events and the possible consequences of them, the realisation that we need total systemic change so that everybody can live life free from oppression, has indeed left many people feeling shredded. My friend asked me Do you have ways of protecting your energy while so much craziness goes on?
I do have a few helpful ways to feel protected and replenished, and I have my training in Reiki and Yoga to thank.
Here are a few ideas to help us stay feeling whole, cleansed and somewhat sane, that take from a few moments to a few minutes.
Restoring Your Energy Boundaries 10 Minutes
This nourishing technique is inspired by a Reiki meditation called Hatsurei Ho.
Sit comfortably or lie down.
Take two slightly deeper than usual inhales and exhales. When you inhale be aware of the lower belly inflating and be aware of its soft falling on your exhale.
Place your palms on your lower abdomen (Hara) and on your next two breaths in and out, focus on sending your inhale into your hands.
Take a few seconds to tune into the body. Is there apart that feels sluggish, in need of rejuvenation? For me it is often around my lower back or adrenals that needs recharging. Place your palms on to this area and intend to feel nourished by the kindness of your own touch. Stay like this for as long as you like and then tune into another area to place your hands, if you feel to.
Bring attention back to your mind and visualise a dome of soft rose gold coloured light protecting your body about 1 foot above you, keeping you safe inside.
Inhale this protective rose coloured energy and then softly blow it out of your mouth to the edges of this rose coloured dome. Repeat this breath a few times. You are filling in the edges of your energy body with your own sacred breath.
The Energy Shower 3-5 minutes
This practice is inspired by the Reiki Shower which I teach on the Reiki Level One training. It is best done outside to connect with the Earth beneath your feet, but inside is fine too.
Stand with your feet a little wider than hip distance apart. Create a solid connection to the ground that’s supporting you. Imagine drawing energy up out of the earth through your feet, visulise it travelling up your legs. Tune into your body sensations, see if you can feel the energy moving upwards through you. It doesn’t matter if you don’t feel anything, the practice is still working because your intention is enough.
Visualise this energy moving up into your heart. Place your palms over your heart. Inhale deeply through your nose and exhale completely through your mouth. Hover your palms over your head, about 30 centimetres above. Visualise light streaming down from your hands into the crown of your head, clearing and cleansing your physical body and energy body. Draw your palms down to hover over your ears, in front of your face and above your shoulders. Take a moment to thank the Earth energy for supporting and clearing you.
Shake Your Thang! 30 Seconds-1 Minute
Shaking helps to reorganise energy(Ki/Prana) and information (Chitta) flow around the body.
Stand up with your feet slightly apart. Let your arms be loose by your sides. Imagine the shoulders dropping, relaxing like a chord being cut that holds them up. Keep a small bend in your knees and just pulse up and down keeping feet connected to the ground. Let your arms get involved too so your whole body pulses up and down. Shake your arms out in front of you, above you and behind you, stirring up your energy field. Intend that you are shaking off any situation or feeling that has been draining you. Let your movement get more vigorous and stop when you are ready. Stand still. Place your palms over your heart and feel your previous movements reverberate and echo in your body. Fancy shaking your thang? Try it out in my short Yoga movement and relaxation video.
You Cannot Pour From An Empty Vessel-Elenor Brown
Keep nourished. Times of change call for self care being a priority. Remember self care is as basic as getting enough rest, staying hydrated and eating nourishing food. Watching too much news and taking in too much information can leave us feeling fried. Be discerning about what you say yes or no to. Start saying no to people more often if you feel like your tank is empty.
In school we never get taught how to truly care for ourselves, sometimes we never get taught this in our childhood either. Life can often shove us into needing to take extra care of our energy levels and manage our output so we do not get left depleted. It is up to us to learn ways to nourish ourselves so that the pandemic of ‘Burn Out’ becomes a thing of the past.
Reiki is a beautiful practice for keeping oneself feeling nourished and cleansed. If you would like to find out more about Reiki and book a session, click here
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