RESOURCES
Breathing: The Magic of the Present Moment
Cleansing breaths help us to stay in the present moment. Many of us dwell on the past and worry about the future. However, the only thing we have control over is ourselves and the present moment.
Begin by taking in a deep cleansing breath in your nose and out of your mouth. Notice when you breathe in, the breath is cool and when you breathe out, it is warm. Our body knows how to help itself if we allow it to happen. Closing your eyes may help you from becoming distracted from your surrounding.
Place your feet flat on the ground so you can feel Mother Earth supporting you. Now take deep breaths in your nose and out your mouth. Imagine all the unwanted energy that is keeping you from feeling grounded, centered and focused is leaving your body. Do this until you feel calm once again.
2. Three-Finger Grounding
Our body is like a battery. The left side of the body is how we receive positively charged energy and the right side of the body is what we give out to the world which is the opposite charge. In order to balance these two polarities, all we have to do is place our thumb, first finger and second finger together on our right and left hand; then rest them on your lap and it will help ground you and bring both sides of your system into balance.
This works best when you are feeling overwhelmed, anxious or out of sorts as if you are not in your body. Within five minutes, you will feel focused, grounded and centered once again.
3. Body Tapping: Calming the Inner Child
There is a groove right above your lip and just below your nose. This place is directly connected to your nervous system that calms down the body or the inner child within us all.
Take your first finger on your left hand and tap gently, saying “Everything is going to be alright” while tapping your upper lip. Do this until you feel a shift within your system and you will know when to stop because you will feel comforted and calm once again.
4. Focusing our Thoughts
Credits: Leslie Ward
Stand with your feet spread out at your shoulder length. Stretch your arms out and take in a deep cleansing breath. Then, bring in your arms as if you are scooping up energy to your head saying, “I gather my thoughts”. Stretch out your arms again bringing them into the center of your body, crossing over your right hand and left hand meeting at the center point like a cross saying, “I focus my energy”; and as you uncross your hands say, “The path is clear”.
5. Releasing Trauma from the Body
Credits: Leslie Ward
This tool helps you to focus in on your body to see what is taking place within it. Many of us do not pay attention to what our bodies are telling us, so they give us headaches, backaches, stomach aches, and body aches of all types. It is our body’s way of saying “please listen to me”. To bring quick relief to your body you can use the following tool:
Begin by noticing where the pain in your body is; look at your first finger on your left hand and say, “I notice there is pain (be specific of where it is and what type of pain it is) “I do not accept it, leave my body now”. Then point your finger out to Mother Earth and observe the hurtful energy leaving your body. It is a quick fix and very helpful.
