Stressed? Get In Control with Meditation
A Guest Blog by Shannon Earthtree
Owner of Siri Karam - Kundalini Yoga & Vedic Astrology
Do you ever feel tense and anxious and maybe not even know why? Have you ever made a small problem into a big one? Have you ever felt pulled in five different directions and snapped a little...or a lot?
With a regular meditation practice we can slow down and notice how we really feel and see the reality of things before we do or say something we can’t take back. It can help us to know when we need to take a break from things. It can help us notice and evaluate unhealthy habits. I can even help us to see where we need to establish boundaries. It really helps us to listen deeply to the self.
I like the idea of the onion. As I sit, I can feel the external layers peel away and what I am left with is more and more of my SELF, and less and less distractions, old ideas, old beliefs, everyday drama, negativity, judgement of my self and others. I can go into the truth of who I am. There is no room for stress and anxiety. I can see what is really valuable in life, and what is just noise.
During this quarantine, I have had to adjust how I practice. Since I work from home, I usually have plenty of time to myself and plenty of quiet. The perfect scenario to practice meditation! With my family home more, I have made some adjustments. I don’t have those big chunks of time to myself right now. I can fight against that or just make it work. I might get in 20 minutes of uninterrupted practice every now and then, and I do what I can to gently cultivate that opportunity. Often I’ll just sit on the couch or the edge of my bed when I have 2 or 3 minutes and just get quiet inside. It all counts! This way I am looking for, and grateful for, a little space here and there instead of being frustrated that I didn’t have the “perfect” meditation.
Meditation teaches us what it feels like to activate the parasympathetic nervous system. This is the relax and restore mode in the body. When we meditate, the body can easily switch over into this state. The heart rate slows, breathing slows down and digestion improves. This all lowers the load of stress in the body. This stress is called the allostatic load. When we can switch over into the parasympathetic nervous system, the allostatic load is lessened. This does not happen in one day. This is a gradual process that you might see and feel after a few weeks of daily (or almost daily) meditation.
Also, as you regularly go into this state of intentionally activating the parasympathetic nervous system and your body gets used to this intentional activation, you can start to do this outside of your meditation time. The body will recognize what a deep, intentional breath means and it will respond. This is where things get really good! When you can take a deep breath in a triggering situation (where you are physically safe) and can feel a calm take over, then we can really feel the rewards. When we can act, rather than react to situations, this is where we can see little and
then big changes in our thoughts, actions, and relationships. Our lives become less stressful and more enjoyable.
Tips for getting started:
Do your best to find a quiet place where you are not likely to be disturbed (good luck with that:)).
Turn your phone off.
Sit comfortably: sit in a chair, the edge of your bed, or on the floor cross-legged or any way that feels easy to you.
Close your eyes, or leave them open and soften your gaze.
Now, keep it simple. Allow your mind to relax. You can focus on the breath for a little while. Then that might fall away and you can experience the quiet...then the thoughts will likely come in again. When you notice that you are thinking, it is OK. Decide to focus on the breath again. It is a cycle that repeats itself over and over and over and over.
Just try 3 minutes to start. Keep it simple and congratulate yourself for even sitting down with the intention to give this a try. Whatever happens is the perfect thing. There will be days where you will feel more successful than others. It all counts. Just sit down every day (or almost every day). See if you can just enjoy the time rather than having a goal or creating more stress for yourself. 3 minutes for you to just spend time with you.
You are worth it!
Shannon Earthtree is a Yoga and Meditation practitioner and teacher specializing in the Kundalini Yoga tradition. She is available for online private instruction as well as online group classes. She also practices Vedic Astrology. She lives in Telluride, CO with her amazing family and attends Booties religiously.
sirikaram.com
shannonearthtree@gmail.com
970.708.7924
