Discover 3 simple ways to reclaim your calm quickly

Is it just me, or does the world seems to be speeding up? Our retreat participants are telling us that they’re feeling frazzled, their to-do lists are getting out of hand, that the workload is piling up, that social invitations are feeling like a pressure not a pleasantry, that they’re so busy looking after the family that there’s never enough time to get on the yoga mat.

 

I know the feeling. It’s challenging not to get ‘caught up’ in the busy-ness of life and work. It’s addictive and I must confess that as I sat down on the end of my bolster to meditate this week, I found myself feeling wired. My thinking mind hijacked me into an old pattern of thinking, “I should be doing something more productive… I should be achieving something…” and my body felt like I’d had three flat whites. All of this is a sure sign that I need to reclaim my calm and here’s how…

3 Simple Ways to Reclaim Your Calm Quickly

Step 1. Breathe

It always brings a smile to my dial when I’m in a yoga class and the instructor says, “find your breath”. Ha! As if we could ‘lose’ our breath, it’s continuously flowing right!? What the instructor actually means is bring your attention to your breath. Focus on it. Feel the breath. Notice whether your breath is shallow and only moving your collar bones or whether your breath is expanding and deflating your belly. The breath is a barometer for how calm or wired you are in any given moment. A fast way to switch on your calm is to breathe slowly and deeply into your belly for one minute.

Step 2. Relax Your Muscles

Each time you exhale relax a part of your body. Exhale and relax your shoulder. Exhale and relax your jaw. Exhale and relax the muscles around your eyes etc. The body and mind are linked. Relax your body and the mind will follow.

Step 3. Use Mantra

A mantra is a word or phrase that you repeat, that brings you into the present moment. Each time you exhale and relax, say the word “calm”, or phrase “becoming calm”. Repeat.

By now, you are giving your conscious mind plenty to do, which will distract it from whatever thought was previously making you wired and hey presto, calm and you can accomplish this in 1-5 minutes. Give it a go and give yourself a minute’s peace right now.

Quote

“When I am hassled about something, I always stop and ask myself what difference it will make in the evolution of the human species in the next ten million years, and that question always helps me to get back my perspective.”
– Anne Wilson Schaef, ‘Meditations for women who do too much’

Discovery Coaching Questions

What could you let go of to simplify your life?
What could you do less of?
What could you say ‘no’ to?
We’d love to hear about, ‘what brings you into calm?’