VERONICA LEE

In addition to the scientific studies about the benefits of laughter, we know laughter is good for us because we feel it in every cell of our being. Whether something spontaneous makes us laugh, we hear a joke or watch a comedy, we have plenty of opportunities to laugh.
  
And if we can't find any opportunities to laugh, we can make them!  

One of the easiest poses in yoga is called Laughing Baby. If you haven't tried it before, you may wonder why it's called Laughing Baby. If you have, you probably felt a bit silly doing it, especially if your yoga instructor encouraged you to start laughing once you got into the pose! Whether it's sillier to do it in a class full of other adults or alone in your living room (laughter included, of course), is your judgment call. Either way, it's a fun way to stretch your body while lifting your spirits!

To make your way to Laughing Baby pose:

1. Lie on your back on a yoga mat or soft carpet.
2. Bend your knees to your chest.
3. Open your knees, bringing them towards your armpits.
4. Make sure your ankles are directly over your knees, so that your shins are perpendicular to the floor.
5. Flex your feet.
6. Either old the outer edges of your feet as you draw the knees towards the floor, or hook your forefingers around your big toes.
7. Start laughing - as loudly as you can, and deep from your belly - as you enjoy the full experience of becoming a Laughing Baby!

As humans living on Earth we have agreed to be in relationships in some way or another. Unless one is a hermit in complete isolation, even our casual interactions are relationships in their simplest forms. And, at this time of great cosmic shifts, we are in the midst of big changes in our own lives and, as such, have likely experienced some major relationship shifts in the past year or so. Although relationships have come and gone over the course of our lives, the recent changes seem far more profound and permanent. As well, our soul’s desire to feel more connected to others has deepened. We are recognizing the Oneness of All That Is and want to heal our perceptions, if not our realities, of separation consciousness.

It may not be possible to mend all the dissolved relationships in our life, but we can certainly work with an intention to bring Love Consciousness to the origins of each of them.

What is the point of bringing anything to the “origins” of our relationships?
As all things are energy, and in reality there is no time or space, in truth we are always working with energy in present time. Thus, wherever something may seem on the spectrum of time, we always have access to it.

Back in linear time, we and our relationships have pasts and our strained relationships have been impacted by past energies that have lead to current issues. By infusing the formation of a relationship with Love Consciousness, we can positively influence the course of its linear path to affect the ever-present. Whether or not we literally repair the relationship is not a guarantee, but by enlightening the relationship’s origin, we can free ourselves from emotional baggage and find peace in What Is. And, likely, What Is will feel much more peaceful.

Of course, with a dedicated spiritual practice and inner work, it’s possible to find peace in all areas of our lives, and by working at the energetic level of our relationships, we can make tangible shifts in how we partake in them, even if they have dissolved completely.
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This simple, mindful technique is both powerful and accessible. As our intuitive selves mature and we awaken the greater consciousness within us, we gain access to insights and abilities once reserved only for shamans and highly spiritual people.

It cannot be stressed enough to be both clear and loving in your intentions while doing this exercise:

1. Begin by selecting just one relationship that has been strained; perhaps it’s a relationship with a parent, estranged friend, boss or any other relationship in which you would like to experience a shift. With your mind’s eye, or your intention, bring this person – specifically your relationship with him/her – into your awareness with as much neutrality as possible. Notice your emotions, if they arise, but don’t engage them.
2. With your imagination, follow the energy path of the relationship to its origin. Try to identify what was going on in each of your lives at the time you met, such as life conditions, emotional needs or wounds, self-perceptions and other important factors. You can also choose to follow the energetic path to where the constriction in the relationship seemed to start; though the origin of the relationship is key to the subtler, more pertinent, patterning. You don’t need to rely on factual information, just allow whatever comes through to be present. Try to be objective.
3. Notice how the relationship has developed based on its original formation. Is it competitive? Is one person dominant, or needy? Although the observations that come may seem “judgmental”, stay in the center of “discerning” and simply pay attention to the unfoldment of the relationship.
4. Once you identify the origin, constrictions, and subsequent patterning, send the relationship unconditional Love. Use clear intention to send the highest frequencies of Love Consciousness to the relationship’s origin. You can also do this to any areas of “issues” that formed over time.
5. Use energy work, visualization, sound healing or any other modality to work with the pattern. You are not fixing the relationship; the intention is to simply "loosen" the constrictions to help “untangle” the energy. As you would a delicate gift, gently and lovingly open the "ball" of energy by infusing it with Love Consciousness.
6. Repeat the energy work daily, in a meditative state. Whether you work in the morning or evening, bring mindful intention to the relationship work for a week or two. While doing so, it is important to give the person in your imagination energetic space. Remember you are working with the patterns of the relationship, not the person.
7. Release expectations and work with clear consciousness. The intention of this work is to be open and loving, not manipulative, so it is important to be as clear as possible. If your own energy is filled with anger, you will simply be reinforcing the hardships in the relationship. Ask your angels or Source for assistance, neutrality, and impulses of Love Consciousness, if necessary. With as much purity as possible, you are infusing Love into the original situation so it may evolve into the present as a reflection of this sacred work.

In reality, you may think there is no need to do anything to dissolved relationships that no longer serve you. This is true, perhaps. Yet, with no hope or desire to reunite an estranged relationship, you have nothing to lose except time spent in loving intention, right?

Nonetheless, in this age of awakening to One Love, if we tune into the desires of our hearts we feel a yearning to beat in rhythm with the Universal frequencies of this highest order. With this simple exercise – and "it isn’t hard to do"* – not only can you visualize peacefulness in your own relationships, you can allow yourself to "imagine all the people living life in peace."*

*Imagine by John Lennon

​As we progress spiritually, we often move through the journey in waves, hitting highs and lows as we go. Most of the time these waves are smooth and graceful, but sometimes we experience greater extremes. Hitting a spiritual low can be challenging; if we lose faith, it’s hard to use our faith to keep on track. Yet, the spiritual warrior rides on. The highs are expansive and mind-blowing, and – because they are so high – can render us non-functional. Yet, as our inner awareness resonates with a higher state so purely and joyfully, it becomes something our everyday selves strive to reach as a constant state. We meditate, read spiritual literature, take classes, attend services and search for the tools to support our spiritual ascension. In spite of all that we do, however, it can sometimes feel as if the denser parts of ourselves simply won’t cooperate.

In many spiritual belief systems, there is an implication that manifesting is the epitome of having attained a spiritually expanded state, or that the physical bodies of spiritually awake people should reflect their higher state of consciousness.

With such dedication to inner work and a spiritual practice, why do so many spiritual people experience the inability to manifest with grace and ease, or continue to experience body ailments and limitations?
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As humans we have egos to help us maintain the state of awareness and functionality to be here on Earth at this time. Hence, with our ego energy we have attachments and desires. Yet, as spiritual beings, our essence is Love; we are an expression of Source. Source, or pure Love, has no attachments or desires; it simply is. Our spiritual striving is to re-member our essence and integrate it into our everyday lives. At this time in our collective spiritual evolution, many spiritual trailblazers wish to embody a fully ascended state – which includes their physicality – to enhance and liberate their three-dimensional lives, not hinder them. In other words, if we have to sit in meditation all day to experience a blissful, non-attached state, it’s pretty hard to do anything else.

Where many people find blocks in the spiritual-manifestation area is in a complex collection of forces:

• They believe that manifesting, including optimal health, is the epitome of spiritual success and then degrade themselves in some way if their lives have “issues”
• Unconscious or not, they regularly experience fear and lack and have hoarded a whole ego-basket full of desires and attachments
• They have no idea what Spirit wants for them (remember, Source has no desires) and spend a great deal of time trying to figure it out
• They feel as if they have hit the spiritual “glass ceiling” and can’t move any higher, so they become weary
• They feel spirituality expanded, but limited by their bodies so they disconnect from them, or deny the body’s joys and, sometimes, its needs
• They don’t feel integrated with their other bodies; they sense that their physical, emotional, mental and spiritual bodies are out of alignment
• They are on the threshold of fully embodying their awakened state of consciousness, but have no idea how to make the quantum leap to do so

Although not all of these complexities can be resolved by one spiritual tool or article, it can be comforting to know that there are a number of shifts happening energetically that are supporting our spiritual ascension.

As 2012 has finally arrived, many of us have felt the sigh of relief; even our bodies have offered a grateful exhalation. Though the pressures still wax and wane, those in tune can feel Cosmic Grace. We have lifted many energetic, planetary veils that have kept us away from our deep spiritual longings. Though we may not be able to instantly manifest anything at this point, our abilities are expanding as our egos integrate into higher states of Love consciousness.

However, in order to be “entrusted” with the pure and incredible powers of instant manifestation, we have to align more clearly with the frequencies of Source Love and release the fear-driven desires that have been spilling out from the unconscious ego. Look at it this way; what if everyone, just because he or she has attained the tools or methods for instant manifestation, could do as he or she desired? Unfortunately, the folks who have been operating from their egos would continue to create from that state and all of us would be part of an ego-manifested world, which may not look so loving. (Ah… yes, the old paradigm.)

As we expand in Love consciousness, the “rules” of the new paradigm are far more pure (and stringent). Thus, those of us on an elevated spiritual path have been able to attain so much, but we will not reach the so-called epitome until the ego is pure as well; no nagging fears, misaligned motives, self-abusive traits, and so on.

Over the last few years, many of us have embarked on this purification process – eating cleaner, treating our bodies more respectfully, making significant self-loving changes – and have done so with a notable emphasis on our physical bodies. Intuitively we know this is the key to completing our alignment. Our physical bodies – with all their densities – are the last to get in line with our spiritual quest. The good thing is we are bringing our consciousness into our bodies; the frustration comes when we still feel “trapped” in old paradigms relating to manifestation and body freedom.

To successfully live on the Earth, our bodies had to be hard-wired to match the planet’s energetic frequencies; as if they were “encoded” with specific patterns to keep them engaged and functional on a planet that was harsh and dense.

With this in mind, imagine that each one of us incarnated with a body code – sort of like a combination lock – with a certain number of digits. Perhaps more spiritually evolved people have ten or fifteen digits in their body code, whereas the newer souls may have five or six digits. What if our ascension affects the codes and, by doing our spiritual work, we constantly change the combination to unlock more and more of our abilities, insights, and even joyful experiences? With so many digits, think of the number of combinations we have access to! During those spiritual highs, it may even feel like we have an infinite number of combinations we can experience and expand within. Yet, the lows persist when we realize our limitations; our inability to manifest easily, our denser body issues and ailments .

Within a numbering system, even the most ancient souls – who may have dozens of digits – don’t have access to a truly infinite number of combinations because those digits are restricted to the numbers zero through nine. Numbers – in and of themselves – are limited! Now imagine how a “body code” restrained by numbers would limit one’s abilities and expressions!

What if we could “reset the codes” in our physical bodies to align with the higher consciousness attained by our spiritual bodies?

Here is a simple meditation technique; an intention/visualization to "reset" your own body codes:

1. In a quiet space where you can be undisturbed, sit up in a comfortable, supportive chair or couch, or lay down, perhaps with a light blanket over you.
2. Take a few deep, cleansing breaths and close your eyes.
3. Create a shield of Love and Light using your intention and/or imagination.
4. Ask your Angels or Guides to assist you. You can request your Angels to do this work, or you can ask them to be with you as you do the exercise yourself. (If you choose to surrender and allow your Guides to work on you, you may go into a very deep meditative state and may not be able to direct your thoughts or remember the experience.)
5. Set your intention to “reset” your body’s codes; you want to change each number in your sequence to the infinity symbol, which looks like a sideways number eight. You do not need to know the quantity of digits, or any specific numbers.
6. Use visualization, your inner voice, directed intention, sound, or any other methods to change the numbers to align with infinity.
7. Allow and trust as you drop deeper into the meditation.
8. Complete your meditation after allowing it to go as long as it feels necessary.

When our bodies are out of alignment, sometimes it takes several healing sessions to get them back into a healthier state; this is true for an energetic pattern that has been misaligned, as well. Repetition of this meditation/visualization technique will support your intention and help realign the energies; work with it until you feel complete with the exercise.

As the planet shifts to resound with clearer, more loving energy fields, we can shift to resonate with them as well. And, when our bodies are aligned with our pure, spiritual selves in these frequencies of Love, Oneness and Infinity, we gain access to effortless manifestation on all levels, including the physical embodiment of our spiritual ascension.

​Sometimes we move to a place of looking inward. This can be through quiet meditation, at an intentionally introspective weekend, or during a critical time in our lives. Generally speaking, however, we move in and out of this place so quickly, it’s barely noticeable. How many times (a day or a week) do you find yourself simply “feeling bad” about yourself, your life or your choices? This is a form of looking inward, yet it is infused with negative self judgment.

We can look back to the ‘whys’ that created our negative self judgment for intellectual understanding. Likely, we will find numerous stories which reveal how some non-constructive seeds were planted into our beings – Mom acting surprised when you accomplished a significant task, the tone in Dad’s voice when he told you he was disappointed in you, childhood friends who teased you for believing you had magic, and so on.

Intentional or not, other people’s actions and words can leave a lasting impression in the minds and hearts of children. As we grow, we learn to either accept or reject what others say and think about us. Sometimes we reject it outwardly, but harbor the feelings – which become beliefs – inwardly. As adults, we often make choices that will reflect back to us these inner beliefs; with “positive” beliefs creating “positive” results, and “negative” beliefs creating “negative” results. This is only considered an “issue” when the results are undesirable, of course. In our own ignorance of the underlying patterns, we may wonder why certain circumstances in our lives become “themes.” Perhaps we begin to feel unlucky, incapable, stuck or hopeless.

For a moment, imagine an unconscious negative feeling about yourself as a magnet. This magnet, hidden below the surface, draws to it the energy patterns that resonate with it. Thus, if you feel / believe that you are not capable of being successful, for example, then patterns of non-success will continually find their way to you. This, of course, makes the belief system more and more believable, which in turn adds to the intensity of the feelings and the magnet becomes stronger!

At this time of awakening, we are releasing many of the old patterns that no longer serve us (thank goodness!). Some patterns will simply transmute themselves into higher (more loving) frequencies with grace and ease. Yet, the deeper, bigger ones may be acting wildly out of control, leaving you feeling exhausted and downright bad about yourself. Wouldn’t it be nice if you could wave a magic wand over those stuck energies and release them once and for all?

Hawk of Nevada City, a Practitioner and Instructor of Quantum Touch, offered a neat little “tool” to help reveal and shift these burdensome beliefs and patterns. It begins with Kinesiology, also known as muscle testing. You can try this technique alone or (as I prefer) with a friend.

To muscle test yourself, create a circle with your thumb and forefinger. Insert the thumb and forefinger of your other hand – which are in a “duck-bill” position – into the circle of your first hand. When you try to “open the duck’s mouth” (by spreading your two fingers apart), the outer circle will either be “broken” because you are “weak” or will stay closed because you are “strong.”

If you have a friend muscle test you, simply put one arm straight out in front of you. As you resist, your partner will try to push your arm down. A strong arm can resist the pressure and remain parallel with the ground, whereas a weak arm will get pushed down with noticeably less resistance.

1. Begin by making a positive statement about yourself such as, “I am a successful business person.” Next, use kinesiology to see if your body responds with strength (which implies it agrees with the statement) or weakness. As an outwardly confident person, you will likely remain strong and agree with your statement. (Your finger-circle will remain unbroken or your arm will stay upright.)
2. Now, add the words, “I believe…” to the beginning of the same statement and muscle test your body once again. What happens now? Was there a weakness? Hawk recognized that this is the key to discovering what we really believe about ourselves.
3. If your body responded with weakness (the finger-circle broke open or your arm collapsed), it’s time to use the magic of Infinite Love and Gratitude! Again, you can do this for yourself, or allow your partner to bless you. With one hand create the “I love you” gesture in sign language. This is an open hand, with the middle and ring fingers closed to the palm. With your “magic ‘I love you’ wand” wave the hand up, down and around your body while repeating these four magic words: “Infinite Love and Gratitude.” Do this until you feel complete (or at least until you feel completely silly for doing such a thing!).
4. Finally, repeat the belief statement, “I believe I am a successful business person,” and muscle test one last time. Did “magic” happen? Were you still weak, or did you stay strong this time?

"I have played with this tool again and again, and have always found the final muscle test to be strong, " says Hawk.  He has noticed that this “healing” will last for several days or weeks and, in most cases, permanently. Now isn’t that exquisitely wicked?!

In this time of rapid expansion, we are not only shedding our stuff in record time (which may not be so comfortable), but modalities like this – infused with Love, Gratitude and offered in utter simplicity – are becoming easier to find and use with success.

We may not be able to get to the root of every belief we harbor (as some are buried really, really deep), nor will every belief respond so quickly and profoundly to receiving Infinite Love and Gratitude (think of the grumbly old neighbor who keeps refusing to smile back at you). Regardless of the immediate results, or lasting affects, this is a simple and loving gesture to offer ourselves or a friend because, if nothing else, we can all use the blessing of Infinite Love and Gratitude once in a while.

Plus, when you think back on those childhood friends who used to tease you for believing you had magic, you can arrogantly smile to yourself because you know you actually do… and that’s one belief you plan to keep nurturing!

Meditation can be a one time experience, an occasional indulgence or it can be cultivated into an on-going practice.  Of course, the benefits of meditation become more clear and present when it is done more often.  Imagine if meditation became an integral part of your life. What if you perceived it as essential to your health and well being as brushing your teeth, getting adequate sleep and eating well?  Beginning a meditation practice can be a matter of following a few simple steps; attending to it on a daily basis requires dedication and discipline.

To begin a meditation practice:

Create a sacred space:  Although you can meditate anywhere, and make that space sacred for the moment, it is nice to have a specific place where you can go to meditate regularly. If you develop your meditation practice in a dedicated space, you will find that the energy of the space will assist you with both its construct and peacefulness.  Perhaps you create an altar with a candle, fresh flowers, or a few meaningful items. You can use a comfortable chair, or purchase a meditation pillow to sit on.

Establish a regular practice:  Decide on a plan; maybe you begin by reserving just 10 - 20 minutes each day (preferably at the same time of day).  If you want to establish a rhythm, it would be better to consistently have five minutes a day and extend the time as you can, rather than meditating one or two days a week for longer periods.  Think about including meditation in your daily self-care routine.  Yet, if starting a daily practice is too much for you right now and you simply want to bring it into your life more often, perhaps you attend a weekly group meditation.  The group energy helps beginners go deeper into the meditative experience, gives you a sacred place to practice, and can fuel the desire to integrate it into your daily life.

Follow the four stages:  In previous articles, I outlined the four stages of meditation –approach, technique, meditative awareness, and conscious conclusion. Use them to guide you into, through and gently out of your meditation.

Let go of attachment:  Allow the experience of meditation to be as it is; know that each meditation will be unique.  It is the practice of staying awake and aware that is the essence of meditation.  Even having a “mystical experience” can be an obstacle because you might get caught up in desiring to repeat the incident while you miss the experience of the meditation you are in. A main task of meditation is “letting go” – of expectation, of what will be “accomplished” – since a grasping attitude keeps you from experiencing the flow of meditation.

Meditation allows us to practice the art of “being” – providing us with our own experience – which enables us to realize that we are not limited to our thoughts, feelings, or physical existence.  This experience – the unfolding of our self-realization – is our spiritual enlightenment.

The end of the meditation is the fourth and final stage. Sure you can jump up and run out the door, if necessary, but it is beneficial to bring your meditation to a close with the same reverence as you entered it. Allow yourself to complete your mediation with conscious conclusion.

In the conscious conclusion of your meditation, it is important to:

Rest:  When you reach the state of being, or inner peace, if even for a moment, it can be an exquisite experience.  It is considered the “peak experience” for that time of meditation.  Whenever possible, it is nice to allow enough time in your practice to reach this state and simply rest for awhile in the experience of being.  This will have a calming, clearing effect on your entire body and mind.

Return:  The process of returning your full awareness to your body, mind and environment should be a gradual one.  After experiencing meditative states of consciousness, “grounding” cannot be overemphasized in its importance.  It is critical to fully return to your attentive state of consciousness to avoid accidents or injuries after the meditation.

Extend:  You can utilize the benefits derived from your meditation practice and apply them to your daily life.  Although you bring your full consciousness back to your body and mind as you return to your “real life” after your meditation, be sure to take a moment to consciously extend the peacefulness, clarity or other beneficial effects into your day.

The experience of the meditation itself, described as meditative awareness, is the third stage of meditation. Meditative awareness allows the continuation and deepening of witness consciousness – the ability to simply witness your experiences, thoughts or feelings, rather than engaging in them.

With meditative awareness, you can begin to experience:

Flow:  Once the meditation process has been grounded through the use of technique you can become progressively interiorized, where attention gracefully flows to the point of focus.  This is a relaxed allowing of your attention, as opposed to an efforting or focused concentration, and indicates the point at which true meditation occurs.

Awareness:  Thoughts and feelings may still continue to arise at this point, but they are more subtle and you no longer become involved with them.  You simply remain awake and aware, established in the witness consciousness.

Being:  Meditation allows you to rest in the experience of being.  As busy people always doing, we rarely take the time to experience the state of being.   As you experience being, you discover your own pure nature, and may sense a true inner peace. 

In this article we will explore the second stage of meditation: technique. Using a meditation technique gives your mind “something to do.” Although many people believe that meditation is about having “no thoughts,” it is the nature of the mind to be active and seek stimulation.
  
A meditation technique helps you stay in the moment, while strengthening your abilities to:

Focus:  Utilizing one-pointed attention contributes to the calming of your mental field. A good focus point technique for beginners is paying attention to your breath.  Become aware of the movement of your breath – notice the air entering your nostrils, sense it completely as it hits the back of your throat, feel your chest and abdomen expand, feel the air exit through your nostrils, and so on.  Once you become aware of your breath, you can direct your inner gaze toward your third eye – the center point between your eyebrows – or your crown chakra at the top of the head.  Choose only one point of focus for your inner gaze and practice using it for a period of time; this allows depth in your meditation practice to progress.

Witness:  Meditation helps you develop a “witness consciousness” – the ability to be a conscious witness to all that is occurring.  Thoughts will arise and you may experience emotional and physical feelings in your body.  The task of meditation is to witness what is happening without attaching to it; simply noticing and letting it go.

Return:  During the process of meditation, it is certain you will lose the ability to maintain your witness consciousness and soon become involved in your thoughts and feelings. When this happens, simply return your attention to your breath and/or inner gaze. Much of meditation is gently returning your awareness to the point of focus.

Since each meditation is different, you may find that some days it’s easier to maintain your focus than other days. As you develop a regular meditation practice, your ability to focus increases along with your witness consciousness; as these wane, however, you can always remember to return.

There are several ways to meditate and you may already have preferences about when, where, why or how you meditate. However, if meditation is fairly new to you, or you want to explore meditation further, I will offer some basic teachings which I have learned directly from my mother, Rev. Tess Pender (who has been teaching meditation for several years) in my next few articles about meditation.

There are four distinct stages of meditation; these can be thought of as: the preparation or approach, the technique, the meditative experience itself, and the ending or conclusion.  Here are some insights about the first stage of meditation – the approach.

In the approach to meditation, attention is given to:

Environment: Although you can meditate anywhere, both our external and internal environments can be important factors to support a successful meditation.  It is good to find a quiet place free of interruptions as well as comfortable seating – perhaps a meditation pillow or comfortable chair.  Creating a sacred space can include setting up an altar, lighting a candle or burning some incense.  Internally, being open and receptive to the experience coupled with an attitude of respect for yourself and the process are a good place to begin.  It’s also wise to make sure you are not too tired or full from eating.

Posture:  Posture is an outer demonstration of attitude.  It also is a way of remaining alert and allowing energy to flow up and down your spine. Having the spine straight and the head even – not drooping down or looking upward – is very important, otherwise you can tend to drift into unconscious states. Since, your body and mind are connected, a still posture assists you in learning to be aware of mind states. You may begin to notice desires to move that are prompted by your thoughts. In these cases, simply let the thoughts go and stay with your intention to remain as steady as possible during your meditation. This is a first and essential discipline of practice as it creates a solid foundation.

Relaxation:  Once you enter a meditative pose, begin to consciously relax your body and mind. A good way to begin this is by taking a couple of slow, deep breaths; fully inhaling and exhaling quickly relaxes you.

Interiorization:  This is accomplished by closing your eyes, and bringing your attention inside your body/mind.  A simple way to invite interiorization is to follow the breath as it enters the body, noticing the air as it reaches your nostrils, back of your throat, lungs, and abdomen. With deep interiorization, inner states become more vivid and attachment to external stimuli fades.

Alternate nostril breathing is a form of Yogic breath work, or Pranayama.  You can practice this breathing exercise on its own or integrate into your yoga routine by adding it to your practice, perhaps after a series of asanas (poses) , and before you relax into Savasana.  Like other yoga techniques, alternate nostril breathing doesn’t just benefit your body – like clearing out your nasal passages – it can also bring clarity to your mind and calmness to your soul.
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To prepare for alternate nostril breathing (called Nadi Sodhana):

Whether we are doing something that is joyful or miserable our bodies can experience stress.  For example, planning a wedding or birthday celebration can be joyful to our emotional bodies, while our physical bodies undergo stress.  In fact, we don't have to be doing anything at all; our bodies experience stress simply because we exist. According to the Mayo Clinic, “Stress is a normal psychological and physical reaction to the demands of life.” Between the combination of external forces (life’s demands) as well as internal expectations (our should’s and To Do’s), our bodies can spend more time in a stressful state than not. Is it possible to invert this ratio?

Obviously, one thing we can do to reduce stress is eliminate, or at least decrease, the factors that cause it. Most of us have room to substantially simplify our lives. Maybe we don’t engage so often with negative influences including unpleasant media, angry people or overly hectic schedules. Imagine creating a To Do list which is prioritized by things you actually enjoy!

To counteract the effects of stress, and to create more balance in our lives, many have discovered relaxation techniques such as yoga, tai chi, and meditation.  These practices allow us to relax our minds while nurturing or resting our bodies. But what do you do if you find yourself feeling stressed and have to skip your meditation class or don't have the time or space to dive into a Sun Salutation?   

Since stress can overwhelm you at any time or place, I am offering five techniques you can do that are simple, quick and require no props.  You can do these exercises independently or in various combinations.  Maybe you take just five minutes for yourself and do them all!

1. Focus on your heart.  Close your eyes and bring your awareness to your heart or heart chakra. You can do this intentionally, with an inner gaze, or literally place your hand(s) over your heart.
2. Take a deep breath.  Take slow, deep inhalations through your nostrils, perhaps to a count of six. Slower exhalations can move through your nostrils or mouth. Experiment with various slow breathing patterns, making sure to breathe all the way down to your belly while expanding it.
3. Relax your jaw.  Open your mouth and stretch out your jaw until it softens. Allow yourself to make as many funny faces as you can. If nothing else, you might conjure up a chuckle from yourself or someone watching you.
4. Depress the center of your palm.  Using the thumb or forefinger of one hand, depress the soft concave center of your other palm and simply hold it there for a few moments. In hand reflexology, the center of the right hand represents the liver, while the left represents the stomach – both areas that are easily affected by stress.
5. Pray or chant. Recite the words to an inspirational prayer, such as the Serenity Prayer or Lord’s Prayer, or invoke your own.  The rhythm and sound of your voice while chanting can be soothing to your soul and distracting to your mind.

Although it may not be possible to completely eliminate stresses from our lives, it only takes a little time and willingness to nurture ourselves through them.