Simple reminders of tools when you feel stuck on how to move that energy.
0. Acceptance, Allowance
Actually the first step to all of them is actually feeling into how you feel, realizing that this is completely ok and then asking yourself what you truly need. Here is some inspiration on what might help 🤍
1. Overthinking a lot?
A beautiful way to calm that chaos inside your head is to journal it out. Write down everything that worries you, that you need to get done. Then ask yourself what you need to do to solve this, where is it in your control and where is it out of your control?
2. Feeling Anxious?
4-7-8 breath: inhale on 4, hold for 7, exhale on 8, all through the nose
meditate: try apps like calm or insight timer
3. Feeling Tired?
Do a yoga nidra [find it on youtube or insight timer]
take a power nap for max 25 min
4. Feeling Stressed?
Do a physiological sigh: normal inhale through nose, exhale through the mouth with a sigh
Hummingbird breath: inhale gently through the nose, exhale with a humming sound. This practice gets even more beautiful if you close your ears with your thumbs and close down your eyes, it is feeling so much more intense and brings you right back into the body
Alternatives: Sing along to your favorite song while driving or in the shower (no matter if you can sing or not, go all in) or if you prefer you can also hum to a song. You can also chant the "Om" which you might know from your yoga practice.You can even just gargle some water to get a similar effect – although I find the other practices above way more beautiful. All of them activate the Vagus Nerve and your relaxation response.
5. Feeling Sad?
Accept, allow, surrender. As someone who had such a hard time in accepting that she felt sad and always tried to distract herself, it feels important to me to say this again. Accept that you are feeling sad. It's ok, we all do. Live is a continuous flow, everything is temporary and just like there is no bright without darkness, this polarity is part of our lives. Allow the sadness to be there, actually feel it instead of trying to push it away.
Connected Breathing: inhale on 5, exhale on 5, all through the nose, connecting your inhale and exhale, belly rises on inhale, falls on exhale.
Exercise: do a workout that makes you smile, preferably outdoors, maybe it’s even just a walk out in nature. Or dance your heart out to your favorite song. Shaking your body is also a beautiful practice, just shake it all out.
6. Feeling Angry?
Scream into your pillow: scream it all out until there is nothing left. Of course you can also scream without the pillow but since many of us live with neighbours close by they can let go more if they scream into a pillow because they can go all in without thinking if anyone can hear them. If you can’t make noise you can do a silent scream i.e. pretending you are screaming without a sound.
Bump your fists on the bed or a pillow: release all your anger into your pillows, punch it out. You can also air punch if you don't want the impact
7. Feeling Stuck?
Shake it off: shake your whole body to a song that makes you want to move
Dance or jump around: it’s not about looking pretty, just shake it off, move in weird and funny ways, in ways you've never moved before. If you want express the stuckness, the stickiness, the frustration about feeling stuck.
Cold shower or ice bath: nothing brings you back into the present like an ice bath. You can also simply take a cold shower if you can't or don't want to take an ice bath
8. Feeling Exhausted?
Take slow breaths with an extended exhale: inhale through the nose, exhale through the nose as slow as you can
Grounding and/or forest bathing: if you can walk barefoot on the grass/beach/nature or simply take a walk (with shoes 🤣) through the park/forest. If you want bathe in the green of the trees, let your eyes sink into the colors, touch the leaves or trunk.
9. Not knowing how you're really feeling, you just feel meh?
There was a point in my life when I felt stuck, weird, and I couldn't even pinpoint how it was I was exactly feeling because I just felt neutral and numb.
It might sound like something so basic but the longer breathwork sessions were not only deep dives to reconnect with my true core and inner knowing – they were a way to feel it all, to access emotions, to uncover and release. To actually have a space for these emotions to come up. To have permission to feel it all, be it all, no matter what shows up each session.
So if you are in need for a little check in with yourself, join me for one of my next online or live breathwork sessions here.