The following are some extremely effective breathing techniques to help rebalance the mind, body and spirit. They are widely used in yoga and meditation practices because of their amazing ability to bring back calm and balance.
Alternate Nostril Breathing
This technique is an excellent way to quieten the mind and find inner-bliss. It does this by activating the parasympathetic nervous system and by balancing the energy channels. Practicing it regularly will help stabilize the left and right hemispheres of the brain. This contributes to restoring poise to the limbic system and our masculine and feminine energy. It can be done as preparation for meditation or anytime one is feeling out of sorts. Many people find alternate nostril breathing a great way to aid sleep or to calm the nerves before a stressful event.
Technique: Sit (or stand) in a comfortable position. Using your right hand, place your thumb on your right nostril and close it, inhale through your left nostril. Cover your left nostril with your ring finger, lift the thumb and exhale through the right nostril. This is immediately followed by an inhale through the right, close the right nostril with the thumb and exhale through the left nostril. This was one round. Start by practicing for one minute and build up gradually. Remember, it is on the exhale that you swap the nostrils you breathe through.
Please note: when you first start controlled breathing techniques it is common to feel dizzy. If this happens stop, take a break and build up the technique gradually.
Buzzing Bee Breath
This technique is exactly as it would suggest. It involves making the sound of a buzzing bee whilst exhaling.
The practice invigorates the thyroid, balances the hormonal secretions, triggers serotonin release, improves functioning of nervous system, aids relaxation, is beneficial for breathing disorders, activates the pituitary gland, improves concentration and cures insomnia.
Technique: Sit in a relaxed position with the spine erect. Cover your ears by gently placing your thumbs over the opening. Place your index fingers on the forehead and let the remaining 3 fingers close your eyes. Inhale and take a slow deep breath, keep your mouth closed and begin slowly exhaling whilst making a bee-like humming sound, ‘hmmmm’. Repeat three to five times.
This meditation is the most powerful one I have used for balancing the chakras and bringing calm.
It has an immediate effect and is excellent for grounding, uplifting and energizing. The technique came to me whilst in meditation. It can be done in five minutes or twenty-five, depending on your time availability.
Before you start make sure you will not be disturbed. Maybe light a candle or some incense.
Sit in a comfortable position with your back straight and eyes closed.
Quieten the mind by doing a few rounds of alternate nostril breathing.
Take your awareness to your third eye (center of forehead). See a beautiful silver light building within your head. This is your own divine light.
Take the silver light down through your body and see it connecting with your base chakra (base of spine). From here see the cord of light spiraling down, going deep into the center of the earth, grounding you firmly.
Keeping the connection, follow the spiraling silver light back up through the earth, through the base chakra and upwards through your body, back up to the third eye. From here take the silver light through your crown chakra and see it spiraling way up into the sky. All the way up till it connects with the Sun. Allow the powerful force of the Sun to charge the silver cord of light with its energy.
Keeping the connection, follow the silver light back down through the crown chakra and back into the body. Feel the healing power of the Sun, our divine life-force, fill the body from the head to the feet. This is a celestial connection between the Sun and the Earth. (If in a hurry, the meditation can be finished here, but include the last step of the meditation.)
Now take your awareness to your root chakra situated near the pelvic floor. See it spinning, red and vibrant, a distance of 15cm from the front of your body and going through to 15cm past the back of your body. Use the sliver sun-charged light to cleanse any emotional debris from your spinning energy center, going from front to back. Silently repeat: I restore you to balance. When you feel the base chakra is cleared move up to the next.
Take your awareness to the orange sacral chakra spinning below the naval. See it at a distance of 15cm from the front of your body and going through 15cm to the back. Use the sliver sun-charged light to cleanse any emotional debris from your spinning energy center, front to back. Silently repeat: I restore you to balance. When you feel it is cleared move up to the next.
See your yellow solar plexus chakra, located mid-stomach, spinning 15cm from the front of your body and going through to the back. Use the sliver, sun-charged light to cleanse any emotional debris from your spinning energy center, front to back. Silently repeat: I restore you to balance. When you feel it is cleared move up to the next.
See your green heart chakra spinning in front of your heart, 15cm from your body and going through to the back. Use the sliver light to cleanse any emotional debris from your spinning energy center. Silently repeat: I restore you to balance. When you feel it is cleared move up to the next.
See your blue throat chakra spinning at the front of your throat and going through to the back. Use the sliver light to cleanse any emotional debris from your spinning energy center. Silently repeat: I restore you to balance. When you feel it is cleared move up to the next.
See your indigo third eye chakra spinning at the front of your forehead and going through to the back of your head. Use the sliver light to cleanse any emotional debris from your spinning energy center, front to back. Silently repeat: I restore you to balance. When you feel it is cleared move up to the next.
See your violet crown chakra spinning at the top of your head, front to back. Use the sliver light to cleanse any emotional debris from your spinning energy center. Silently repeat: I restore you to balance. When you feel ready allow the silver-sun-charged light to expand around your body.
Allow the powerful silver light to surround you in a beautiful halo. Engulfing you in protective healing energy. Know this light is your invisible shield of armor protecting you from any harm or negativity. Stay as long as you want in this relaxed state. (This step also finishes the shorter version of the meditation)
When ready, gently open your eyes and take some deep refreshing breaths. Well done! You’re good to go.
This technique can be practiced any time of the day but is excellent to do every evening before sleep. It aids in turning on the parasympathetic nervous system; which promotes sleep and allows for healing and maintenance work to be carried out during sleep.
To relax the body, we need to be in a supine position, lying on the floor or a bed, with our whole body weigh supported (for anyone suffering back problems: a bolster or cushion under the knees is helpful).
The best way to relax a muscle is to tense it first, for five to ten seconds.
Start at the feet and work up through limbs, torso and face, tensing each body part in turn for a count of up to ten seconds. When you have done this, go back through the body and allow each body part to relax.
Take your awareness to your feet and say silently: My feet are relaxed. Feel all tension melting out of your feet.
Next move to you lower legs and say silently: My lower legs are relaxed. Feel any tension melting away.
Repeat this technique all the way up the body, through your upper legs, buttocks, stomach, chest, back, neck, arms and hands repeating the same mantra, until you come to your head. Then repeat silently: My face and head are relaxed. Feel your head become like a lead weight. See there is no tension held in any part of your face. Swallow once and take a deep calming breath. Feel yourself drift off into a relaxing slumber.
If time is short or if you are feeling particularly sleepy you could do the lower part of body first, then upper half and finishing on the head and face. Not only does this exercise promote relaxation but it will also aid in stilling the mind. It is great to do as an aid to sleeping (better than counting sheep).
Full muscle relaxation can be done anytime but try to do it every evening before sleep. It is also great to do after exercise when the muscles have been stretched and strengthened and the mind is quieter.
Tips to Keep Wheat and Sugar Out of Your Life for Good
Be Prepared: When out and about, going to friends, work or anywhere take snacks in case you get hungry. Nuts are brilliant for this as they are both balanced and filling.
Bake and Freeze: When baking wheat-free breads or pizza bases, always make more than needed so you can freeze for a later date.
Make Wheat-Free Breadcrumbs: When cooking from scratch, wheat-free bread crumbs are handy to have in the freezer for making fish cakes, sausages or burgers. Pop stale wheat-free bread into a food processor and blitz till bread becomes crumbs. Freeze in batches.
Always Read Labels: Wheat and sugar are hidden in many foods, it is essential to check the labels.
Don’t Be Fooled into Thinking a Little Won't Hurt: It only takes a tiny amount of wheat or refined sugar to reignite the addiction and it only takes a tiny amount of wheat to create a negative bodily reaction. A slither of cake here or a biscuit there may seem harmless but it will put you on a fast-tracked-path back to being a wheat and sugar addict.
Keep Your Diet Varied: Feeling bored or restricted by your diet can lead to being tempted to snack on a sugary or wheat treat. Keeping your diet varied will help you avoid temptation. Stay inspired by trying out new recipes for meals and snacks.
Always Phone Ahead When Eating Out: There is nothing worse than getting to a restaurant to discover the only thing you can eat is fries and a side salad. Numerous eating establishments now cater for special dietary requirements, but it is advisable to phone ahead first. Many eateries will allow you to bring along your own bread, pasta or pizza bases if they do not offer a wheat/gluten-free option.
Keep Your Cupboards Well Stocked: Always keep in a good stock of wheat-free cooking ingredients: fresh fruit and veg, eggs, seeds, ground almonds, wheat-free flours, unrefined sugar, honey or maple syrup, pulses, herbs and spices, rice, wheat-free pasta etc., so you can easily whip up snacks, treats or meals.
Use Honey, Molasses, Maple Syrup or Unrefined Sugar in Cooking: These natural sweeteners not only add a delicious sweetness to your dishes but also have nutritional value.
Keep Stevia Sweeteners with You at all Times: If you are one who likes to have sweetness in your beverages, stevia or xylitol is a good replacement and a much healthier option than having aspartame sweeteners.
If you have severe alcohol dependence it is a good idea to seek professional help before quitting. But if you consider yourself to be a social drinker, stopping is as simple as making the decision to quit.
For the first three or four weeks it is a good idea to avoid any social events that may tempt you into drinking alcohol. It is advisable to tell no one of your intentions; doing so just puts pressure on you. Find replacement drinks that do not include refined sugar. Sparkling water with freshly squeezed lime or lemon is a perfect.
Visit https://www.hellosundaymorning.org/ for tips and advice on how to quit alcohol for good.
Keep your intentions and resolve. You can do anything you put your mind to. That is the power of an Empath. If you want to see a transformation happen in your life, it is a small sacrifice.
Anything that creates an addiction normally has a withdrawal period. Withdrawal can last from a few days to a few weeks. You can get withdrawal symptoms from wheat, sugar, alcohol and caffeine. Following is a list of symptoms you may experience:
Anxiety or panic attacks
Restlessness
Irritability
Insomnia
Headaches
Poor concentration
Depression
Social isolation
Sweating
Racing heart
Palpitations
Muscle tension
Tightness in the chest
Constipation
Tremors
Nausea
Flu-like symptoms
Hydrate: Drinking lots of water helps the body detoxify and flush out impurities caused from withdrawal.
Salt: When drinking lots of water essential minerals get flushed from the body. It is important to replace minerals with a good trace element salt such as Himalayan Rock Salt. Add small amounts to food or allow a particle to dissolve on the tongue.
Magnesium: Taking magnesium supplements helps relax muscles. It also helps bowel movements for those suffering constipation.
Rest: Sleep as much as your body needs. The body goes into shock when drugs are removed and will need more sleep and rest than normal.
Aromatherapy Baths: Taking a relaxing bath with a few drops of lavender is a perfect way to unwind and de-stress when in withdrawal. The essential oil works with the limbic system to help the body and mind relax and find equilibrium.
The overwhelm we feel when we’ve either: taken on too much emotional energy, when someone has hurt us by their words or actions, or from thoughtbombing and psychic attack can be unbearable.
Emotional overload affects us all differently; some much worse than others. It can cause distress and misery, trigger thoughts that keep us awake at night and darken our moods for days or weeks.
Most Empaths want an instant solution to the sheer overwhelm they experience. As you will now know, after reading the ‘7 Secrets of the Sensitive’, the best way to prevent, control and avoid the engulfing energy of low vibrational people is by getting in total-balance (mind, body and spirit). But as this is not an overnight process, I have got some excellent ways to stop the overwhelm that really work!
Eat a small amount of chocolate: I say small amount because large amounts have the opposite effect (I discovered this the delicious way, by devouring too much). Chocolate can transform and uplift your mood in an instant. Containing compounds which promote happiness, chocolate is the go-to food when you have been emotionally or energetically triggered.
Serotonin is a neurotransmitter, produced by eating chocolate, known as the happy hormone. As well as activating our bliss, it also stops us dipping into dark thoughts. In my opinion, milk chocolate tends to work better than dark, as the dark stuff contains a higher amount of caffeine. But this is something you can experiment with. Most chocolate contains refined sugar, which is a big cause of depression, not just in Empaths but all humans, so keep chocolate only for when you’ve been hit by an emotional overload.
Eat between 2 to 4 small squares of chocolate washed down with a pint of cool water. The water seems to speed the process up.
Temple hold: Place two to three fingers on either side of the temples (between the eyebrows and hairline) and hold for as long as needed.
This simple technique helps break the repetitive thoughts that are triggered from emotional pain. It also blocks the dense feelings they cause.
I’m not sure why this method works but it does. (I suspect it is because it activates the acupressure points and soothes parts of the brain responsible for emotions.) It is great to do at bedtime when emotional overwhelm turns into rampant thoughts that keep us awake. Taking some calming, conscious breaths at the same time further helps.
Short bursts of high intensity exercise: Doing a mini power walk or run, dynamic yoga moves, dance routines or skipping etc. burns off raging emotions. I’m talking very doable bursts of exercise that last between 1 to 5 minutes.
Performing short bursts of high intensity exercise releases endorphins into the body which block the pain transmission signals and produce euphoric feelings that calm the entire system.
A great exercise I do when I have been emotionally fired-up is the plank. Most will have heard of the plank; it is a challenging yoga move that activates all the muscles in the body. Maintaining it for just 30 seconds is often all it takes to blast out any negative energy.
There is a variation of the plank to do whatever your fitness level, from beginners and beyond. You will find plenty of excellent instructional videos on YouTube to get you started.
Whatever exercise you choose, as your mini blast, make sure to do something that makes you feel uncomfortable and your muscles burn. (The saying ‘fight fire with fire’ springs to mind here).
Singing: Not something you want to do when feeling low, but it is certainly worth doing because it lifts your moods. Singing raises your vibration and stops emotional overwhelm in its tracks. Anyone can sing, hum or chant. Just make sure it is an uplifting song and not one that stokes up painful emotional memories. Try it and see.
Avoid caffeine: Being a stimulant, caffeine will heighten any emotional overwhelm you are experiencing. We don’t always realize that it worsens the emotions we feel, because it only kicks in 30 to 40 minutes after consumption. It makes us anxious and jittery and anything we feel negatively inside is amplified. Not having caffeine will not stop emotional overload but it significantly reduces the symptoms, and that is why it is on the list.
So there you go, quick, simple techniques that work to reduce the Empath’s angst!