Have you ever come home from noisy traffic and rushed straight into your bedroom or bathroom for some much needed peace and quiet?
Or found yourself getting cranky by the sounds of the construction work in your neighbourhood?
Or got a weird headache from listening to your friend gossip and bitch about the people in her life?
Or kept waking up after binge watching a crime thriller on Netflix?
That’s what happens when we literally absorb and internalise discord be it in the form of loud noises, negative people and violent images. Our bodies react and we crave peace and solitude to recover from the impact. Most of the times it’s done unconsciously, we don’t even realise why we’re sighing with relief after stepping into silence. But the rest of the time we need to be mindful. About what we’re exposing our beings to. Especially our ears.
Today choose to listen to soothing and uplifting music. Let your favourite songs bring you back to balance.
Switch off the news channels.
Disconnect from the gunshots, the screams, the violence.
Surround yourself with harmonious sounds and vibrations that communicate love and peace.
Sounds good? 🙂
Wishing you a day of happy sounds of laughter and peace:)
Does your eye always go to the purple outfits in your wardrobe? Or do you find yourself reaching out for Amethyst, Purple Agate or Violet Kunzite? Are the accents in your room in Purple? Or you find yourself buying violets or purple flowers? According the the science of Colour Healing, Psychological studies and even Metaphysics, the colour you are most drawn to reflects much more than aesthetic. Your choice of colour can reflect your state of mind, your subconscious affinity, your spirituality and even an area which may need healing.
Purple has been associated with royalty and nobility. And if you love this colour, many hypnotherapists believe you may have had a past life being royal. Western Astrologers ascribe the colour to the planet Jupiter – symbolising wisdom while the Vedic Astrologers consider it to be connected to the planets Saturn and Rahu denoting intelligence, fame and wit.Image from personal collection.
From a spiritual perspective, Purple is the colour of the Crown Chakra – the doorway to the Divine. People who love Purple may be clairvoyant or clairaudient, meditative and have an innate understanding of their spiritual purpose in life. Purple auras represent a state of oneness and connectivity with all, and Amethyst the epitome of purple crystals is believed to soothe nerves, relieve anxiety, insomnia and elevate consciousness. Image from personal collection.
For centuries spiritual healers have connected the Violet Flame with spiritual freedom, burning away karmas from previous lifetimes. And bringing a sense of equilibrium in our mind, body and souls. Violet shades bring focus, deeper insights and clarity.
Bringing elements of Purple into your decor reaffirm a sense of power, ambition and when used correctly aids concentration (especially in study areas) while Lavender promotes restful sleep in bedrooms and lounge areas. Image from women24.net
Colour affects us all the time in some way or other; from the colours we dress to enhance our image, in the way we decorate our homes and offices and can make us feel better, happy, or have a depressing affect on us. Purple as a colour is truly the colour of higher consciousness and tranquility. If you find yourself getting drawn to all shades of purple know that you’re calling is higher.
Of late, one of the recurring themes in most of my sessions has been the disappointment people feel when they discover the true faces of their so called friends and families. People who they thought they could trust, turning their backs on them or revealing their truest intentions.
Image from dreamstime.com
“I realised she only contacted me when she wanted a favor for herself or her family. Never a hello, how are you. Always can you do this for me? Always”
“She was cheating on me during the lockdown and when I caught her, she said I deserved it”
“I thought he loved me but after he started complaining with his family about the insufficient gifts he received during the marriage, I realised just who he was”
“I called him to tell him about my family getting Covid. He never called me after that. I thought he cared”
“Even when my Boss said no, I pushed to hire that guy in my team. Little did I know he’d play dirty on me and leave me jobless”
The sense of betrayal and hurt they face is palpable and their statements ring true for all of us, as at some point we’ve all seen the glimpse of people’s true faces. But then what?
Don’t think it’s your imagination. If a person reveals just how manipulative they are, that’s who they are. Believe what they show you.
Don’t give excuses. Yes they are going through a hard time, but then so are you. Lying to you, hurting you behind your back or simply taking from you is something they will do even in easier times. That’s just they way they are.
Don’t dwell in the anger, heal it. A natural byproduct of discovering the truth is the anger we feel. Holding on to it or repressing it can make the wound as torturous as the pain itself. At some point, we all need to process the emotions until we find a space of calm within. And if you continue to struggle, seek professional therapy to guide you through the process.
Let go again and again and again. Sadly, letting go is not a once and for all moment in cases of deep hurt and disappointment, it requires multiple tries and multiple efforts until one day it ceases to hurt so badly. Again, if it’s too difficult to do it alone, take the help of therapy.
Be thankful. Sounds funny but at a spiritual level it makes sense. Be glad that you got to see their true faces eventually. Perhaps there was a karmic lesson to be learnt. Perhaps the realisation opened new doorways of awareness. Whatever it was, you learnt and you grew wiser and stronger.
Choose to be free from bitterness. Remember who you are. Reconnect with your inner self, the part of you that still finds the beauty in this world, the part of you that sees your own worth regardless of how you have been treated and how they made you feel. Detach from the person. Forgive them and forgive yourself for the times you may have inadvertently hurt another. Focus on the other healthy relationships in your life. The process may not be easy, but the peace you feel is worth it.
Letting go is one of the hardest practices we will encounter, but once we do it, we wonder why we did’nt do it sooner. Many a times we find ourselves stuck about someone or something and people tell us to “let go”.
But how?
Here’s a few tried techniques that may work for you if you are struggling with something. Remember very very few of us have the ability to let go in a second. For the majority of us the process takes many tries. and time. Be patient, be persistent.
Write it down and burn it.
Struggling with a relationship that’s over. Disturbed by someone’s insensitive behaviour which you find difficult to forgive? Psychologists and Healers recommend writing a long letter to them, pouring out your feelings and allowing the process to be cathartic. Get in touch with your feelings, remember what happened and write out your soul. When you’re done, just burn the letter. Chances are you may feel lighter and purged of your pain.
2. Connect with the Inner You
Meditate and focus on your breathing. Start paying attention to your mind and your body. Start getting aligned with you, your space, your feelings and thoughts. Too many times when we find ourselves too attached to others the pain comes as a reminder to detach and focus entirely on your seperateness from them. Get in touch with YOU. Appreciate and accept your who you are. Understand you cannot change anyone but yourself. Allow any feelings to arise and be kind with yourself.
3. Look for Closure
Most relationships break up without closure. People disappear without giving answers. And those who are left holding on wait for a final goodbye or some sort of sign from them to close the chapter. When it doesn’t happen, we have no choice but to find closure within ourselves. Say “My relationship with X is over” out loud during meditation, write it out, or talk to a trusted soul. Acknowledge and accept that it’s over. When you reach a space that someone or something was not meant to be in your life for a reason (which you may or may never know) you allow yourself to disconnect and restart.
4. Forgive Yourself. Forgive Them
The process of forgiveness can take a long time and comes with its share of reliving the pain. The pain is but a passing energy, let it flow out, once and for all. Contemplate on all the mistakes you made, realise your humanness. Contemplate on their mistakes, realise their humanness. Consciously work at forgiving and allow the peace to come in.
5. Distract Yourself
I find this technique works the fastest and at a practical level, it’s do-able. The key is to be mindful. Whenever you find overthinking about someone or something, do an activity that breaks the pattern. Clean your drawer. Delete the Junk mail. Go outdoors. Use your hands. It works in seconds as an important part of the process of letting go.
Letting go takes time and when it doesn’t happen naturally, we need to push ourselves out of our comfort zones to speed up the process. Not easy but necessary for our own growth. We allow ourselves a second chance and as the wise ones have always told us “when one door closes, another opens.”
If you’re still finding it difficult to let go, reach out for a guided healing meditation on Letting Go to get you started on your process of restarting and reshaping your life. Email me at mita.bhan@gmail.com for details.
(Recently a number of people have been complaining of sleep problems, dug out this old article written in 2008 about alternative sleep aides)
Till I had my child I was what you called a sound sleeper. Power cuts, thunderstorms, firecrackers and even a wedding party in the front of the house couldn’t deprive me of my 9 hours of bliss. Motherhood changed everything as I found myself up at odd hours of the night changing diapers, burping the baby or simply fretting about his fever and flu. And I learnt just how debilitating sleep deprivation can be. I felt tired and groggy all day, irritable and restless and that’s when I realized just how valuable sleep is to the human body.
I tried all kinds of remedies, made a whole lot of changes into my and the baby’s routine and things improved drastically. I cant say I sleep as well as I used to but it’s definitely a whole lot better.
Here are a few time tested tips which have helped me find solace at night.
Don’t nap in the afternoon. Not only does it throw your body clock off gear it has the ability to keep you up at all kinds of odd hours worrying about the most mundane things. If you’re really exhausted, nap for 30 minutes at the most in the day. Stick to a routine. Try and maintain a regular schedule of sleep especially on week days. Avoid caffeine, alcohol, heavy meals and stimulants before bed time. You may find yourself pacing the house during the wee hours while the rest of the world snores away. Feng Shui aides – the ancient Chinese art of geomancy places a lot of importance on sleep and the bedroom believing that the bedroom has an effect on the way you sleep, and this is a very important factor in staying healthy and happy and accumulating wealth.. Your bed should be comfortable, and the energy should flow smoothly throughout the room. You should not have anything under the bed, so that energy can circulate. Remove slippers, shoes, old clothes from under the bed. Remove paintings of water features (too much yin) and keep the colours pastel as far as possible avoiding loud primary colours in the linen and the curtains. There is a saying in Feng Shui that when you sleep with your feet facing the door you will never stay at home. You will find that you will want to be on the go all the time and never feel relaxed when you are home. You will be on the go constantly. You should have a solid wall behind your bed head for a solid night’s sleep and never sleep under a beam. Crystals aid sleep. Amethyst and moon stone are excellent sleep aids as they absorb the stress and are believed to have a tranquilising effect on the mind. Keep a cluster by your bed side or a few pieces under your pillow. Aromatherapy does make a difference – I have found Lavender and Chamomile to be the most soothing. Ideal for relieving stress and tiredness, burn some Lavender or Chamomile essential oil and incense sticks in the bedroom at least an hour before bedtime Breathwork. Conscious relaxation with yogic breath work helps your body relax. Focus on your breathing for a few minutes after you lie down, inhale and exhale deeply and slowly and consciously allow your body to slow down. I have discovered combining breathwork and visualization helps me greatly especially on tiring days. Massage. If your partner cant give you a good massage, try massaging the soles of your feet with a little olive oil in which a few drops of lavender/chamomile essential oil has been added. Gently rub into the soles applying pressure to the sore spots.
Ear Reflexology brings stress relief to minds that cannot stop ticking way past bedhour – try rubbing your ears gently every night.
Hands on Reiki/Distant Reiki helps ease some of the residual subconscious stress subtly yet effectively. Listen to relaxing music, mantras or chants which help you relax and create a positive environment around you before you sleep. Remember no one aide helps everyone, sometimes you may like to combine a few tips or go with one for a few nights before it has any effect.
Anxiety has a way of coming in waves. Some may be up all night thinking. Some may be bingeing . Some may be restless and confused. Some may wander about with this tight knot in your stomach. Completely natural during these difficult days, there are a few ways which have helped not only me release the anxiety but also countless others.
Here are 5 quick and easy ways to relieve yourself of anxiety.
Deep belly breathing or pranic breathing is the fastest way to release pent up stress and anxiety. Incorporate it as part of your meditation or just do this whenever you start feeling the knot of anxiety.
Spending more time outdoors. Even if it’s a walk in the neighbourhood park. Colour therapy speaks about the healing and soothing powers of the colour green. And who else can heal best but Mother Nature.
Keep a stress ball by your laptop, helps release any anxiety or agitation while interacting with others.Eat more fruit. The scent of oranges is supposed to boost happiness. Green leafy vegetables, fish are rich sources of nutrients that help relax us nourish us naturally.Burning Essential oils or Camphor Crystals . Lavender, Jasmine, Neroli by stimulating the smell nerve receptors and sending messages to the brain to relax. If you wake up with morning anxiety then burn it in the room upon arising, and if you suffer from evening bouts, then make sure you have your burners ready in the evening
Anxiety can hit us anytime and anywhere. And though it may initially feel like it’s getting too much, calming techniques like breathing, walking or even talking to a friend can bring relief. However, if you feel it’s chronic, or not lessening despite natural aides, do consult your medical practitioner.
“What do we need to learn right now from the Coronavirus?”
I meditated on the question, turned to the deck for answers and this what the Oracle had to say.
Pull away from the world outside and make peace with who you are. Detach from drama, gossip, petty politics and paranoia. Detox from the negativity periodically. Switch off all electronic devices for a while. This is a time to regenerate, recalibrate and recharge. Fill yourself with the knowing that deep down we are all part of a massive transformation and change. Hope is there within all of us, but first we need to learn the lessons of unity. To the corona virus, humans are all the same. Yellow. Brown. Black or White. Compassion and caring for self and others. Collaborating and sharing learnings. Breathe.We are all one. And together we can overcome.
With the rising anxiety levels around all of us, it’s hard not to get affected by the news, views and the forwards. Meditation, exercise and taking frequent breaks from social media and the News and drawing can help bring peace and clarity.
Art can be especially therapeutic in times like these. An effective way to release built up stress, alleviate depression and bring clarity and focus, a simple box of crayons and paints is a wonderful and peaceful way to release whatever it is that is bubbling inside all of us. And if you don’t have access to colour, just doodle the stress out.
These suggestions are alternative remedies for anxiety relief are in no way meant to replace existing therapy. If conditions worsen please contact your medical practitioner.
For telephonic breathwork sessions , guided healing meditations and tarot sessions, get in touch with me at mita.bhan@gmail.com
That sluggish, I do not want to get out of my blanket feeling.
The heaviness of plodding around doing morning chores with the absolute reluctance of a teenager.
This morning I woke up with the sound of the doorbell and a grey fog around my head. Call it brain fog, deprived sleep or just the Wintry blues. Everything seemed to be in slow motion until I forced myself to exercise. Just a simple 25 minute full body mobility and workout routine and the endorphins kicked in, the sun came out and my cat chasing a grape on the floor brought back a little smile.
But why did I feel like I was going to turn 100 on my next birthday?
According to the Mayo Clinic, “Winter is a dark time, so our bodies produce more melatonin in response. This leads to excessive feelings of fatigue and tiredness. The change in season can disrupt the balance of the body’s level of melatonin, which plays a role in sleep patterns and mood”
Aaah, and while simple exercise helped me, there were other ways to boost energy levels during the cold days of this season. Definetely worth practicing and sharing.
Natural Light in the morning is the best way to lift winter blues. Image from clickinmoms.com. Doctors recommend opening up your blinds and curtains upon rising to allow the maximum amount of natural light into your living space. Spending a brief time outdoors in the winter sun helps boost the sunshine Vitamin D in our bodies, acting like a natural energiser and mood uplifter. Natural light eases depression and anxiety associated with the foggy wintry days.
Pastel shades do a lot more for us than we think. Image from 123rf.com Consciously Wear Pastels. Colour therapy believes lighter colours uplift us, raise our vibration and promotes feelings of wellbeing, where as wearing colours like brown, grey and black pull us down.
Citrus notes promote clarity, concentration and energy. Image from indiamart.com. Certain essential oils when burnt in the morning or inhaled on a tissue help stimulate and energise the brain cells. Citrus aromas like Bergamot, Lime, Mandarin Orange are a few to choose apart from the trusted Basil which helps reduce fatigue and improves concentration.
Do note this tips are for the occasional case of winter blues which usually dissipate after a few hours of waking up. If you feel the tired, grey feeling lasts throughout the day or week and is affecting your personal and professional life, it would be best to meet with a doctor.
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