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Grounding Yourself in Stressful Times

Imagine yourself in a cluttered room. Assorted items covering every raised surface and every inch of floor space. No space for you to be.


What does that do to your stress level? Are you feeling any discomfort?


For many, chaotic physical environments trigger a stress response – a spike in the nervous system. A dose of cortisol is released that sets several bodily reactions in play.


And these automatic stress reactions can result in elevated heartrate, racing thoughts, inability to focus or sleep and emotional volatility, just to name a few.


Much of our stress is created from environments beyond just physical disarray. The world today can feel like a very chaotic place - with political uncertainty and a barrage of negative media messaging added on top of our everyday stressors.


After several month of mindful living and pilgrimage in Spain, the uncertainty and cluttered excess of the United States at this particular time has certainly amped up my stress levels.


The beauty of a mindful pilgrim experience is that it demonstrates how little is really needed for a happy life. It offers a place to find stillness inside while experiencing a generosity of spirit among fellow travelers that affirms your faith in humanity.


The sharp contrast of that environment with the division, noise and negativity in my present moment has me reaching for every tool in my MBSR kit.


My go-to practice for grounding myself in stressful times is Mindful Yoga.

 

Mindful Yoga helps to focus awareness within your body. It provides an outlet for releasing energy created by your nervous system’s stress reaction, while placing your awareness on physical sensations instead of racing thoughts.


This practice helps to stabilize attention and ground you in present moment awareness, reducing your immersion in the stressful experience.


There are three key anchors while practicing mindful yoga:


🍃 Notice how each slow movement feels as it is happening. Which muscles are engaging?


🍃 Be curious about what sensations are being created in your body from each movement. Do you feel tightness, tingling, discomfort, release, warmth, etc.?


🍃 Be aware of the rhythm of your breath in relationship to each movement. Follow the flow of your full inhale and full exhale.


Try this free 20 minute guided MBSR Standing Yoga practice on Insight Timer, and see how grounded you feel afterwards. It is suitable for all levels.


If it works for you, add it to your own toolkit.


And remember that the practice is the practice. Consistently returning to it helps to mediate your body’s automatic stress reactivity in the moment and in the long term. It can lead to a much more grounded experience of life.


Wishing you a week grounded in your own generosity of spirit.


Let your wisdom lead,

Robin


PS.

To learn more about the four common automatic stress reactions you may experience, read these previous posts on Fight, Flight, Freeze, and Fawn.


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