If you're feeling anxious, you're going to love this episode. I’m sharing a 3-part technique using a collection of tools that I created to help me find immediate relief in times of anxiety. Use this mantra and breathing ritual to help you honour your anxiety and allow it to be seen, felt and heard - so you can let it go and clear the path for light to enter.
I’ve always believed that my body is my greatest teacher.
And when my heart starts racing, I know that I haven’t been paying attention to what’s important.
My anxiety always feels like a warning siren to me. Like my intuition is sounding a compassionate alarm because I’m out of alignment with myself or the Universe.
But anxiety can flare up in all sorts of situations and in different ways, for different people. It could be related to something that’s happening right now, something that’s going to happen or even your perception of something that hasn’t happened yet. It can even be an energetic imprint from earlier in your day that’s only just physically manifesting in the moment.
Whatever the reason is, if you’re feeling anxious, I encourage you to see this as an invitation to surrender, tune in to your inner wisdom and feel the support that is within you and around you - so you can shift your energy.
The truth is, your anxiety wants to be seen and heard.
I know it feels dark and uncomfortable and we often want to run or hide from it.
But why do we give our power away?
What if, in that moment, you took a deep breath and honoured your anxiety by asking it what it wants you to know?
To actually pass it a microphone and give it a voice.
This is how you turn our anxiety into power.
Because your emotions are like messengers that open you up to your inner wisdom.
You just have to be willing to listen.
By doing so, you release the emotional blocks that live below the triggers and clear the path for light to enter. The healing process isn’t always easy, but as Pema Chodron says: “Nothing ever goes away until it has taught us what we need to know”.
So, how do you actually put this into practice?
My 3-part technique uses a collection of tools that I created to help me find immediate relief in times of anxiety.
The best thing about this method is that you can do it in less than a minute, using one or all three parts, depending on how strong your feelings are.
So, whenever I notice my beating heart, I start with a simple mantra to ease my anxiety and make space for clarity. You might even think of this mantra as a prayer. (And when I say prayer, I simply mean surrendering or turning it over to the care of your intuition, higher self, the Universe, angels, spirit guides… whatever you believe in).
The mantra is this: I honour my anxiety and welcome spiritual guidance. I am willing to see peace instead of this.
You can silently repeat this to yourself and then take a deep breath in and release. Soften into stillness for a minute and listen to the guidance available to you.
Not only will this bring you back to peace, but you’re also allowing space for your anxiety to speak.
Trust that whatever comes through is exactly as it needs to be. This creates awareness around your anxiety and if you need to, you can change course.
Sometimes though, the feeling might be particularly strong and need a little more nourishment.
Begin by rubbing your hands together to create some warmth. This also activates your heart chakra (since your hands are energetically connected to your heart).
Place your right hand over your heart (the organ itself rather than the centre of your chest) and feel the warmth seeping in, like it’s hugging your heart. This action alone might be enough to start to slow down your heart rate, soothe your nervous system and calm your anxiety because it releases the love hormone, oxytocin which lowers blood pressure and cortisol (stress) levels. Close your eyes here and relax into your breath.
Then come to your centring thought again:
I honour my anxiety and welcome spiritual guidance. I am willing to see peace instead of this.
Take a few deep breaths there and listen.
If you feel good here, you can open your eyes and return to your day.
If you want to linger here or need more, we’ll move on to the third part, which is a short breathing ritual.
I share this a lot because I use it so much in my own life, especially when I feel anxious.
It’s called the Triangle Breath and cultivates a sense of balance in the body and mind.
Keeping your hand over your heart, you inhale for 5, hold for 5 and exhale for 5.
Let’s do it together now:
Inhale 2-3-4-5
Hold 2-3-4-5
Exhale 2-3-4-5
If you feel overly anxious because you’re focusing on your breath, you can release the breathing pattern at any time. Some gentle stretching and movement may serve you better instead.
Keep going like this, breathing at your own pace, for up to a minute, or as long as it takes for relief to set in.
Once you’ve had enough of that, release your hand and take a full inhale and sigh all the breath out through your mouth. Then, float your eyes open to the room.
I really hope this short mantra and breathing ritual brings you as much peace and relief as it has for me. I still use this practice on a daily basis whenever I feel anxiety setting in.
It not only helps me find calm again, but by slowing down and listening, I honour my anxiety and let it speak. This awareness has really helped me to navigate my emotions with a sense of ease and grace.
Put these techniques in your toolkit, so you always have them with you and can return to peace in less than a minute. It’s perfect for your busy days.
Thanks so much for listening! If you’re ready to go deeper, I have a free mini yoga retreat waiting for you over at pranapatchouli.com/retreat. It’ll help you find emotional ease, fill up your cup and follow the whispers of your soul.
All you have to do is head over there now and enter your name and email for instant access.
I’ll be back next week with a brand new episode, so until then, from my heart to yours, Namaste.
