Intro: Hi, it's Amy here, and welcome to The Prana + Patchouli Podcast. I'm a restorative yoga teacher and this is where I share my self-care tips, spiritual tools, breathwork and guided meditations to reduce stress and raise your vibration. If you haven't already, be sure to hit subscribe, so you never miss an episode.
Yesterday may have been Valentine’s Day, but in today’s episode, I want to give you a short, sweet and loving dose of self-care, by sharing a practice that you can use anytime to soothe anxiety when it arises. It’s inspired by Jin Shin Jyutsu, a Japanese healing modality thought to balance the body, mind and spirit.
Right now, we’re all trying to adjust to this weird post-pandemic life, but we’re still experiencing personal and collective anxiety. Although we may desperately want to “get back to normal”, we are different now, and the truth is, that in order to start healing, we have to accept that we’ve all been through a trauma, so that we can free ourselves from fear, find inner peace again and become new.
The technique that I’m going to share with you can release tension, regulate your nervous system and deepen relaxation. It’s a self-holding technique that, to put it simply, can help you feel safe. Before I learnt about this, I found that I was naturally doing it in my yoga and meditation practice, and you may have already experienced it on the mat, too.
To practise the Heart Hold, you’ll place your right hand on your belly and left hand on your heart. If you like, you can do this with me now. With your right hand on your belly, and your left hand on your heart, breathe in deeply, and exhale completely. Focus on the gentle movement of your body as you breathe. Notice peace and relief setting in as you feel the nourishing energy of your palms. You can practise this hold for 2-10 minutes.
I often use this Heart Hold when I’m meditating or breathing, in Savasana, or before I go to sleep at night. When I was suffering with severe anxiety, it was my saviour to calm my anxiety and connect to my body.
You can even say to yourself, gently and silently: I am safe, supported and held.
This a subtle practice that you can really do anytime, anywhere, but if you find yourself in a situation where you can’t place your hands on your body, or maybe that’s not physically available to you, you can just imagine them there, take a deep, calming breath, and repeat this mantra for a similar effect.
I also like to use this holding technique to deepen my connection to my intuition. The heart and gut are conscious organs, which inform you about life energetically, not intellectually. From that subtle perspective, you’re also tuning in to the energy of the heart and solar plexus chakras. In anxious times, this is helpful, because the wisdom you receive from your inner guidance system can support you in navigating these challenges with more ease and grace.
Return to this anytime you want to self-soothe and centre your energy. You might just find that it becomes part of your daily practice, like it has for me.
And if you want more tools, practices and support to help you find peace and emotional freedom, please consider joining me in LIGHTER, my monthly membership. I’ll put the link in the show notes below so you can check it out. It’s where I love to share simple techniques like this because this is how we bring our spiritual practice down to earth and into our lives - which is what makes all the difference.
One of my lovely members, Jennie, said: “I love the style of Amy’s practices as they're slow and gentle and help me feel calm and peaceful. This has proved vital in the pandemic as anxiety and uncertainty can become overwhelming. LIGHTER is where I go to ground me and bring me back to the present moment.”
If you want to feel that way too, then I hope you’ll join us over there. Just click the link below and I’ll take good care of you!
But I hope this heart hold serves you. Whenever I use it, I feel like I’m giving myself a big dose of kindness, which always helps to alleviate some of that anxiety.
That’s all for today and I’ll see you back here next week with a brand new episode.
Outro: 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. *Deep exhale*. 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.
