Kindness and Self Care

Spring is already showing up in little ways -  while I was out on a walk the other day, I saw a family of robins!

Currently, I have a busy schedule and because of this I have become aware of the times I feel tension.  When I am typing I am aware of how my shoulders may creep up.  So, I gently move them down and breathe.

I also notice that when I am talking with someone on the phone I may not be as relaxed as I thought I
was.  I do not turn off the television and go to bed when I should.

So I have started really focusing on self-care - finding ways to take care of oneself is very important. I have a two-books that offer short inspirational passages to read prior going to bed and I now also listen to sleep music which is instrumental and it helps lull me into a sleep where I remove the day.

There are times that I do kundalini breath work which is very helpful just prior to sleeping and if I wake up during the middle of the night and my mind begins to wander.  It involves saying the mantra ‘Saa Taa Naa Maa’. 

I start with saying in my head Saa and hold my breath, then Taa and hold my breath, then Naa and hold the breath and then Maa and hold the breath.  At the final inhale after Maa, I hold by breath for 4 counts by repeating ‘Saa Taa Naa Maa’ and release by saying ‘Wahe Guru’.

I do this exercise at least 3 or 4 times and at first, I feel like I am doing this quickly but by the time I get to the fourth time of repeating the mantra I am slowing it down and holding my breath longer.  I find it to be a very soothing mantra.  I have also suggested to some clients to imagine as you are pulling your blanket up and over you that it is covered in feathers of an angel’s wing.

Self-care is a necessary.  And there are so many things we can do to encourage kindness to ourselves.  Be outdoors, go for a walk, watch television, pray, meditate, exercise, yoga, take a bath, get a manicure or pedicure, have a facial done, re-read a book you loved, journal, sing, dance and most of all smile.

As William Arthur Ward said, “A warm smile is the universal language of kindness.”