Rejuvenate

You know it’s coming. The frenzy of the last-minute errands, wrapping presents late at night, the fussy kids, that one in-law who never fails to say something that hurts you, late parties, endless cooking and cleaning.
So now, while you still have the chance, pull in and center yourself.

If you do this for yourself, you will also be giving a gift to your family. It works like this: While recovering from an illness in 1665, Dutch astronomer and physicist Christiaan Huygens noticed something very odd. Two of the large pendulum clocks in his room were beating in unison, and would return to this synchronized pattern regardless of how they were started, stopped or otherwise disturbed. This same phenomenon, entrainment, happens when you meditate. If you have a slow steady heart beat, and calm breathing patterns, those around you will soon pick up the same patterns in their own bodies. You can experience less anger and stress, less anxiety and depression.

If you’re truly calm and working from a solid center within yourself, your home and those around you will be calmer too. Research of Marilyn Schlitz, William Braud on meditation have shown that calm individuals can intentionally reduce the anxiety of others, even if they are in distant places.

Another practice to explore is Yoga Nidra, known as the most powerful relaxation technique known to man. Different from Meditation, in Yoga Nidra, you leave the Waking state, go past the Dreaming state, and go to Deep Sleep, yet remain awake. Yoga Nidra relates to conscious deep sleep. (“Nidra” means “deep sleep” not “dreaming”).

Yoga Nidra is a state that is very relaxing, but is also used by Yogis to purify the Samskaras, the deep impressions that are the driving force behind Karma. Learn more at Studio Serenity, Yoga Journal.

You don’t have to go to a class to experience Yoga Nidra. There are CDs available that will take you to that deep place of rejuvenation, right in your own home.

But do something calming for yourself today. Do something that will rejuvenate you, as you probably need this.

Moving Into Stillness: Words from Erich Shiffman: The Practice of Spontaneous Wisdom
“When you experience yourself in stillness, you will intuit a new way of using your mind. You will be taught – from within the stillness – how to receive moment-to-moment inner guidance during the day from the Infinite Mind, and you will be given individually pertinent spiritual teachings.”