Calm — Where? How?

Calm is personal — what soothes one, irritates another. I am a fan of several apps for sleep stories and nighttime meditations, including Insight Timer and Calm (links at the end). Sometimes, I put on what is suppose calm, and it totally irritates me. I think it’s similar to the reaction to genres of music — some love jazz (country, classical, rap, etc.), others cringe. Calm isn’t a one size fits all.

So, how do we figure out what calms and soothes?

1. Remember a time when you were calm. What was happening, not happening? Who was there, not there? What were you doing, not doing? What did you have, not have? What time of year and day was it?
2. Go inside a create a perfect safe place. You might consider writing down these questions and meditating with them until you have a picture in your minds-eye. What do you see? What do you hear? What can you feel? What can you touch? What do you smell? What colors do you notice? Are you inside or outside? What is below your feet? What temperature is it? What are you wearing? What or who is close by? What’s in the sky or in the room? What do you love about this space?
3. Separate out one sense and give yourself what you want or as close to it. If you cannot make it a current reality, again, imagine it and your body-mind will respond as if it is real.

Here are some things that work for me — all accessible during COVID-19:

~Silence, sitting in my chair, with a timer so I don’t have to keep track of the time

~Holding and petting one of my fur babies: taking in their smells (musty-smells included), feeling their fur and warmth

~Holding a warm cup of liquid, coffee preferred, unless after 3 pm, then a warm cup of ginger turmeric almond latte

~Yin yoga in bed with a battery-powered candle with a sprinkling of lavender oil

~12 step meeting for remembering there’s a spiritual solution to all my problems

~A long hot bath or shower with green tea mint shampoo

~My new favorite warm, fuzzy blanket with my feet up in my recliner (kitty generally cuddling underneath)

Ok, that’s enough. I’m starting to get sleepy.

I hope you find some comforting calm throughout the day. Remember a sense of safety is always required for calm. I give thanks for the privilege of safety and pray all can be safe this day.

Here are some links:

Insight Timer: For the app — https://insig.ht/njOqB1DLiT

Calm — Some meditations for a calm body throughout the day to promote a calm mind and spirit

In the morning…

In the afternoon…

In the evening…

For sleep…

Deep Rest

Namaste.

Love and blessings,

Sherri

Next time: Expectations