Whether we like to admit it or not, the past two years have not been the easiest. Anxiety and depression have flooded our society as social interactions and physical human connections remain limited. To help us stay grounded amongst a sea of crazy news, politics, and events, it’s important to practice mindfulness and self-care.
At the end of the day, we may not have immediate control over going to the job we dread or driving through the traffic that we can’t stand. However, we can control how we feel and react to those things. Through mindfulness practices, you can enhance your calm down your nervous system, ground your soul, and increase your overall happiness. These positively impact how you experience life. Mindfulness practices give us the best shot at getting the most out of each day and living the best versions of ourselves.
As we look into this year, consider these 3 innovative mindful practices that will help you optimize the way that you live your life.
- Group Breathing Exercises
There is power in numbers. By participating in mindfulness activities within a group, you can experience an overwhelming feeling of camaraderie and support. Have you ever felt ‘moved’ by someone who shared something vulnerable within a group setting? There is something special about a group of humans holding space for each other that sparks magical energy and frequency amongst each other.
Breathing exercises can work in the same fashion. Of course, if you prefer to do breathing exercises alone, you can experience just as many benefits that way, too. However, if you enjoy a group atmosphere for healing, consider participating in group breathing exercises.
Somato Respiratory Integration, also known as SRI, is a set of 12 breathing exercises that can be done with a group. SRI breathing exercises connect the soul to the natural rhythms of your body. If you have ever felt disconnected from an area of your body or a part of your emotional self, these breathing exercises are a great mindful practice to try.
SRI involves placing your hands on different parts of your body while performing different breathing patterns and audibly saying different things. Typically, these are guided by someone experienced in SRI. For anyone who is dealing with anxiety, panic attacks, or depression, these breathing exercises can help you break through old patterns of thinking. You can feel liberated as you dismantle past limiting beliefs that have anchored you to negativity in your life.
- Reading a Daily Mantra
Mantras are extremely powerful, especially when read habitually. If you are considering adding a mantra to your mindfulness and self-care routine in 2022, you have several options:
- Create your own mantra
- Use an existing mantra
- Combine your own words with an existing mantra
There is no limit, or box, containing what you can or cannot do when reading a mantra. It is entirely up to you and what calls to you the most. Daily mantras can empower you to be or achieve whatever it is that you want in life. You can also consider your mantra a daily affirmation. What is so powerful about reading a daily mantra?
Reading words religiously over time brings a different form of energy and frequency to your being. As you continue to repeat your mantra, your brain becomes convinced that these words are true, even if they are not (yet). The mantra becomes ingrained in your subconscious mind. The words become much more than ‘a few lines that you read’. They become the unbreakable laws and commandments of the universe that you are a part of.
Have you ever heard of the law of attraction? Reading a daily mantra is a perfect example of that. You think, therefore you believe, therefore you are. If you can snowball your daily mantra into something that you look forward to each day, it can become extremely powerful and effective. For people interested in shifting things around in 2022, consider crafting a mantra that fits your goals, aspirations, and desires.
- Morning Journal
Aside from reading, writing is another effective way to express your emotions and shift your energy towards life. When people experience anxiety, it’s often times because there is stress or worry about something in the future that hasn’t happened yet. This can include upcoming:
- Events
- Interactions
- Conversations
- Scenarios
By keeping a morning journal, we allow our minds to flow from our heads onto the paper. It’s easy to keep anxious thoughts stored in our heads. People often brush things off as ‘not a big deal’. All emotions are valid. It is up to us to express those in a way that is aligned with how we feel.
Writing things out is helpful when we feel stuck. It may feel challenging to audibly express how we’re feeling at an exact, stressful moment. Consider keeping a morning journal to express anything that your heart and mind desire. You can break through stuck emotions by putting pen to paper. There is no judgment between you and your journal. It is an entirely safe space where you can be vulnerable and express anything.
Prioritizing Mindfulness
Life doesn’t always feel easy. Especially when we get extremely busy, and life has us running around everywhere, we have a tendency to forget about mindfulness. Self-care and mindfulness practices are incredibly important to our overall well-being. Don’t be afraid to be vulnerable with yourself, or with others, and express how you are feeling. By experimenting with these innovative mindfulness practices, you allow yourself to be the greatest version of yourself. Optimize and align your life through mindfulness practices and self-care.
