When life (or the world) feels chaotic, it is essential to have small things that help us get back to the “here and now.” It is even better if it can also allow us to reconnect with some sense of peace or trust.
Sometimes, we “just” feel tired, stressed and overwhelmed. Other times, it can become an episode of rage or an anxiety attack. And, with all the stress going on, being able to feel grounded often is more relevant than ever.
That is why I will share a short daily practice – less than 2 minutes! – that feels really good and helpful for me. But, more than helpful to me, I have heard from other people that it has helped them to calm down and get through some difficult times in their life.
But before sharing the practice itself, I want to bring attention to important aspects that make it powerful: repetition, intention and presence.
Regular, INTENTIONAL calming practices can improve daily life and help reduce and prevent high stress and anxiety levels.
There is more to it, but essentially, repetition will help develop and master the skills of accessing a state of calmness and/or trust when is most needed. And the intentionality and presence (or mindfulness) will help build the skill of breaking repetitive thinking patterns that can be prone to bring worry and anxiety. In addition, it can bring a deeper presence and a sacred aspect to the practice.
A daily calming practice work like going to the gym. For example, we may not need to lift heavy objects often. But, if we go to the gym regularly to improve our strength, we have the skills and power to lift something heavy when we need it.
The same goes for calming skills: if we practice accessing a sense of calmness and trust regularly, when we are feeling well, when something unsettling happens, we can access that state more easily than if we don’t have that practice.
The calming practice can be short or long, but the essential qualities to make it more powerful are repetition, intention and presence.
It can be something like:
- Meditation
- Prayer or affirmations
- Mindful physical exercises like yoga, tai chi or walking
- Coloring, painting, writing or any type of art expression
- Nature time
Something that helps access a sense of peace, preferably with a sense of trust and expansion. This combination – of a sense of peace, trust and expansion – is powerful against worry and anxiety, which are fearful and contracting feelings.
Now, let’s get into it:
There is one easy practice that I have done consistently in the past months. It takes less than 2 minutes, and I can do it while I am sitting on the bed when I wake up or right before going to sleep; it is called Gokai.
Gokai, or the five Reiki principles, is a prayer/meditation that I learned during a Reiki training at the beginning of this year. Reiki is a hands-on, energy-healing art method that originated in Japan during the early 20th century.
The training recommends that the practitioner recite those affirmations, feeling them deeply in the heart, twice a day. That is intended to help us integrate that wisdom into our daily lives.
In my personal experience, it feels good, especially when I do say them with reverence and presence. It does bring me a sense of peace, trust, and even joy. And, because I would like to help bring more of these feelings into the world, I made YouTube videos to encourage more people to try it out.
I made two (very short) videos:
- One version, “for beginners,” with more time between affirmations, so the new practitioner can get familiar with the words. (Duration: 2:44) – Click here or in the image below.
- A more concise version for those who can/want to recite together. (Duration: 1:54) – Click here or in the image below.
These quick affirmations take less than one minute and a half if you skip the short 30 seconds intro. It defeats any excuse for lack of time! And, when made with presence, it can really bring good moments of calmness.
I hope you try it out daily. But, more than that, I hope it brings the same good effects that it has brought to other people and me!
If you can, I would appreciate it if you could watch those videos and:
- Give your “like”
- Make a comment
- Share it with other people
- Subscribe to the channel
Because these actions can help the channel start existing in the YouTube algorithm
Thanks for being part of my journey, and thank you for your support
A curious note about Reiki in Brazil:
In Brazil, we have a universal, or public health system (aka SUS). And in my Reiki training, I learned that hands-on healing Reiki sessions can officially be offered within the system!
That is because enough scientific studies show that people who have Reiki sessions – in addition to the medical treatment – have significantly faster or better outcomes than those who don’t!
Isn’t it interesting!?
