Calm heart meditation
A quick calm fix from the Kundalini tradition. By Jessica Banks aka Sat Shakti Kaur
Working with various breathing techniques, using mudras, and even mantra, there are many ways you can calm a restless mind. For the most part, any meditation will do. But it can be helpful to have one to hand for those times when you find yourself overwhelmed.
Here’s a quick fix. This short meditation from the Kundalini tradition can help you tune in to your own breath and consciously slow it down. By helping you to breathe more deeply, this meditation can help you to calm your mind.
Just as the breath is calming in this meditation, so is the mudra. It can help bring your attention out of your mind and into your heart. A space where you can reconnect with the true you, as opposed to the anxious, over-thinking version of you.
In just three minutes, you can bring yourself to a peaceful state. But if you want to have a deeper experience, you can work your way up to 31 minutes.
Here’s how to do it.
Posture: sit cross-legged on the floor or in a chair with your feet flat against the floor. Make sure your spine is long, shoulders relaxed. Keep your chin slightly tucked, your chest out.
Mudra: press your left palm flat against the centre of your chest at the level of your heart. Keep your fingers parallel to the floor, fingertips point to the right. Your left elbow relaxes down. Raise your right hand to the level of your shoulder. Forearm is perpendicular to the floor, palm faces forward, as if taking an oath. Hold your right hand in gyan mudra with the tip of the index finger touching the tip of the thumb, other fingers point straight up.
Eyes: you can close your eyes or look straight ahead with the eyes 1/10th open.
Breath: inhale deeply and completely through the nose, suspend the breath and lift the chest. Hold as long as you comfortably can. Then exhale through the nose and hold the breath out as long as you can. Repeat this cycle. Inhale, hold, exhale, hold. Don’t strain the breath but do try to extend each segment of the cycle as much as possible. Keep your focus on your breath.
Time: 3 minutes. If you feel inspired to practice this meditation for longer periods, you can build up to 31 minutes
To end: inhale and exhale powerfully three times. And relax.
Jessica Banks aka Sat Shakti Kaur is the founder and director of JOY Yoga, a Kundalini studio which offers classes online and in London (joy.yoga)
Om Magazine
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