In this piece the lovely Kelsey Patel, one of Hollywood’s leading wellness and reiki experts, and author of Burning Bright, shares how to align to a calm MIND. No matter what may be going on around you!
Mantras
I always say it’s important to Re-member to Re-mind yourself that you’re human. In fact whether you’re having a good or bad day, mantras are incredibly helpful for Re-freshing or Re-focusing the mind.
Use these mantras to feel your way through tough emotions:
- “It’s OK to feel sad, angry, upset, and/or unhappy.”
- “I know I will not feel this way forever.”
- “I am safe to feel my feelings.”
- “I am free to feel all my emotions.”
- “This discomfort is temporary.”
Breathe
It’s when we are feeling stress or any sort of emotional intensity, that we shorten the breath. Which in turn causes stress and strain on the body. By forgetting to breathe full, deep breaths, the mind goes into, and stays in, overdrive, often focusing on stories, obsessive thoughts and mental looping.
As soon as you feel your mind and emotions are in a state of stress—take a moment out to breathe deeply. This will naturally help the mind to begin to find more calming and relaxing thoughts.
Whatever it is you are feeling, you can take a moment to be with yourself and again find your centre.
Try this simple breathing exercise…
Gently close your eyes and take a number of deep belly breaths. Breathing in through the nose and breathing out through the mouth. As you breathe in, expand your stomach on your inhale, and then empty it on the exhale.
Then close your lips and breathe in and out of the nose for 3-5 minutes. Now place your hands on your heart and remind yourself with one of the above mantras. “I am safe to feel my emotions.” Repeating it three times.
Finish the exercise with gratitude for taking the time to boost your health and wellbeing.
Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT)
Life will always have twists and turns; good days and bad days, yet it’s important to remember we are able to deal with stresses and challenges when they arise, through a number of healthy ways. EFT, otherwise known as Tapping, is a great way to move through stuck emotions, in the mind, and the body.
There are a number of easy ways to start tapping on yourself. You can decide, change and edit the statements as you tap to fit your needs and the feelings that come up.
You can begin with this tapping ritual:
- Use your right hand (pointer, middle, ring and pinky) to tap the outside of your left palm. Begin with the statement, “Even though I am so stressed out right now, I deeply and profoundly choose to love and accept myself.”
- Repeat it three times on the side of the hand, then tap with your right pointer and middle finger at the beginning of the eyebrows with, “I am so stressed out right now.”
- Keep that statement going as you tap the right temple, underneath the right eye, underneath the nose, on the chin, just below the left collarbone, the top of the head and then release and take a deep breath. Notice how you feel and then continue to tap with the same statements or new ones, as needed.
Take Time Out
There is nothing better for the mind, body and spirit than tuning out stresses and dramas and aligning to your inner light.
Anything from hiking in the fresh air, taking a stroll at sunset, immersing yourself into a fun exercise class, treating yourself to a day at the spa, or sitting for home meditation practice are great ways to tune out and tune inwards.
Personally, I like to take a hike and fill my lungs with fresh air; turning off all gadgets to connect to my self.
Newsflash: disconnecting from technology and connecting to your self is when the magic happens. And after just half an hour you will notice a big shift in how you feel. Plus, it’s always fun to try new ways refresh your mindset.
Dance It Out
There is no greater feeling than being high on life, and dancing is one of the quickest ways to change your state to feel joy. You may know the feeling of feeling truly elated after a weekend long retreat only to return to reality to receive not-so-great news.
This happened to me recently and I felt immediately deflated. Instead of wallowing in the discomfort, instead, I took to the dance floor in our master bedroom; AKA the only room with a big enough space for me to get down. I put my headphones on, changed clothes and let my hair down.
I danced like a maniac for about 20 minutes and physically let go of all the energy I was feeling. I felt incredible at the end. It was a release and just what I needed.
Ho’oponopono
I love this for mental cleansing; it is one of the most beautiful Hawaiian prayers of forgiveness and also for reconciliation too. Many a relationship has been set right through this prayer and I have personally found it deeply helpful throughout my life.
The prayer goes like this:
- I’m sorry.
- Please forgive me.
- I love you.
- Thank you.
I like to use this as a silent tool for mental reset. Especially after interactions with people that have been challenging. Repeating the prayer silently, or out loud, as many times as you wish until you feel clear.
You can add the name of the person who has challenged you and a little about why you feel this way as well. Speaking aloud why you are sorry; why you seek forgiveness. Adding that you love them and finishing with thanking them for something positive they have bought to your life.
Remember What’s Important
Although life can be filled with challenges and distractions, the simple practice of remembering who we are helps to bring presence to our every moment. With a constant bombardment from technology that is our current day reality, it can be very easy to get caught up with the stresses of daily life with too little time spent connecting to our inner self.
It’s important to remember and connect to our capability and to our worth as well. Firstly, connecting and feeling the aliveness of your beating heart. Acknowledging to yourself that you can make new choices now to live a life that has less stress, less challenges and more love.
A good practice to do this is to:
- Find awareness of where you are now, good or bad. Feeling into your truth.
- Then begin to journal what arises. Paying special attention to who is in your life and how they make you feel.
- Connect to your life’s journey and how that makes you feel.
- Then express what it is you want to achieve in your future, and bring in a mantra or affirmation as above to remind yourself of your brilliance.
- Connecting to where you are now, and also where you want to be in your future, helps to show you the right path to take.
Kelsey
Kelsey Patel is one of Hollywood’s leading wellness and reiki experts. She is not only a sought after spiritual empowerment coach, yoga teacher, reiki healer and meditation teacher, she is a multi-faceted entrepreneur and inspirational speaker, who has just written her first book, Burning Bright.
Her own life story is a part of her public and private workshops and international retreats. Kelsey is known for her ability to connect with all types of audiences in a real, authentic and uplifting way. Her mission is to inspire human beings and give them the tools to relate and connect to their own best self and live life in a purposeful, fun and balanced way. Kelsey’s workshops, classes and self-empowerment tools are a constant in clients’ daily lives, allowing them to take their intentions and goals to the next level.
