Meditations for Reducing Sensory Overload
Happy Summer Girlfriends! I hope everyone has been able to tap into some summer ease and joy, but if life is still weighing on you, today I want to share with you an excellent tool to keep stress at bay, fight fatigue, feelings of fear, loneliness, along with many other conditions related to the lack of balance and harmony in the body so that you can live more fully in a balanced, healthy, happy way.
In my last post we explored the need to tap into a deeper sense of relaxation and inner silence, peace and well-being. If you didn't have the opportunity to experience my waves of Tranquility meditation make sure you listen to Episode 22 of my podcast.
Right now, you are going to get to experience guided meditation as we continue to unpack how we can use the tool of guided meditations as a resource for reducing sensory overload.
Let’s face it - it is very difficult to relax if we're constantly being bombarded by external sensory stimulus in its various forms. Digital devices, fear of Covid, social distancing, are you standing too close, is that other person standing too close to you, hey did that person just cough a regular cough or Covid cough and if they have a cough why aren't they wearing a mask… Don’t you agree? it's all been kind of exhausting lately.
I also want you to keep in mind that sensory overload can also be internal - it’s in the form of those stories that we have in a constant loop in our head. You know what I am talking about - the spinning hamster wheel of our minds - when you are constantly rewinding something that happened in the past - Are you constantly hitting the replay button? It could be an earlier conversation that day or you might even be thinking of something that happened years ago. Do you find yourself indexing through a myriad of accumulated memories? The internal struggle in the form of thoughts and feelings created in our minds eye puts us on as a vicious cycle loop of worry and anxiety.
Today’s tool for transformation is simple. We will be using Mudra ( Mudra is just a fancy yogi’s way of saying hand gesture) By using a simple hand gesture - we have the ability to draw our senses inward - which naturally reduces the amount of sensory stimulus thereby creating a space in which things can be processed and released.
The name of this hand gesture or Mudra is Kurma Mudra. It's excellent for calming the senses and releasing and reducing sensory overload. Kurma means “turtle” and this hand mudra evokes several of the turtle's most beautiful qualities that cultivate restoration and healing. The turtle is a master of conserving energy with one of the longest lifespans in the animal kingdom; this longevity is partly due to its slow breathing. Kurma, or turtle hand mudra cultivates this same long slow breathing that we can tap into when we are feeling overwhelmed or need to conserve our energy. In today's guided meditation, let’s bring our senses inward and be restored completely. By Inviting the healing energy of going inward, the turtle draws into its shell both for safety and restoration. This hand mudra produces a similar effect by naturally drawing our five senses inward. This is so incredibly restorative and healin. I am delighted to share with you today and I know it is going to have such a positive effect on your nervous system and health of brain function.
Let's begin:
Kurma Mudra - gesture of the tortoise for restoring all 5 senses:
Begin with the right hand with the palm flipped up - we start with the ring and pinkie fingers - curl your middle and ring finger of the right hand into the right palm
Take your right hand and flip it so that your palm is down and place it into the up turned palm of your left hand
place the extended right thumb on to the middle of your left wrist
join the pad of the right index finger to the pad of the left thumb
join the pad of the right little finger to the pad of the left index finger
wrap the middle ring and little Fingers of the left hand around the edges of the right hand
rest the wrists below the navel or onto your lap with your shoulders relaxed and your spine naturally aligned.
As you hold Turtle hand mudra, take several natural breaths to attune to all the feelings and all of the sensations invoked by this hand gesture.
Notice how your breath is gently directed into the region of your pelvis and the base of your body.
Witness as your breath becomes smooth and deep, allowing you to relax completely.
As you relax more deeply you invite each of your five senses to turn inward naturally and imagine yourself entering an inner sanctuary of restoration and healing - taking a deep breath and and a deep breath out.
Begin by inviting your nose and your sinus passages to relax deeply - take several deep breaths to allow your sense of smell to be restored completely.
Now soften your throat, your tongue, mouth and jaw, inviting your sense of taste to enter your sanctuary of restoration and healing. Take several such deep breaths to savor the nourishment of your inner being.
Your sense of sight now turns inward. Take several deep breaths to allow your eyes to be bathed in to a timeless space - healing & restoring them completely.
Now your sense of touch enters your Sanctuary. By taking several breaths we sense the nourishment of our own inner being - In this space we are enveloped with healing energy.
Lastly, I invite your sense of hearing to turn inward as you take several breaths to soften your outer and inner ears. You begin to rest completely into the silence of your Inner Sanctuary, and with each inhalation and each deep exhalation all of your senses rest deeply. Within your Inner Sanctuary, your thoughts become slower, lighter and more serene thus allowing all the dimensions of your being to be restored and healed completely.
To affirm your inner healing repeat the following phrase silently in your mind's eye:
Resting in my inner Sanctuary - I experienced complete restoration & healing
Let’s repeat two more times:
Resting in my inner Sanctuary - I experienced complete restoration & healing
Resting in my inner Sanctuary - I experienced complete restoration & healing
Slowly release your hand gesture and take a few breaths to allow your senses to completely reset from the effects of this mudra. When you are ready, flutter open your eyes returning gently and slowly feeling the sense of complete restoration, experiencing calm and peace.
In this new grounded place, we can release the weight of the past and the expectations of the future thus allowing us to live more fully in the present moment.
I just love Subtle Body Energy work, and after I do this guided meditation I feel so open in my heart space and balanced in my first and second chakra. For me, I feel completely grounded and centered in safety and this is such a yummy self care practice of self nourishment. Don’t have time or the funds for a spa day? Do this hand mudra to tap into an instant reset. Self care practices do not need to be timely or costly to be effective. And at the more scientific level, the benefits of this meditation reduces heart rate and blood pressure. Did you notice how the gesture lengthened the pauses between the breath which optimizes the absorption of oxygen and nutrients which further enhances restoration. These lengthened pauses also instill a sense of inner silence and allows us to attune to our own inherent Serenity of our truest being
The brain and the vagus nerve connect via the auricular vagal branch, which stimulates the nerves of the ear canal and creates a “inner-atmosphere” where the nervous system interacts with outside noises in relaxing—or sometimes not-so-relaxing—ways. Research has linked noise pollution with digestive spasms. “Simply stated, if you were to listen to a jackhammer, or something aggressive, it stimulates the vagus system. Meanwhile, calm nature sounds and relaxing music and guided meditation decreases inner-tension.” So meditation practices where we visualize the softening in and around the ear canal are highly effective. If you would like to explore sound healing further I unpack it all in Episode 21 - The Secrets of Sound Healing.
Girlfriends - Today was number two in my four part guided meditation series. If you haven't listened to Episode 22 go back now to experience the Art of Deep Relaxation. Don’t forget to hit the subscribe button and share this podcast with your girlfriends because next time we will continue our journey by learning to Let Go and how to use meditation to develop Positive Attitudes.
I believe that we're shards of glass broken from the same vessel. It is in looking at our own pieces of shattered glass that we seek to unify these pieces and recognize that same light in others.
I am here to support you, you know where to find me, GirlfriendsGuru.com but regardless of the actions you choose to take, the essential element will be the internal gesture of choosing to remain in love, It’s all that is needed. - Until next time - Love and Light - Namaste Girlfriends!!!