There are some days which become etched into our minds forever. Unfortunately, many of those days are painful or unpleasant. These highly emotional events can put us in a hysterical state and reduce our personal power. Take my personal story as an example.
I live in California but I grew up in Boston where they have the annual Boston Marathon. Although I had many friends who ran or volunteered, for me, one marathon was no different than the other. I knew to avoid certain streets during marathon days, but other than that, as far as I was concerned it was a non-event…until April 15, 2013.
I remember this day exactly. My morning was quite mundane. I woke up, walked the dog, drove to an acupuncture appointment, and was offline for several hours as I received my treatment.
On my way home, I received a frantic call from my grandfather. “You know what happened?” he asked. “No,” I replied. “I’ve been offline all morning.” “There was an explosion in Boston. Everyone from our family is OK, but your brother and his friends were right at the spot where the explosion happened. They left a little before. If they had been there, no telling what would have happened!”
After asking him 10 more times if everyone was OK, I hung up the phone and called my brother and my father to verify that everyone was indeed OK. They said that they were very shaken but unhurt. Once I got home, I read the news, made more phone calls, and again verified that everyone was alright.
Then suddenly, I found myself with nothing else to do. Nothing except turn the event over in my mind, over and over and over. What if they hadn’t left? What about other people who were there and actually got hurt? What if, what if, what if?
I was diving into the pool of hysteria and did not know how to stop myself. “How will I be able to teach a meditation class tonight?” I worried.
Then I remembered I have the tools and resources to deal with whatever comes my way and whenever it comes my way. I had already done everything I could in order to support my family. I called, I spoke, I listened. Now it was time to help myself.
A wonderful silver light visualization flashed in my mind. I love this visualization and had performed (and taught) it many times as a way to deal with stress. I closed my eyes and surrounded myself with healing silver light. A few minutes later, my anxiety released and I was able to think clearly.
There’s much to be said for the power of visualization. It is an incredibly powerful tool. Using it can mean the difference between remaining in your personal power or becoming a hysterical mess.
Here is a relaxing yoga routine followed by the silver light bubble meditation. Both have helped me so much over the years to stay in my personal power.
Urdhva Hastasana or Upward Salute with a backbend
I call this one “the opposite of sitting pose” and perform it several times a day, especially after I have been sitting at my computer for some time. Stand with your feet hip-width apart. Distribute your weight evenly through both feet. Align your hips directly above the ankles, shoulders above the hips, neck long on all four sides, top of the head reaching up toward the ceiling. Take your arms alongside the torso, shoulders down and away from the ears, elbows straight, fingertips reaching towards the floor. With straight elbows, raise your arms over your head toward the ceiling. Either remain here, keeping your shoulders reaching down and away from the ears as your fingers continue to reach toward the ceiling. If you wish to go deeper into the pose, take a slight back bend by shifting your hips forward as you reach your arms toward the wall behind you. Take five deep breaths here. On the exhale, return to your starting position with your arms by your sides. Repeat two more times.
Uttanasana or Standing Forward Fold
Forward folds are about surrendering, releasing, and letting go. Return to your starting standing position, feet hip-width apart, hips above ankles, shoulder above hips, arms by your side. Exhale, hinge at your hips and fold forward keeping you back straight until you come to your maximum forward fold. Then relax through your back, allowing it to curve naturally. I prefer to keep my knees straight so that I may work on lengthening the hamstrings, but if this is too hard, then bend your knees slightly. Let your head hang heavily and fingertips reach gently toward the floor. Allow your body to naturally relax and your low back to release. Remain here for ten to twenty breaths, on an inhale rise up, returning to your starting position. If you find that upon coming up you are dizzy, then next time, practice this pose for five breaths, then seven, then ten, slowly making your way up to twenty breaths.
Malasana or Squat Pose
Malasana or squat pose is great to practice prior to meditation because it opens up the hips and for some of us, releases the tightness in the low back. We store a lot of our emotions in the hips; physically opening the hips assists with the release of stuck emotions. Malasana is also a grounding and calming pose, perfect to prepare you for meditation. Stand upright with your feel shoulder-width apart or wider. Bend both knees taking your hips down toward the floor into a squat position. If you have tight ankles or calves, then you may lift your heels off the floor. If you cannot make it all the way down into a full squat, do not worry, practice and all will come. If you are in a full squat position, take your hands in front of your heart into Namaste, gently press your elbows into your inner thighs, use the pressure of your elbows to take you deeper into the pose. Keep your back long, shoulders down and away from the ears. If this is still too easy then work your spine toward perpendicular to the floor, reaching the top of your head toward the ceiling and your tailbone toward the floor. Take five to ten breaths and either make your way up to standing and then sit down on a chair, or lower yourself onto a cushion, preparing for meditation.
Silver Bubble Meditation
Find a comfortable and quiet spot to sit and close your eyes. Take 5 deep breaths, in through your nose and out through your mouth. Then resume your normal breathing, keeping it slow and steady.
Take your attention to your heart center and imagine a silver light beginning to glow, right in your heart center. It may look like a silver candle flame or a marble size ball of silver light.
With each breath you take, visualize this light growing and expanding. Now it is the size of a bowling ball, now it is the size of a balloon. Watch as it keeps expanding with every breath. Now it is two feet across, three feet across, four feet, five feet. With each breath the silver light keeps growing. Now you are surrounded in a bubble of silver light. And this bubble still keeps growing, expanding until it surrounds you and the space around you in silver light.
Once the edges of the bubble reach three feet away from your body in all directions, allow your silver bubble to remain this size and use your third eye to look inside the bubble. Do you see any holes, shapes or objects that do not belong in your silver bubble? If so, use your exhale to push them out and away. Be sure to look in all directions, above, below, in front, behind, on both sides. If you see anything there that does not belong, push it out and away.
Now take a look at your body inside the silver bubble. Your body should look like a glowing silver statue. If you see anything on your body that is not pure silver light, push it out with your breath. Take as many breaths as you need to fully cleanse your body.
Now scan the outside of your bubble. Do you see any cords, threads or attachments trying to “plug into” your bubble? If so, imagine large silver scissors cutting those cords, threads or attachments and as each one is cut, visualize it dropping away from your bubble. Look on the entire outer perimeter of your silver bubble and cut away anything and everything that should not be there.
Once you are done, spend a few minutes enjoying your clean, fresh, clear space. Notice how it feels to be surrounded by pure silver light, to be the pure silver light. Notice how it feels to be attachment free. Breathe in the freedom, the safety, and the lightness.
Then, slowly blink your eyes open. Before you get up and go about your day, tune into yourself once more and notice how you feel.