Storms. It feels like we have had a lot, lot, lot of them in our world these past two years. Actual storms - of wind, fire, heat, water and that new concept of an “atmospheric river”. Storms related to our health, and Covid’s affects on our bodies. Storms related to our mental and emotional health, as a result of all the many stresses and strains of the pandemic. Storms related to politics, and race, and communities, and relationships, and families. And nations. And wars.

The energy of Spring, of the Liver / Gallbladder, of the Year of the Tiger ahead, corresponds to the element of Wood. And the imagery that I find most helpful to hold in my mind during times of stress is the image of bamboo. Bamboo is flexible enough to bend down towards the ground in the face of a fierce wind, and yet strong enough to be used as scaffolding in Asia for buildings up to 70 stories high. The flexibility of bamboo is not its weakness, but its strength. I grew up with a thick stand of bamboo in my backyard, and I also remember my Mom telling us that she’d heard the safest place to be in an earthquake was a bamboo forest due to the extensive root system, so it was our Plan A for if The Big One hit!

In my last post on the Year of the Tiger I mentioned that my next post would discuss my experience with how our beliefs shape our senses, and quite literally what we are able to see. I’ll still get to that one, but with the state of stress, the unknowns, and suffering in the world right now I feel like it is more immediately relevant to share some ways to help create calm within. When we are alarmed, overwhelmed, or our past traumas are triggered our ability to think, sense, and centre ourselves are all very affected.

So I wanted to reach out and offer some small and accessible supports at this time. And no, I’m not going to tell you to meditate or do Tai Chi or Qi Gong - if you’ve already got a practice and can lean into it at this time that’s great! But when you are in the midst of a storm, or already experience anxiety, or can’t stop pacing the floor (or scrolling the phone), I think it best to pare down to very simple and effective and do-able tools. And even telling an anxious kid to “just breathe” can be both too much and too little.

When we are in an anxious, alarmed state, our body and mind can experience the Fight, Flight or Freeze response (or sympathetic nervous system response). This is 100% natural when we are in a state of danger, it’s a normal response. It’s also exhausting, and can interfere with our ability to think, sleep, digest, and be generally healthy and balanced. To help with THOSE areas, we can help our body into the Rest & Digest response (or parasympathetic nervous system response), to recover from the stress and remain resilient within it.

So here are my favourite, do-able practices for adults and children, for creating calm within the storm:

Stand and hug someone you trust for 20 seconds or longer. Another term for the parasympathtic response is Tend & Befriend, which I love.
Place your finger on your lips and lightly run it back and forth on repeat.
Hold a very cold, wet washcloth to the forehead or the back of the neck. (Can be very effective for kids and quickly preventing meltdowns)
Lie down and place a hand (or a stuffy!) on your (or your child’s) belly, just below the ribs. As you breathe in, notice the hand rising. As you breathe out, notice the hand falling.
Try “box breathing”. Sit up comfortably and look at a square (picture frame, window etc). First exhale naturally. As you inhale, count to 4 and move your eyes up one edge of the box, from bottom to top. Hold your breath for 4 as your eyes travel across the top of the box. Exhale for 4 as your eyes descend down the other side of the box. Hold your breath for 4 as your eyes travel across the bottom on the box to your starting place. Repeat 4 times.
Sing. In the shower or otherwise!
Laugh!
Take a walk (around your yard, street or ideally forests).
Stand outside, on the grass or earth, in your bare feet. As you stand, shift your attention between each of your senses - how does the ground feel? What can you smell? Notice three things that you see. Three things that you hear. Describe them to yourself.

Years ago, I attended a lecture by Tibetan lama Khentrul Lodrö Thayé Rinpoche. He was teaching about meditation, and what it is, and what it is NOT. One of the things that stuck with me was him saying that when you sit down for a 20 or 30 minute meditation session, the goal is not to be in a truly meditative state for 20 or 30 minutes. You have to be a very high lama to get there, he said! Even seven breaths within that time is “it”. You’ve got it. Then he changed his mind, interrupted his translator (and therefore himself!) and said “Even three!” That’s it.

In each of the above practices, be fully present in the experience, for those few moments. Breathe. Feel. Hold. Touch. That’s it. You’ve got this.

And then do something that makes you feel postive, proactive, and like you are contributing to others and the world in a way that promotes the energy of peace and love. When talking to kids about hard things a common piece of advice is to “find and focus on the helpers”. To that I would add - be the helpers. And we have a lot, lot, lot of them these days in our world.

Be Bamboo ~ Calm in the Storm

This is a kind reminder

Happy Year of the Tiger!