We explored using Mantra as a tool for staying Sensitive in a not so sensitive world in the first part of the ‘staying sensitive’ series.
Now, I would like to go deeper into using meditation to stay sensitive and process all that is perceived by the sensitive soul.
The yogis say a thousand thoughts are thought with each blink of the eye and those we don’t act upon are dumped in the subconscious mind. Even though the subconscious mind is vast, it can fill up and affect our unconscious or conscious mind and eventually disrupt the physical body as well.
Each time we meditate we are taking out the trash of the subconscious and unconscious thoughts.
As sensitive people, it is even more important for us to meditate regularly as we are more aware of the thoughts and energies we pick up on and need to make it a priority to keep that mental filter clear.
There are thousands of meditations we can choose from, but today I want to share a few that can clear our mind and energy when we are feeling very sensitive or like we are taking on the energy of others.
Seven Wave Sat Nam
Sit with the legs crossed, heart lifted, chin slightly tucked.
Bring the palms together in prayer pose.
Tune in with Ong Namo Guru Dev Namo.
With the eyes closed and gazing in between the eyebrows begin
Chanting Sa-a-a-a-a-a-t Nam. Feel like the ocean waves are washing over you with the sound and clearing your energy of anything unwanted or not useful.
Remember Sat Nam means “I am truth” or “my true identity,” so this practice brings us back to our true self and helps us release any ideas about ourselves that are not true.
Aura Charge/Ego Eradicator
Tune in with Ong Namo Guru Dev Namo.
Sit with the legs crossed, heart lifted, chin slightly tucked.
Drawing from the strength of the legs and the root of the spine, extend the arms up and straight at a 60 degree angle. The thumbs point towards each other or the ceiling and the other fingers are curled into the palms.
Begin a gentle rhythmic breath through the nose. Equal inhale and exhale.
This is called breath of fire and it is a very purifying breath.
After 1-3 minutes inhale deeply and pull the thumbs overhead to touch. Draw up through the root of the spine and then exhale. Repeat this two more times and then exhale, sweeping the hands to the floor. Tune into the energy around you as you sweep the hands down. Then relax, enjoying the sensations.
The One-Minute Breath
Sit in a meditative posture. Take a deep exhale. Then draw in your next inhale, extending it to up to 10 seconds. Hold the breath in for 10 seconds. Then exhale the breath out for 10 seconds. Build each part of the breath to 20 seconds -- 20 second inhale, 20 second retention of breath, 20 second exhale. This is a very powerful meditation! It is amazing for building lung capacity and it gives us a deep experience of our own Infinity. You really must practice it for yourself to see how deep it can take you!
Tonglen Meditation
This meditation comes to us from the Tibetan Buddhist Practice. Pema Chodren has written beautiful articles on this practice that you can find online. I have found this practice extremely helpful in times of emotional overwhelm when the events of the world around us make me feel helpless and in pain.
The basic instructions are below.
Take both hands into your lap right hand on top of left, palms facing up, thumbs touching. Sit with the heart extended and the eyes slightly closed.
On the inhale imagine you are breathing in all the toxicity, the pain, the suffering of the world like it is smoke and bringing it into your heart (sounds like the opposite of what you would want to do!). As this breath reaches your heart it is transformed into white light and you exhale it into the world.
This simple and powerful practice helps us transmute the pain, anxiety and suffering in this world into compassion and understanding. It is extremely comforting and empowering. Just a few minutes of practice can help you feel a deep peace in challenging times.
Of course these are not just practices to do once! A regular meditation practice is key for anyone who is sensitive and is essential for anyone who would like to gain sensitivity and awareness. After all, it is our sensitivity that helps us tune into our environment and those around us and perceive that which goes unspoken. It is time for sensitivity to be seen as the gift it is. Meditation is one tool that can keep us very sensitive and very clear and contained all at once.
Personally, I don’t know how I got by without a regular meditation practice. In truth, I didn’t! There is a deep peace available to us in each moment that can be accessed through our breath whenever we choose to concentrate upon it.
Photo Credit: Connor Horenn
