Buzz Your Way to Balance

Happy February, the month of Love!

Most of us think of romantic love at this time of year, but the truth is: before we can truly love another, it is important to fully love and appreciate ourselves! What would actually happen if you made loving yourself a priority this month?

Let’s face it, the past few months have been really challenging for most of us. There are a lot of intense emotions up at the surface right now, and we have been very focused on the events and experiences in the external world. Lots of things “out there” are asking for our attention right now. That’s just par for the course when we are dealing with life on the physical plane. 

The challenge arises when we find ourselves no longer in balance. When we focus predominantly on the external, we get stuck in our heads, and that monkey mind starts chatting away. Soon we can find ourselves in a downward spiral…feeling lost, angry, upset, and hopeless.

So what can we do?

It’s time to balance ourselves with inner work. Pause, take a moment. Let’s do something to feed our souls. Let’s find a way to ground back into our bodies. Let’s remember… we are not the external chaos happening around us.

The more you remind yourself that you are a being of energy and a being of LIGHT, the more calm and centered you will be.

My favorite way to center myself is through conscious breath. I find it the quickest way to shift my vibration into a higher state of well-being. It’s easy. It’s free. And we have to breathe anyway, so why not make it a healing event.

Bhramari Pranayama (Bee’s Breath)

What it is: Humming (Bhramari) has a strong and positive effect on the pineal and pituitary glands. It relieves tension, anger, and anxiety. It also calms the agitated mind. Humming brings sound and vibration into the body. When done with intention and intensity, the bones of the sinus cavities begin to vibrate. From there the sound travels on the bones and shifts the vibration through the rest of the body.

We can use our intention to send our humming vibration to any area of the body-mind system that needs healing or support.

Humming gives relief if you’re feeling hot or have a slight headache, helps release migraines, improves concentration and memory, builds confidence, and helps in reducing blood pressure. Bhramari pranayama induces a meditative state by harmonizing the mind and directing the awareness inwards. The vibrations of the sounds create a soothing effect on the mind and nervous system. This breath extends the exhale longer than the inhale, which moves us out of the sympathetic nervous system (fight or flight) into the parasympathetic nervous system (relaxation). The only time it is not a good idea to practice Bhramari is if one is dealing with an ear infection. Otherwise, it is safe for everyone to practice.

How to:  Sit on the edge of your chair with a straight spine. Bring your chin slightly inward (rather than up) so that your larynx voice box is close to your cervical spine. Use your index fingers to press gently on the cartilage flaps of the ears or place the fingertips in the actual canal- the goal is to close off the ear from external sound. Elbows stay out to the side. Inhale fully. As you exhale, hum out loud, thinking of a bee… focusing the sound forward and letting it buzz into the bones in your face while you focus on the third eye. Gently pull the belly in as you exhale. The pitch does not matter; just keep the sound audible and constant. (This drowns out the chatter of that lovely monkey mind!)  

Allow the sound to continue until you naturally run out of breath. Then take your next inhale without gasping. Repeat this process several times. When you feel complete, sit quietly and observe the effects on the body.

When in doubt… BREATHE! It’s one of the quickest ways to shift your vibration to a higher state. A challenging day, month or year can be greatly transformed with breath. With humming. With ease!

Try it! And feel free to let me know what you noticed.

Blessing each one of you on a magical February!

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