Hello and welcome.
I'm Carolyn Ann Budgell and for today's practice I'm joining you from my home in British Columbia,
Canada.
I'm going to be sharing with you a really sweet and simple practice of grounding humming.
Humming or making vibration or repetitive soothing sounds can have a wonderful effect on the nervous system by helping to switch off the stress response.
Often when we're facing a lot of stress or unknowns or uncertainties or things that we simply cannot control in life,
We bury it.
We put it away for another day and sometimes forget to tend to it.
Well this is your opportunity to give your stress,
To give any old anxieties a bit of space to be released and expressed.
Let's get right into it.
You can be seated with me or you may like to lie down.
Please choose a position that's simply really comfortable for you.
Perhaps closing your eyes,
Take a slow breath in and a soft sigh out your mouth with an intention of arriving here.
Another breath in through your nose,
Landing here as you exhale.
That's it.
One more time.
A long breath in and fully settling yourself with a breath out.
Gently take note of how you're doing,
How the day has been so far for you.
Take stock of any thoughts on repeat in your mind.
Notice any emotions that may just be bubbling under the surface.
Sense the hum of life in your body and how just because you've chosen to pause doesn't necessarily mean that everything else is pausing along with you.
So for anything that's showing up that is needing your soothing energy,
We're going to offer some soft hums to whatever's in the body,
Inviting in a bit more slowness and gentleness with these hums.
So the humming sound,
It's like making the hmm sound at the end of the OM with lips closed and we'll take about three rounds to begin and take really full inhales between each one and quite long hums if possible with the intent of just gently bringing down heightened emotions or activities or bringing them out.
Take one cleansing inhale,
Long exhale,
And we'll begin three hums.
Breathing in.
Those three are complete.
Inviting in a long inhale and a sweet exhale to soften a touch further into this practice,
Into this seat,
Into this moment.
I'm going to recommend that we do another round of three hums.
Repetition is always an important thing to help these new pathways to fire,
These new pathways of expression,
Of allowance,
Of spaciousness,
Of positivity.
We often need to repeat.
It doesn't have to be for five hours a day or five hours every day but just three more rounds.
We'll add on a little bit so if you wish you can keep your hands right as they are or you could place your hands onto a body part that's really talking to you or that has really been feeling or holding the brunt of all your stress.
Maybe hands on your jaw or hands on your heart or down on your low belly or anywhere else.
Imagine that you're humming,
Sending your hums into this place of the body.
Give yourself the permission to feel it,
To release it,
To care for it.
Take a long inhale and start three hums.
Very mindfully lowering your arms or hands to a comfortable spot.
Sometimes a little bit of noise is important.
Sometimes being messy and imperfect and loud is important.
Your breath is this incredible ally that you have with you.
Your breath is here and it can be utilized in various forms to bring you back to the present moment,
To a little more peace within your body.
Your breath is here.
As we close our practice I will invite you to reflect upon one thing you're grateful for in your life or one person that you're grateful for.
Not only does repetition help new neural pathways to fire,
So does gratitude.
Remembering the little things in life that are good.
Gratitude is important.
Let's take a long inhale together and a gentle exhale.
I am so grateful for you,
So grateful for this community on Insight Timer.
I thank you for practicing with me today and for giving yourself permission to express.
I hope that you can practice this at other points throughout the week ahead.
Take care.
