Now that the first 50 episodes of Daily Magic for Peace are out in the world,
I'd like to pause to thank you for taking time out of your day to focus on peace,
To center in peace.
This work we are doing is sacred,
Profound,
And so very needed.
This week we'll be revisiting some of our most popular episodes.
I'm Colleen Thomas.
Welcome to the best of Daily Magic for Peace.
Today we will craft a mantra to increase our resilience.
Welcome to the circle.
So all that you need today is a piece of paper and a pen,
Or you could use your phone.
Although I have to say sometimes doing something with a piece of paper and a pen when you're used to using technology can kind of put you in a different headspace.
So consider your options and see what feels right to you.
So the circle.
Here we are again in this circle,
The circle that connects us all no matter where we are,
No matter when we're listening,
And no matter what we're doing.
We are together because we intend it.
So welcome to the circle.
I'm really glad you're here.
So our first grounding exercise today is very simple and very powerful.
We're going to touch in on the vagus nerve.
The vagus nerve is the main nerve of our parasympathetic nervous system.
It controls specific body functions like digestion,
Heart rate,
And our immune system.
We can stimulate the vagus nerve to help ourselves calm down,
Calm down and be centered.
It's like a physical thing we can do by doing certain exercises.
We're going to do a simple exercise today which involves eye movements.
And all that it is,
Is we're going to look to the left,
Keeping our heads straight.
We're going to look to the left for about 30 seconds.
So if that feels comfortable to you,
I invite you to relax your body,
Have your head facing forward,
And let your eyes just kind of gently look to the left.
Don't push too hard,
Just like you're giving somebody the side eye,
You know.
And just hold that and notice.
This is one of those very subtle things.
As we hold it,
You might begin to notice.
There might be a moment when you feel like taking a breath or you have a sigh.
You might notice a shift.
And now let's look forward again.
And now let's look to the right.
Same idea,
Looking at somebody on our right,
Just gently,
Just gently looking to the right and just waiting,
Waiting to see if you have sort of a physiological recognition of touching in with that vagus nerve.
And then looking back forward.
And take a breath if that feels good to you.
And notice if you feel any different.
If you do feel different in your gaze,
Go look up the vagus nerve because it's pretty phenomenal.
For our second grounding,
We're going to return to the concept of the bubble space.
That bubble or egg shape around us that goes out about two or three feet on each side of our body.
Getting a sense of it,
Getting a sense of where is your bubble right now.
Do you have one?
What would it feel like to create one or to smooth yours out?
What would it feel like to drop down a grounding cord,
Connect down to the earth beneath you and release anything out of that bubble space that you might not want?
Anything that maybe isn't yours or is just from old stuff,
Somebody else's ideas that got into your space and haven't left yet?
Letting those go down a grounding cord,
Connecting to the earth beneath you,
Or maybe simply evaporate out of your bubble,
However feels right to you.
So just feeling into this bubble,
The space we're in in this bubble,
And how can we make it even safer than it is right now?
What does that mean?
What ideas does that bring up for you?
Does that mean putting a picket fence around the outside or some kind of protection?
Does it mean making it more soft and yummy inside?
So let's grab our pen and our paper or whatever it is we're going to write on or take notes on and have them nearby.
And let's close our eyes and imagine we are in a space we love.
What is a place that is safe and yummy and perfect?
Is it a Sunday morning breakfast?
Is it walking on a beach with the sun shining on us on our shoulders and our arms hearing the sound of the waves?
Is it a picnic on a beautiful clear day in a park with kids playing frisbee right next to us and hitting us with a frisbee every now and then?
Is it taking a walk with our dog early in the morning when the world is just waking up?
Is it looking at the stars when we go camping?
Is it listening to a train in the distance?
What is it for you?
What's a memory or a vision you have of a place and a time and a space that when you go there your whole body just kind of melts?
The worries you might have had just kind of fade off.
They kind of slide right off of you.
Find that place.
When you have that feeling,
That melty yummy feeling,
I invite you to grab your pen and your paper.
Just write down a few words of what that feels like.
Just free associate some phrases and words.
This is something you can of course keep working on,
But it doesn't have to be a masterpiece.
It just needs to be kind of a working draft of a very simple mantra that can take you to that place.
It might be as simple as beach,
Sun,
Waves.
It might be smiling,
Crinkle eyes.
Any words that you wrote down,
Feel free to put them together.
See how they go and see what feels right.
This can be your mantra to increase your resilience.
When it feels like you got it or you got enough of it,
Let's go ahead and write it down.
Maybe put a little box around it on the page so you're sure you're clear on what you landed on.
Then I invite you later today to put that piece of paper someplace where you'll see it.
Or maybe put it on a note on your phone and your screensaver,
Your wallpaper on your phone,
Someplace where you will see it.
The idea is it will remind you and your body will remember how to drop into that space.
You have every right to feel relaxed.
You have every right to feel resourced and resilient.
And we welcome you.
I welcome you.
I welcome your resilient self.
Thank you so much for being with us today.
Your presence,
Your energy,
And your heart make all the difference in healing our world.
Remember to breathe today.
Breathe and expand.
I hope you join us again next time.
