I hope this email finds you safe and well this Marathon weekend (in more ways than one) and a gentle reminder we gain an hour of sleep this Sunday morning – set your clocks back tonight and enjoy the extra rest!
As we near Election Day, the anxiety is palpable. Perhaps you are personally experiencing stress around this election, and hearing the same from your friends and family. It also feels that the whole world is watching the United States with bated breath. Most people I speak with are finding it a challenge to maintain their calm in such stressful times, and I certainly can relate. I have never experienced such a negative election season (and I thought 2016 was as low as we could go). Maybe you agree – it has been exhausting.
I have been trying to find ways to reduce my increasing stress levels as we near the finish line this Tuesday. The usual tools for stress reduction that I have learned and teach definitely help: gentle yoga, breathing exercises, dancing to beautiful music, mantra meditation and sounding/ toning. Walks/ jogs in nature (whether in city parks or the countryside) are also very helpful- especially while viewing the vibrant Fall foliage colors this year. Giving ourselves permission to pause, to take in the beauty, maybe do a standing meditation in front of an awe-inspiring tree or photograph it in creative way – these too are uplifting for the spirit and grounding for the body and mind. If you are able to garden, I find it therapeutic to get my hands literally in the dirt planting seeds, bulbs, plants and flowers (though in NYC street tree beds wearing gardening gloves is a must!)
However, I’ve also added another tool to my stress reduction tool box as Election Day nears. I wanted to share it with you for those times we are not in class together, or when we are feeling politically powerless and observing our minds going down the doom and gloom path. At these moments, I have found shifting to a specific visualization helpful and hopeful. Hopefully it will be helpful for you as well! Here is an example:
Visualize your candidate winning the election with a wide margin (both the popular vote and the electoral college). Envision her reciting the oath of office on Inauguration Day. See her sitting behind the Oval Office desk looking presidential, embodying confidence as she takes on the job. Watch her in your mind’s eye addressing the nation as our next president. Listen to her inspiring speech. Envision the country remaining peaceful and non-violent. Send protective golden light to Washington, DC and the rest of the United States. Radiate positive energy for an enlightened future for our country. Send it, see it, feel it.
Please let me know if you try this visualization during meditation or periodically throughout your day, and how it goes for you!
