Anti-Anxiety Meditation: Part 2

Apologies for the delay!  I had major technical issues. Ugh. I couldn't synch the audio with the visual, blah blah blah. Anyway, here it is!

If you missed the introduction, you can click HERE for information about anxiety, as well as lots of helpful resources.

Intro to Anti-Anxiety Meditation

As a massage therapist, I specialize in relaxation. I know from my own experience, that meditation is beneficial in helping the body to relax. If you get into the habit of practicing meditation, then when something stressful and unexpected arises, you will have an easier time dealing with it. 

The brain likes security. It needs to feel safe, above all. It also likes novelty and seeing something new and different; but only when it feels safe to explore. We are designed to survive, first and foremost. For many people, that is what they are doing, but they are not thriving or growing. 

According to Dr. Bruce Lipton, author of The Biology of Belief, you can be in a state of joy (growth, contentment, thriving) or in a state of fear and protection. You can't do both at the same time. In these post-9-11 times, and especially with the uncertain political climate, it is not hard to imagine that we might feel stressed.  

When you're in a state of stress, real or imagined, your body reacts in the same way: fight, flight or freeze. Blood flows to the legs for running (flight), to the arms to fight, and to the back of the brain (popularly called the "lizard" brain) for survival. What's running the show here is the amygdala, in the limbic system. It is the only part of the brain that is fully formed at birth; the rest of your brain continues to grow dendrites, throw down neural pathways, and make connections. The amygdala records your emotions connected to survival, especially fear. This is where phobias come in; a 2-year-old who nearly drowns could develop a water phobia. I was bitten by a dog and had a phobia of dogs for the next 20 years. The amygdala doesn't care about logic or reasoning; it cares about safety and survival. So the prefrontal cortex (behind your forehead) can have lofty plans and goals:

PFC: "I think I'll take up skydiving."

Amygdala: "Nope."

Anxiety is what happens when the amygdala is out of control. And it feels that way when it feels like it's out of control!  It also happens with unrelenting stress. The human body was not designed to experience chronic, long-term stress. 

Here's what Mayo Clinic says about anxiety. Basically, anxiety is a physiological fear response to a perceived threat. The focus is on a future "WHAT IF?"  loop in the mind. "What if  x happens?"  

CAUSES:

• Trauma: this can be from a one-time accident, incident or something that happened over time, including abuse. 
• Abuse; can be physical, which can be obvious, or emotional abuse which is less obvious.  
• Hormonal imbalances
• Thyroid imbalance; hypo (tends toward depression) or hyper, as well as Hashimoto's (both hypo & hyper, can get misdiagnosed as Bi-Polar)
• Environmental: people at home or at work (think Narcissism or Borderline Personality Disorder) 
• Environmental: Feeling unsafe in your home or neighborhood; violence, dodgy neighbors
• Environmental: Toxic mold in your home or workplace 
• Vitamin deficiencies  & mineral deficiencies, e.g. Magnesium, Vitamin B, etc. My thyroid doctor said, "You can't possibly feel good with low Vitamin D levels." And most people are deficient. Here's Dr. Brogan talking about the "psychotic woman" with Vitamin B deficiency.

Trauma

Unresolved trauma can get physically stuck in the body. Trauma Release Exercises, help to release it. 

Hormonal Imbalances:

Dr. Kelly Brogan is a psychiatrist who gets people feeling better and off anti-depressants. She is a functional medical doctor who looks at the whole body and how it functions; paying attention to hormonal levels, food sensitivities and many other things that affect health and well-being. Her book is A Mind of Your Own: The Truth About Depression and How Women Can Heal Their Bodies to Reclaim Their Lives.  It's not just about depression and it's not just for women.  Here's an interview with Marie Forleo.   She talks about anxiety & panic attacks in the first 10 minutes.  Her Huffington Post article, How to Resolve Anxiety and Depression Through Diet.  Here's her YT channel.  

I told my osteopath that my friend who came to see him thanked me for referring her and she said, "I knew I wasn't crazy." He said, "You know, I've had 3 patients tell me that this morning." 

Thyroid

Dr. Izabella Wentz  Her book: Hashimoto's Protocol: A 90-Day Plan for Reversing Thyroid Symptoms and Getting Your Life Back. Dr. Kelly Brogan also addresses thyroid function, as well. 

If you're told your blood tests are "normal", make sure you get the full panel. According to thyroid advocate Mary Shomon, you need:

• Thyroid (TSH)
• Free T4 (FT4)
• Free T3 (FT3)
• Thyroid Peroxidase Antibody (TPO)
• Thyroid Antibody (Anti-thyroid AB)

Why Do I Still Have Thyroid Symptoms? when My Lab Tests Are Normal: a Revolutionary Breakthrough in Understanding Hashimoto's Disease and Hypothyroidism by Dr. Datis Kharrazian. 

Toxic Mold

In the last 30 years, anti-fungal paints have created a resistant strains of molds, much like antibiotics have done with bacteria. In addition, HVAC circulates that mold. Any buildings that have had leaks or floods, are at risk. There is a broad spectrum of health ramifications from behavioural (learning disabilities, ADD) to neurological (M.S., migraines, etc.) to emotional (depression, anxiety, etc.) to hormonal (Hashimoto's, etc.) I first became aware of the issue of toxic mold from Dave Asprey, Bulletproof Guy. His book, Headstrong: The Bulletproof Plan to Activate Untapped Brain Energy to Work Smarter and Think Fast-in Just Two Weeks, is a must-read for a happy, healthy brain.  For an eye-opening documentary, watch Moldy: The Movie.  It's a HUGE problem and cause for health issues. For more videos about mold, click HERE.

A Correlation

I'm not including this under "Causes" of anxiety, but there is a correlation. According to Dr. Peter Gray, in his book, Free to Learn: Why Unleashing the Instinct to Play Will Make Our Children Happier, More Self-Reliant, and Better Students for Life , research has show that as free play in children declines, anxiety is on the rise. In his book, he illustrates the value of free play. As schools cancel recess and focus more on test-taking, and as parents schedule children for adult-supervised play dates and team sports, children have less and less time or opportunities for free play. The skills they would learn; negotiating, getting along, kindness, innovation, risk-taking, are getting lost. But this isn't just about children, because children grow into adults. Dr. Stuart Brown, in his book,  Play: How it Shapes the Brain, Opens the Imagination, and Invigorates the Soul, maintains that people have "play" deficits, just as they have sleep deficits. Play is critical to our well-being. However, PLAY is different for different people. 

What is "play" to YOU?  Team sports, board games, reading, arts and crafts, music festivals or gardening?  One person's play is another person's work. I was recently invited to go to a baseball game. "Come on, Hali. It'll be FUN!"  

Nope. Big bowl of NOPE. 

"Fun" to her meant time with friends and family. Baseball is a fun sport. It's summertime! Plus popcorn. To me, it's noisy,  I hate sports, and it's 90-something degrees. I wilt in the heat, there's nothing for me to eat and I'm stuck in a crowd. PLUS, baseball goes on for hours. HOURS! There's no end time; you never know when it's done. 

So here's the question:  Where's the FUN in your life?  What playing do you do?  It's critical to your emotional well-being and overall health.   

 Kyle Cease  is someone I think is FUNny & gets me thinking. Plus, he meditates! AND he shares a story about anxiety:

Another kind of physical exercise, the chi kung bounce:

John Morgan teaches a relaxation process, RELAX in 2 MINUTES:


Here's a blog post from John Morgan of a simple mindfulness technique: Heads Up.

MORE HEALING MODALITIES

HERBS are a whole-plant way to nourish your body and support it in times of stress. 

Susun Weed is a wealth of information on herbal medicine; specifically on the healing properties of common weeds. For adrenal support, try Stinging Nettle.  Here's a tutorial from Susun on how to make an infusion.   I make 2 quarts at a time and keep it in the fridge. I use it to make my protein shakes with. If you want something a bit more convenient and instant, nettle powder works well, too. There are many benefits of nettle; great for sinuses, allergies, and boosting your energy levels.

Other herbs specifically for stress:

Kava: Here's some information on kava, different kinds, what to avoid, etc. The main point is to avoid tudei.    BulaKavaHouse  which has instant  &  CactusKava   Here's how to make it.   It tastes like dirt and is a bit gritty. But it gives you a mellow sort of relaxed feeling. 

Another great herb to try is passion flower. However, it might make you sleepy. Here's a capsule version.  Here's a link a friend sent me in liquid form & says it helps really well and fast.

FLOWER ESSENCES are based on the frequency of the flower that gets infused into water, and is preserved with brandy or vinegar. It's kind of like homeopathy, only with flowers. Bach was the first, but there are others now, most notably Perelandra. 

Here's a great book:
Flower Essence Repertory: A Comprehensive Guide to North American and English Flower Essences for Emotional and Spiritual Well-Being by Patricia Kaminski & Richard Katz

Bach's Rescue Remedy: a combination of different flower essences designed to help soothe and calm down.

Perelandra ETS: ETS (Emergency Trauma Solution) Perelandra has a flower essence and combinations for everything and everyone, people, animals, plants. 

ESSENTIAL OILS 
I'm really sensitive to smells, so I stay away from essential oils. Even tho they're natural, they're very strong. It has been recommended that lavender is good for relaxation; which is an instant migraine for me. However, there is one oil I can do, created by Dr. Norm Shealy: Air Bliss. It was designed to be put on specific acupuncture points to alleviate anxiety and depression, and to raise oxcytocin levels. It smells divine! And whether it's the heavenly smell or the actual application, it does bring a sense of calm; almost bliss! His latest book, Living in Bliss. I tried some of the other ones he has, and I can't do them. But Air Bliss is WONDERFUL!  

BRAIN GYM
Official Brain Gym website
Here's a link demonstrating the basic 4 exercises, by someone who used them to quell panic attacks. 
Smart Moves: Why Learning Is Not All in Your Head by Carla Hannaford; brainy stuff along with illustrations of Brain Gym exercises.

RESONANCE REPATTERNING Resonance Repatterning is a WONDERFUL healing system for addressing any issue; physical, mental, emotional, spiritual.  Founder Chloe Wordsworth has 2 books:

Spiral Up! 127 Energizing Options to be your best right now   Resource of quick and easy exercises; Brain Gym, breath exercises, chi kung, etc.
Quantum Change Made Easy; explains the science behind Resonance Repatterning.

New Meditation Series

Meditation is one of those things that I practice daily. It varies in length; every once in a while it's 10 minutes, sometimes it's 2 hours. Usually, it's somewhere in between. I also take 5 minute breaks throughout the day. It doesn't have to take a long time; you could start out with just sitting down for 10 minutes everyday. The key to getting in the habit is to get in the habit. Decide on a time and place and do it every day. The more you do it, the more you'll want to do it.

I do it first thing in the morning with my cup of coffee, in my Meditation Chair:

Usually with this guy.  :-)

Meditation shifts your brain waves from Beta waves to alpha waves. Alpha waves are what you are experiencing in between sleeping and waking. It's a very relaxing space. Meditation also activates your parasympathetic nervous system, so that you are relaxed. This is important because this is the place of rest, rejuvenation and healing. Cell biologist Dr. Bruce Lipton, grandfather of Epi-genetics, says that 98% of all diseases are related to stress. So if you can manage your stress, you can manage your health. Meditation is a simple and beneficial way of enhancing your health and well-being.

Favourite Resources

If you want to explore more . . .

Audio

• Recordings of guided visualizations. First up: Dave Dobson. I have fallen asleep to Dave's Beach Trip for 30 years. This isn't technically a meditation recording, but it is incredibly relaxing and great to fall asleep to!    

• John Morgan (who studied with Dave):  Accomplish Anything Take a relaxing walk along the beach and program yourself for whatever you want to accomplish.
• Improve Your Self Image. John did this with me over the phone shortly after I started working for him. The knot that I'd had in my stomach for months, melted away, and I drifted off into a deep sleep. 

• Dr. Joe Dispenza: Joe teaches meditations in his seminars. He also measures brain waves and before and after meditations in his more advanced courses. See more in Books section.  Changing Beliefs and Perceptions
• Morning & Evening Meditations  (also an app)  

• Doug O'Brien (who also studied with Dave): Imaginary Journey; Health & Healing Another walk along the beach with beachy wave sounds. Doug has a very soothing voice. 
•  and Shamanic Journeys   Guided visualizations.. AWESOME drummy music that Doug wrote.

Music

• From Bruce Lipton: Translational Music BEAUTIFUL piano music based on Bruce Lipton's work.
• Michael Zampi; BEAUTIFUL guitar music. I use Chesapeake Bay: Reflections of Beauty when I give a massage; and Michael also let me use it in Virtual Massage. 
• Deva Premal has a beautiful voice and sings chants from different traditions. Here's the Gayatri mantra in Sanskrit.
• Elaine Silver, Allelujah Canon.  Breathe Deeply. Elaine has the voice of an angel!  Her music opens the heart and expands the mind.  www.elainesilver.com 
• Drone Zone by Kay Gardner   Really great background music to drown out background noise.

Books

• You Are The Placebo: Making Your Mind Matter  & Breaking The Habit of Being Yourself by Dr. Joe Dispenza
• If you find yourself lacking discipline, motivation or strategy:
• The 5 Second Rule: Transform Your Life, Work, and Confidence with Everyday Courage by Mel Robbins.  Watch her TED Talk.
• Master The Day: Eat, Move and Live Better With The Power of Daily Habits by Alexander Heyne
• Meditation: A Simple Eight-Point Program for Translating Spiritual Ideals into Daily Life  by Eknath Easwaran.  I'm throwing in at least one book on meditation!  :-)

Jammie Chat, Day 12

Quotes:
"The gift that's trying to come out of you is not for you; it's for everyone." ~Kyle Cease

"Doing diffuses fear." ~John Morgan

xxx

Links to everything I mentioned in the video:
Bruce Lipton
Bruce Lipton 101 blog post
Tony Robbins
John Morgan

Mint Car / Vanilla Smiles Traveler's Notebook

AquaChigger

Day 9 of Jammie Chat

"Sometimes when you think you're in a dark place you think you've been buried, but actually you've been planted." ~Christine Caine

Jammie Chat, Day 5

"I wish I could show you when you are lonely or in darkness the astonishing light of your own being." ~Hafiz

Jammie Chat, Day 4: WHY???!!!

Here are some blog posts I wrote about Dave Dobson.

Quote-of-the-Day

20 years ago I was at a lecture with some Indian guru. At the end of it, everyone could talk to him for some personal advice. I don't remember what my question was, but he said to me in broken English to meditate more. Afterwards, I was talking to other people and they were marveling at his wisdom.

Yoga Chick: He is so right, I have not been meditating enough.
Random Guy: That's what he told me, too. I've really been ignoring my practice.
Me: Wait a minute . . . .

That's right. That was his advice to everyone. Which, when you think about it, is not bad advice. Things are much more peaceful & balanced after meditation. All those little Mark Twain worries melt away. Meditation, not medication. ;-)

And you thought this was a hair wash post.

Labyrinth Naps

Tomorrow I'm going into the studio to record my next CD: Labyrinth Naps This is the introduction:

Hi. I’m Hali Chambers. Welcome to Labyrinth Naps. I designed the following guided visualizations to facilitate a nap. What do Winston Churchill, Albert Einstein, and Thomas Edison all have in common? They understood the value of naps. There’s a wonderful book by William C. Dement, called The Promise of Sleep. Dr. Dement has been a pioneer in sleep research for the past 50 years and has demonstrated the value of sleep to our health, performance, and overall well-being. He has also documented the dire consequences of sleep deprivation including accidents, serious health issues, and even death. Unfortunately, so many people in modern society are sleep-deprived. Naps are a simple, beneficial, biologically-based antidote. Many people experience a natural, physiological dip in energy in the afternoon. Some people push through their drowsiness with the coffee & donut break, but what if you were to take a different, healthier approach that actually makes you feel more alert and energized afterward? What if you were to decide to work with your body’s biology instead of ignoring its signals? In our culture, naps may be viewed as laziness, but research has shown that a well-placed nap will help you to perform better afterward. In addition, the benefits of a nap are long-lasting. It was found that a 45-minute nap improved alertness for a full 6 hours after the nap. In fact, Dr. Dement says that “naps can make you smarter, faster, and safer than you would be without them. They should be widely recognized as a powerful tool in battling fatigue, and the person who chooses to nap should be regarded as heroic.” Now, doesn’t that make you feel better? You’re a hero.

The processes on this CD are only 20 minutes and can be used during a lunch break or later in the afternoon. They can help to recharge your batteries, so that after this experience, you can feel refreshed, rejuvenated, and alert.

Now that I’ve addressed the importance and value of taking naps, you may be wondering, Why a labyrinth? First of all, let’s define a labyrinth, because they are often confused with mazes. A maze is a puzzle or game that has tricks and dead-ends. It requires critical thinking and problem-solving skills. A labyrinth, on the other hand, has no tricks or dead-ends. It is a single path that you follow to the center, and then back out again. It’s more of a walking meditation. By the way, it’s not necessary to have walked one to feel the relaxing benefits of these guided visualizations.

There are many benefits to the labyrinth experience. For example, labyrinths have been used to help people who experience insomnia, so that you are able to get a restful night’s sleep. They are also thought to balance the hemispheres of the brain. They can promote relaxation, and they can also be used to get more energized. For more information on labyrinths, you can visit my website: healinglabyrinthpath.com

Now, back to naps: Another benefit when you take this nap is to lower stress. Stress often prevents people from being able to sleep. Lack of sleep contributes to greater stress and it becomes a vicious cycle. Dr. Bruce Lipton, in his book The Biology of Belief, has said that “almost every major illness that people acquire has been linked to chronic stress.” He likens stress to a race. Imagine you’re at the starting line of a race and poised to run. You hear, “On your mark, get set…” and there you stay waiting to hear GO—but it never comes. You’re stuck in an alert state which fatigues the body very quickly. People pay lip service by saying they’re stressed. Sometimes they’ll say, “It’s just stress.” Our bodies were not designed to be under the constant stresses and tensions in which we live our lives today. And we pay the price with our health. If stress is linked to almost every major illness, doesn’t it make sense to take measures to reduce the stresses in your life? These guided visualizations are processes that help you to begin to feel relaxed. So that as you take time to rest, each time you take one of these naps, you may find that you can relax faster and it gets easier and easier the more you do it.

There are 2 choices for naps. The first is an abbreviated version of my CD The Healing Labyrinth Path. In it, you are guided down a soft grassy path on a breezy summer’s day. The second one is a labyrinth on a beach. I often draw one in the sand when I go to the beach, and this particular process was inspired by the late Dave Dobson, one of my teachers. I’ve combined my labyrinth with his beach trip. You can also use these to go to sleep with at night, and if that’s your intention, you can just sleep through instead of waking up as suggested at the end of each recording. Also, you can rest assured that you can wake up fully alert if there’s something that requires your attention, so that as you begin this process, you can relax on a deeper level… faster.

And now . . . get ready . . . get set . . . nap . . . .

Airport Drama-o-rama

Well. I went to the airport to pick up Mum. I got there in plenty of time. Puh-lenty. When I went in, it said on the screen by International Arrivals that the flight was delayed. By 3 hours. So I immediately turned lemons into lemonade and decided it was an opportunity to listen to the WONDERFUL Dave Dobson tapes that John Morgan has lent me. I went to the car and listened to one for a half hour or so (and I'm listening to Dave, so how much time has really gone by??? That will be funny to a coupla Dobsonians reading this). Anyway, so the tape stopped. Hmmm... that's odd. I wonder if I drained the battery. Why, yes, I did. How would you react? Think about it as I tell you what I did next:

I Reikied the battery for about 40 minutes (WTH, I had time to kill).
I chanted the Gayatri mantra (all-purpose Vedic chant). Click here for a v. cute version.
I visualized myself celebrating and saying, "THANK YOU!" because the car started.
Then I muscle-checked when the whole process was complete and turned the ignition... and this part may surprise you...

...or perhaps not. The car did not start. Can you believe that? But just when I had tried to start it, a man was walking by, so I asked him if he had jumper cables. He did. AND his car was right across in front of mine. AND he just happened to be a mechanic. It would be so cool if I could say my car started right then, but alas, no! The cables were too skinny and didn't get enough juice to the battery. Another guy walked by and Mechanic Guy asked him if he had jumper cables. He did. My car started. I celebrated just as I had imagined. THANK YOU!!! :-)

I knew it was all taken care of, I just had the details of *how* a bit fuzzy.

Now some of you, in your smug little Newtonian Clock Universe, will think, "Who Reiki's a car battery?" Really, why didn't I just go look for help in the first place? Well. And this is my clean-little-secret: I Reiki everything. Now you know. Because I live in an Einsteinian Energetic Universe; everything is energy and thoughts & intentions direct that energy. AND it has worked in the past. OK, not with a car battery, but it's worked with my computer and other situations. AND doing Reiki helps me get grounded in stressful situations. Chanting Gayatri makes me feel calm & centered. AND when you feel better, you do better. AND instead of wandering around looking for help, it came to me. I only asked one person. Plus, and you may interpret this as the REAL reason: it was POURING down rain, and I didn't want to get out of the car. Until it stopped. It didn't. And I asked myself, "What can I do sitting in the dark on a rainy night in my car with nothing else to do but wait for the rain to stop?" Pray. Meditate. Reiki. Always a good thing to do, and rushing around as I had for the past 2 days, had not taken time to do that. So, there you have it.

PART 2:
I had an hour to recharge the battery and listen to Dave. (Note to self: Blog post on Dave). Then I went into the airport and waited for Mum. Have you ever seen that movie, Love, Actually? With Hugh Grant, Emma Thompson. I forget what it's about because it's the opening of the movie that I LOVE. They filmed regular people at an airport for 2 weeks meeting friends & family off the plane. It's so BEAUTIFUL to watch. And I got the live version of it as I watched people come out of customs. There were 2 little boys who ran up to their grandfather. Papita! Papita! And happy tears all around. A British gal with her children meeting her sister. Very proper and so sweet. An Indian family greeting their father-brother-uncle. It made my heart *smile* to watch all this as I'm waiting for my own mother.

And then my phone rang. It was Mum. "Where are you?" she said.
"I'm at the airport. Where are you?"
HOME. Her plane was NOT delayed and she had sat in the airport for 3 hours while I sat in the parking lot. She finally got a taxi home. In the rain. With a driver who didn't speak English. D'OH!!! (Note to self: Oh, never mind! Too many notes!) So there you have it.

WELCOME HOME, Mum! Sorry your daughter is such a twit!

Mum on her last B-day.

This is our version of Easy-Lazy Trifle (no one wants to bake in August!) :
Store-bought angel food cake, slice around to make 2 layers. Add Byrd's frozen strawberries to bottom layer (thawed, of course). Put on top layer of cake, add more strawberries to the top. Slather with whipped cream (the REAL stuff, not that spray crap-in-a-can). If you're feeling extra-inspired, you can do the Byrd's custard on top of the strawberries before the whipped cream. The center of the cake just fits a Catholic candle (Mother Mary). :-)