Tapping into Stillness

Want to renew your vitality? The prescription starts with you, and you don’t need anything at all to fill it. 

"In stillness, inner energies spontaneously wake up and bring about the appropriate transformation for every situation." – Deepak Chopra 

The best time to tap into the power of the present is in the early hours of the morning or the quietness of bedtime. 

My favourite way to do this is through a five-finger slow breathing exercise, which I find to be the most accessible way of stilling my internal dialogue and consciously directing my attention to the present moment…

FINGER BREATHING

This deep and slow breathing technique through the nose helps to stimulate relaxation and calm the body right down: 

• Hold your hand out in front of you, with your palm open and your fingers spread out.
• From here, you’re going trace around the edges of your fingers with the index finger of your opposite hand. 
• You’ll breathe in to the count of three as you trace up each finger, pause at the tip for the count of three, and then breathe out as you trace down the finger to the count of three. 
• Start at the bottom of your thumb, tracing up slowly, pausing at the tip, then tracing down the thumb before pausing at the finger groove. 
• Continue in this manner until you have traced up and down all the fingers on your hand. 
• If you are comfortable doing so, close your eyes during the technique - it will deepen your awareness and experience. 
• Once you have completed a round, shake your hands, rest momentarily, and consider how you feel. Are you feeling calmer, or do you want to take another five?

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Meena Mistry is the founder of Shivdev, which aims to provide Continuous Professional Development (CPD) within the business, social, and economic environments. For more information or to get in touch, visit www.shivdevedu.org.