If you sometimes find yourself overwhelmed and frazzled, this blog is for you. Physical pain or stress make it hard to find calm and joy, but even social media and the bombardment of negative news can create a constant underlying anxiety. It takes away our ability to have fun, to laugh unreservedly, and to marvel at the beauty of simple things. In this Easter weekend blog, I suggest some simple ways of finding calm and joy by focusing on the here and now. They are simple but powerful ways to revitalise and nourish yourself.

My suggestions for finding calm and joy are inspired by yoga and mindfulness. However, I am deliberately talking about cultivating a sense of wonder, instead of using the word “mindfulness”. Feeling calmer and seeing beauty in simple things does not require big words or theories. Nevertheless, it does call for leaving our head space and getting in touch with the senses. This allows us to see, hear, smell, taste and feel things with a sense of fun, curiosity and wonder. 

In this time of the year when we naturally start to turn outward after winter, nature gives us ample reasons to stop rushing and be amazed by its beauty and its ability to create new life. When we connect to our senses, we will be more able to see beauty and feel awe, Below are four practices with which we can cultivate being in the present. Most of the practices are activities that we do anyway, usually while thinking about other things. I invite you to focus on them fully. The last practice is directly from yoga, which of course is well known for connecting us to the here and now.

Simple ways of finding calm and joy:

Washing hands

While washing your hands, take the opportunity to get in touch with all your senses. What does the water feel like, and the soap? What does the foam look like, and smell like? Can you see the sparkling play between light and water? What does it sound like? We are supposed to wash our hands often, so why not use it to pause and really look?

Mindful walking

Every walk is a chance to see the world anew. Looking at your surroundings will make you discover new things every time. What sounds do you hear? It is a wonderful way to get in touch with the senses and quieten the mind. Some people, like me, are more visual. I love looking around but pay less attention to what I hear. What’s your preferred sense? 

You can also focus on the feeling of your feet walking, and on your breath. We are so lost in our thoughts most of the time, we have no idea what our feet are doing. If you are worried about falling, think about your feet even more, and about taking one secure step after another. Don’t even entertain those fears of falling, because that keeps you in your head. Think of and feel your feet instead. 

Chocolate meditation

This can be done with any food, of course, but Easter does involve quite a lot of chocolate. So often we eat quickly, looking for the taste we recognise, thinking about the next bite. We crave the sweet and salty to get the kick of recognition and pleasure. The chocolate meditation is about taking a real break, and taste something as if for the first time. It requires patience and concentration, but gives back a lot of pleasure. 

Be very curious and connect with all your senses, not just taste. How does it feel between your fingers? What does it look like? What’s the sound when you break off a piece? And then there is the smell, divine! All this before you even start to really taste it: for as long as you can, let the chocolate melt in your mouth and savour the intrinsic flavours. Some basic tasting notes for chocolate are fruity, floral, nutty, caramel, spicy. Much better is to detect your own, enjoy! 

Golden thread breathing

Paying attention to your breath can make you feel calmer and more focused, sometimes almost instantly. This breathing technique lengthens the exhalation, thereby triggering the relaxation response in the body and soothing the nervous system. 

-Sit in a comfortable pose. You could actually do this in any position, even standing in a long supermarket queue.

-Inhale lightly through the nose. Exhale through lightly parted or softly pursed lips, imagining your breath is like a golden thread moving away from you. Follow the thread, but keep it light, without forcing the breath. Be with your breath for a little while and then you’ll feel ready to give something else your full attention.  

Have a good Easter, with lots of joy in simple things!

To contact me for yoga therapy, use my contact page or this link for a free Zoom consultation: https://beneyoga.co.uk/book-a-free-consultation-call/.

Namaste