5 Ways To Beat The Lockdown

Get More In Touch With Yourself, Your Dreams And Nature.

In the unprecedented circumstances we are experiencing across the globe at this moment in time I offer up 5 novel, shamanic ways that can help keep you sane through the lockdown period and actually help you to feel good about yourself, your life and your future going forward. They work well for me, so I  just thought I would share them with you today. 

1. The Cold Shower.
Yep, harsh as it may sound the cold shower is a great way to start the day, giving you more vigour and vitality throughout it. It helps raise all your red blood cells to the surface of your being and encourages more brown, lean fat to grow in your body rather than the white, fatty fat that might otherwise be encountered. 

In times of lockdown, your ego will want to rule, having lots of comfort food and lovely warm showers and hot baths, your soul however wants something more. A short, sharp shock in the morning immediately takes you out of your comfort zone and starts to help you feel more refreshed, more vital, ready to get on with the day, and guess what it helps you save money too. 

2. Morning Practice.
Morning Practice is a way of expressing gratitude to the Earth for all that you have at this moment in time. It can consist of exercise, prayer or a combination of both and is best performed outside if you have a little courtyard or garden at your disposal. Otherwise you could do it whilst you are out on exercise, or just in your house or flat if you have nowhere else to carry this out. 

I normally take a pinch of tobacco from by back pocket (I don't smoke), tobacco is considered a traditional offering for gratitude. I offer this up to the 7 directions by way of a prayer. Up towards the sky, down towards the Earth, to the East, South, West, North and then the centre and I might say a few words that come to mind at the time about the things that I see in my view, like the clouds, or the robin or whatever wants to present itself at the time in gratitude for that thing and just bringing my awareness into the here and now. 

I also perform some exercises / active prayers toward all of those directions too which I got taught in my training, you could use Tai Chi or Qi Gong as an alternative. Morning Practice normally takes about 10 - 15 mins to be able to perform. 

3. Meditation.
At the very least meditation helps us to still our mind and bring us more back in touch with the centre of who we are, arguably it can help us raise our immune system too. One of the most simplest ones is the Heart Meditation that my teacher Chris Luttichau recommends.

It basically involves placing one of your hands on your heart, taking a deep breath in, connecting with the heart, feeling the rhythm of your heart beat, for as long as you can, holding that breath in, then slowly releasing with the out breath. Then repeat for as many times as you can or wish in one session. When you feel you are really in touch with your heart bring forward an image that really gives you joy to focus your attention on, perhaps to remind you of where you are headed. This exercise can be repeated throughout the day as many times as you wish. It helps you to get back in touch with yourself, your heart and the real love you have for yourself. 

4. Spend 15 Mins Working Towards Your Dream.
Spend just 15 minutes a day working towards your dream, whatever that might be. Give yourself that time to think about what you would dearly love to be doing in your life, what would bring you most joy, what you like to create in this lifetime? Maybe just spend a bit of time thinking about it, writing about it, doodling a picture of it, researching some pictures that might look something like it. 

If you find yourself spending more time than 15 mins working on your dream then that's great, however 15mins doesn't sound that long does it? Very doable in fact. So let's just utilise that time and start making this world a better place for us all to live in once we have moved beyond this lockdown period again.

If you don't know what your dream is then you obviously need some coaching from me, don't you??!! ;-) 

5. Recap
At the end of the day think about all that you have achieved today, write it down, what has inspired you forward in your life and what has distracted you from doing what you wanted to do today. Don't be too hard on yourself just concentrate on what you have successfully achieved over the past 24 hours even if it was just taking a cold shower first thing in the morning, you did do that right? ;-). They are all steps in the right direction for living a happier life. 

Anyway I hope this helps you in the lockdown period. I will continue to post inspiration as much as I can throughout this time and beyond whilst working on my own 5 ways to beat the lockdown as well as perhaps come up with a few more too, take care of yourselves during this time. x

If you care to comment on this blog with regards to any issues or feelings it brings up for you please feel free to do so below.

The Call To Adventure

Shamanic Practices