When I feel anxious and unsettled, which has been happening more than I would like to admit recently, I focus on breathing slowly and it helps immediately. I have also noticed that I start to sing to myself a calming and repetitive chant. I have some current favorites that bring about a peaceful feeling. But really, any chant seems to work.
When I was a child and I was having trouble falling asleep, I would pray the rosery. I would wake in the morning with the rosary in my hand knowing that I had fallen asleep within saying the first 10 Hail Marys. I do not discount the intersession of Mother Mary. But, I also postulate that the repetitive nature of the prayers stopped the “monkey mind” from spinning, allowed relaxation to take hold and sleep was finally accessible.
Now, I access the peace and relaxation through chanting. Most of the time I chant silently but sometimes I belt out the songs as the universal energy calms me.
In Standing in the Light® we have some old standbys that we use for meditations. “Eternal Om” by Robert Slap is a favorite of ours.
Over the last few years, we have added some lovely chants to our Sunday Night Healing Circles. These contemporary songs lend themselves to higher feminine energy which is a nice balance to the chants that have traditionally held more masculine energy.
The beauty of chants is in the simplicity and accessibility of the words, the music range and the repetition. The chants that I am using the most right now are by the artist Alexa Sunshine Rose. You can access her music here at this link for Bandcamp. I have noted some of my favorites.
“Every Step a Prayer”. Lyrics: Every step a prayer. Every breath a new beginning. Every Step a Prayer | Alexa Sunshine Rose (bandcamp.com)
“I Release Control”. Lyrics: I release control and surrender to the flow of love that will heal me. I Release Control | Alexa Sunshine Rose (bandcamp.com)
“Come Receive”. Lyrics: Calling all the people of the world. Come Receive the Light and Love. Come Receive | Alexa Sunshine Rose (bandcamp.com)
“Open My Heart”. Lyrics: Open my heart so I can hold all I need to hold. Open My Heart | Alexa Sunshine Rose (bandcamp.com)
“Center of the Center”. Lyrics: From the center of the center, the light that never ends. Shining from the center, the light that never ends. Center of the Center | Alexa Sunshine Rose (bandcamp.com)
“Arms of Love”. Lyrics: Come now, child, lay it down. Just breathe, just be. Come be cradled in the arms of love. Just breathe, just be. Arms of Love | Alexa Sunshine Rose (bandcamp.com)
It is interesting when I find myself chanting a particular chant. When I am hiking uphill, I chant “Arms of Love” to help me keep a steady pace. Recently, when I wake up at night, I am usually humming “Come Receive” to myself. It definitely helps me go back to sleep.
If you need a technique that can calm you almost instantly, in coordination with your breath work, please consider one or more of these contemporary chants.
Gratitude to Alexa Sunshine Rose for her beautiful songs. Gratitude to Myrtillemymy with pixabay.com for her beautiful image.