Staying Balanced in the Middle of a Financial Turmoil

Hey guys,

Hope everyone is well and that you are finding calm and peace even during this financial market turmoil. Usually when the markets go down the blood pressure of a huge chunk of population goes up and anxiety sky rockets.When we are stressed, our breath becomes short and constricted. When the breath is short or incomplete the flow of energy or as yogis would say prana is constricted as well. When the energy is not flowing well parts of our body and mind become malnourished.
It can lead to a poor mental and physical health. One of the goals of yoga is to make breath full and complete, to let it be natural and not forced. Free-flowing breath will clear out all obstructions and will create a free flow of energy to feed the entire body.

If you pay attention to your body and mental state, you might notice that when you are agitated and stressed, your right nostril predominates. When you are tired or depressed, the left one will take over. When both nostrils are working evenly, you are in physical and emotional balance. High blood pressure, fever, anxiety can also be associated with the predominance of the right nostril. So when you watch financial news or read a scary article in a morning newspaper you can create an internal energy (prana) imbalance if you breath is affected by the bad news. Very few of us have the power to stay indifferent to the world around us. Yoga, especially pranayama (breathing techniques and meditations) can help us stay balanced even in the middle of a financial turmoil. The goal is to stay balanced, focused, and content without ruining your health, nerve cells, and relationships no matter what happens in the market.

Throughout the day, take a moment to check in with yourself and notice your emotional state and your breath. If you feel that some balancing is in place, try an ancient yogic technic Nadi Sodhana. Nadi Sodhana is a breathing exercise that is said to balance hormones, internal thermostat, mood, and blood pressure. It creates internal equilibrium in all the bodily systems. It can fuel a person on a physical, mental, and spiritual level.

James Bailey, in his article for Yoga Journal describes Nadi Sodhana practice in the following way:

To practice Nadi Shodhana, sit in a comfortable meditative position. Make a fist with your right hand, then partially reextend your ring and little fingers. Lightly place the pad of the thumb on your nose just to the right and below the bridge; lightly place the pads of your ring and little fingers on the corresponding flesh on the left side of your nose. Gently pressing with the ring and little fingers to close the left nostril, exhale fully through the right. Then inhale fully through the right, close it with the thumb, release the left nostril, and exhale through it. Inhale through the left nostril, close it with the fingers, release the right nostril, and exhale through it. This completes one round of Nadi Shodhana.

Nadi Sodhana has multiple benefits:

  • Lowers heart rate and reduces stress and anxiety
  • Said to synchronize the two hemispheres of the brain
  • Said to purify the subtle energy channels (nadis) of the body so the prana flows more easily during pranayama practice
  • Said to balance out sex and stress hormone (especially important for women)

I have been practicing Nadi Sodhana daily for the last 3-4 years and always find it very calming and balancing. It even helps me with craving sometimes, probably because cravings are a sign of imbalance… Anyway, give it a try and let me know what you think.

Start with 5 minutes of Nadi Sodhana in the morning or any time when you feel anxious or stressed!

Stay strong and don’t let things that you don’t have control over spoil your mood!

From Russia with love,

Nadya

Note: James Bailey, L.Ac., is a third-generation physician. His professional practice incorporates Ayurveda, Oriental medicine, Tantra Yoga, and the emerging field of yogic medicine.

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