Whether you are navigating the collective aftermath of a natural disaster or a uniquely challenging time in your personal life, having an array of resources to support your relationship with yourself and deepen your connection with your inner world, the natural world, and the Divine can be life-changing.
For some reason, when others need help and care it’s easy to know how to support them. Yet, when we find our selves in a tough moment, it’s easy to forget our tools.
So, we created a list just for you.
H U G S
Move Your Beautiful Body:
Go for a Walk
If possible, go for a walk, even a few minutes is enough time to shift how you’re feeling.
Yoga Resources: Yoga with Adriene
Yoga can be a gentle yet powerful way to navigate stress, and Yoga with Adriene offers free, accessible classes for all levels.
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Featured Class: “Yoga for Times of Disaster”: A nurturing practice to help you center and ground yourself during difficult times.
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Explore More: Check out her YouTube Channel for a wide variety of free classes, from stress relief to sleep support.
Ecstatic Dance
For those who find movement transformative, Ecstatic Dance offers a joyful, embodied way to process emotions and relieve stress.
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Ecstatic Dance for Beginners: This is so fun if you haven’t tried it yet. Here’s a link to a short, 10 minute Ecstatic Dance class. Kids are born experts. Enjoy here!
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If you want something upbeat and playful, may we suggest this list on Spotify or this album on Apple Music. You can find some fun playlists by searching “Ecstatic Dance” on either platform.
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May we also suggest something like this which might be a bit more accessible to newer practitioners. An oldie but a goodie.
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If you want a lovely movement playlist that’s not too fast, may we suggest Scarlett De La Torre linked here to her Spotify. Slow movement can be ecstatic dance too!
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Learn more about Ecstatic Dance and how to practice it through this York University Blog.
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Lastly - you can just get up and dance to anything you Love. Sometimes we need permission to bop around to music that isn’t typical “dance music.” The goal is to move your body and connect with a sense of flow. When you get there you’ll know. No forcing, just feeling please. Also - no special outfits required. Just playful embodiment.
Guided Meditations
If guided meditations support your process, these tools may resonate with you:
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Insight Timer App: A vast library of guided meditations for stress relief linked here.
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One free practice we recommend is Cori Cochiolo’s Meditation. She is a hypnotist and psychologist, offering a sense of calm and clarity in this session.
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To Be Magnetic’s “Soothe” Deep Imagining: A complimentary guided meditation-esque offering.
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These ladies offer a mix of kabbalah-informed, witchy, neural re-programming. They’re a gentle, accessible source for science-based woo-woo practices which we enjoy.
Access their “Soothe” Deep Imagining for free.
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Calm App: A go-to for anxiety and stress relief linked here.
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Try Calm’s Breathing Exercise: An easy way to ease tension and regain inner balance.
Loving Kindness (Metta) Meditation
The Buddhist practice of offering yourself love, and then sending love to your family, friends, community, and the world at large - is a beautiful practice. There is no greater inner wisdom than the power of the heart-center.
Here is a link of Thich Nhat Hanh guiding a Loving Kindness Meditation.
Sound Therapy: Music, Soundwaves, & Frequencies
Sound is a simple yet powerful tool for cultivating a sense of calm and peace. Here are some ways to incorporate it into your routine:
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Classical Music: The Apple Classical Music App is a must-try. It features curated playlists for meditation, relaxation, and sleep.
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Binaural Beats: These are sound frequencies designed to promote relaxation, focus, or sleep.
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Explore a Binaural Beats Album or Playlist here: Available on both Apple Music and Spotify.
Understanding Your Body’s Physiology in Times of Stress & Overwhelm
If you’re someone who likes to understand what’s happening in your body during stressful moments, consider exploring the work of Irene Lyon.
Irene holds an MA in Physical Therapy and certifications in nervous system modalities like the Feldenkrais Method. Her work focuses on the release and navigation of survival stress, often mislabeled as "trauma," which is actually the result of undischarged survival stress and physiological dysregulation.
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Resources:
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Irene's YouTube Channel: A treasure trove of free content.
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“2 Little Known Facts to Help You Calm Down When You’re Overwhelmed”: A quick and practical guide for moments of stress.
Yoga Nidra & Non-Sleep Deep Rest
One of the most powerful practices for relaxation and stress relief is Yoga Nidra, also known as "non-sleep deep rest."
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Insight Timer: An entire app dedicated to meditation, yoga, mantra, etc.
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Jennifer Piercy: One of our favorite Yoga Nidra practitioners offers options for falling asleep or refresshing your mind during the day.
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You can find her work on Insight Timer as well as her personal site here.
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Andrew Huberman: Everyone’s health & wellness boyfriend (IYKYK 😉) offers Non-Sleep Deep Rest practices on YouTube, which are inspired by Yoga Nidra and ideal for rejuvenation.
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Access Huberman’s Sessions here on Youtube.
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Or on his podcast Huberman Lab on Apple linked here.
Journaling
Sometimes “brain draining” as Julia Cameron refers to it in The Artist’s Way, another book we love, or venting all the thoughts running through your mind and heart onto the page can be the most supportive approach to managing your experience.
One recommendation from the magnificent book, Writing as a Way of Healing by Louise Desalvo, is to, when possible, discover a realization or awareness or knowing from the venting you’re doing on the page. Naming the realization, discovery, or awareness stops journaling from becoming ruminative and gives you a fresh path forward.
Play
When your world feels like it’s fallen apart and the walls feel as though they are caving in, the last thing in the world you might think of doing is playing. Yet, play is one way we can help us shake off heavy energy and sadness and re-engage with our lives from another direction, and sometimes we need another way into our lives.
Kids and pets are almost always your best teachers when it comes to play.
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Coloring books
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Making things with clay
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Building sand castles
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Making knotted bracelets
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Painting - bonus points for finger painting
Final Note
Treat these tools like a buffet—take what resonates and leave the rest.
Sending you an abundance of Love and the certainty that whatever is weighing on your heart - no matter how seemingly large or overwhelming - there is a universe of Love & Grace available to you in every moment to support precious you. You are Loved.
