Naga Mudra Meditation to Support Loving and Healing for HSP

What love and healing does your inner self need right now?

If we imagine love for the world blossoming from within us, then it is a very unselfish act to treat ourselves with loving kindness. 

Video: Naga Mudra meditation for comfort and soothing: 

• We begin with a little bit of shaking, moving, and isometrics to strengthen and relieve tension in your neck and jaw. Sometimes providing stability in our bodies and in our lives can give us more freedom to spread out and expand into that.
• Next, Naga Mudra with humming brings comforting, soothing, and deepening into a place of ease.
• Then, a guided loving kindness practice, or Metta, with breathing.
• To end: visualize a world where all beings are held in loving kindness.

What would that world feel like, and how would you be in it?

Hi, I’m Kate Lynch! I'm a mindful yoga teacher who helps highly sensitive people take themselves off the back burner to make space in their lives for self-care. Since 2002, I’ve supported thousands of yoga students internationally. My little neurodiverse family lives in a magical land called Brooklyn.

Transcript:

I'm feeling the need to, like, shake and move a little, if you are feeling that too, please, you can start your practice that way. Yes, we're gonna meditate, yes, we're gonna get still, but sometimes, in order to meditate and get still, what we need to do is, Mmm, stretch out the stiffness first. I invite you to do that.

I've been finding when things are stiff, sometimes, it's not more stretching that we need. and a little bit of strengthening can be helpful. So if you're feeling a little unstable in your neck and jaw, which is something that I'm experiencing you might try with me a little bit of isometrics.

I'm going to take just a thumb to the bottom of my jaw, just under my chin, and with just a little upward pressure, like five pounds, I'm going to open my jaw. Remember to keep breathing and then release so you're pressing down your jaw into your thumb

And then after five times, pause, and it might not feel like that much, but it just provides that little bit of stability. And then if you want to open and close your jaw a little or yawn, feel free to do that. And we'll do a little neck stabilization with isometrics. So whichever shoulder feels more comfortable and loose, take that one to the back of your head, or that hand to the back of your head.

So your shoulder feels okay with it, and right at the very back of your head, with your gaze still forward, press your head gently back into your hand, your hand resisting. And if it's uncomfortable for your shoulder, give it a rest or try the other shoulder. Or you can do this at a wall or on the floor.

It's getting that little bit of pressure, and you might feel the strengthening in the back of your neck as you breathe, and then let that go. I'm going to use my other hand to bring it to the side of my head, and my head is still straight, so I'm pressing with my hand as much as I'm pressing with my head into my hand.

Isometric action.

Remembering to breathe. So you can decide how much pressure. You can do it to the point where you're shaking, or it can be a very, very small and subtle pressure. Okay, I'm going to use the other hand now, side of the head. So notice that my head is not moving. There might be a tiny bit of movement as I get settled, but then it's steady.

Nose is above my breastbone and my hand is pressing as my head is pressing into my hand and still breathing. Let that go. And then finally, palm on your forehead. Press your hand into your forehead and your forehead into your hand. Just the right amount of pressure to feel steady and comfortable. Stira and Sukha.

Let it go. And then if you wanted to roll your head a little or look around or roll your shoulders, feel free.

Sometimes providing stability in our bodies and in our lives can give us more freedom to spread out and expand into that. I find as an anxious person, that the stability gives me freedom to press against it, to expand and reach out and stretch out. Okay. Hand on heart.

[00:04:05] What love and healing does your inner self need right now?

Ask this part of you that needs that love and healing, how can I best support you?

Take a deep breath in together.

You're welcome to drop your hand into your lap or to leave it here.

[00:05:08] What do I most need?

Really let this awareness turn inward. The part of you that wants stability and support, healing and love, what does it most need? How can I best support this part?

My hand wants to slide up to my shrugger muscle and give it a little rub.

How can you send healing touch, and love inward? If we imagine that love for the world starts blossoming from that place within us. Then it is a very unselfish act to treat ourselves with loving kindness.

[00:06:25] Alright, I'm going to invite you to try this mudra. We haven't done it in a while. Naga Mudra. So you start, you have your palms up and your thumbs out. Palms facing up towards the ceiling. And Try stacking one on top of the other both facing up and just see which one feels better. And whichever one feels better, more comforting and cozy, do that.

And then your bottom thumb will cross into your top palm and then your top thumb will cross over that. So you've got this little sandwich of two pieces of bread facing up and then the Garnish of your thumbs, like an open face and then let your fingers curl and let this come into your heart center so your elbows relax, your shoulders soften, and it doesn't have to be pressing into your chest. It's just hovering like in front of your chest, Naga Mudra. This is meant to be comforting, soothing.

To help you to deepen into that place of ease.

Let's do a little humming while we're here. We'll do five rounds of humming, just at your own breath rhythm.

And then you can decide whether to keep your hands in this position or rest them down afterwards, and we'll do some loving kindness.

[00:08:10] Humm, humm, humm, humm, humm, finish up your final round. Continue to listen to the sound in your inner ear.

You're welcome to continue with this mudra, this hand position, Naga Mudra, or rest your hands in your lap, or in any position. Just making sure you're quite comfortable, open to self reflection and self love.

I'm going to mute us for a minute as you reflect, we'll do one minute of stillness and silence.

And if during that reflection any obstacles to self acceptance arose, accept those.

I think this is part of being alive. Our self criticism comes up, we get to look at it. "Thanks for letting me know, but I've got this. Thanks for keeping me safe. Right now, we're doing self acceptance, self love. So I'll take your concerns under consideration and file those away for another time."

[00:11:55] Loving kindness is very personal. So if any time something feels inauthentic or hallmarky, just change it in your own mind to create your own phrases, please. I'm going to repeat some phrases, and you can then repeat them in your own way, in your own mind. And continue like that. And then we'll do a round or two silently.

So you can really listen to your own inner voice. Today, we'll start with us.

Please use I statements. I like to link this with breath, but if that feels challenging, skip the breath. So we'll take a deep breath in together. Let it out. Inhale, thinking, May I be happy.

Exhale, may I feel safe.

Inhale, may I know that I am loved.

Exhale, may I know that I am not alone.

Really receive this.

Inhale. May I be happy.

Exhale. May I feel safe.

Inhale. May I know that I am loved.

Exhale. May I know I'm not alone.

One round on your own.

When you feel ready visualize someone it's so easy to shower with love and kindness. Anyone, they don't have to be human. They don't have to be alive right now. They can even be imaginary.

See them right here with you. Visualize them. Maybe you want to see them smiling.

And as you're ready, inhale. May you be happy.

Exhale. May you feel safe.

Inhale. May you know that you are loved. And on your exhale, may you know that you are not alone.

Keep the breathing going. I'm going to drop the cue to breathe. So may you be happy.

May you feel safe.

May you know that you are loved.

May you know you're not alone.

Once on your own.

When you feel complete with that, pause.

And visualize a community that you belong to, that you want to send loving kindness towards. See yourself together with this community.

Breathing in.

May we be happy.

May we feel safe.

May we know that we are loved.

May we know that we're not alone.

May we be happy.

May we feel safe.

May we know that we are loved.

May we remember that we are not alone. One round on your own. when you feel ready, you'll push your circle of loving kindness further. Beyond that community. Beyond the community of those you agree with. Beyond those you know. To those you can only imagine.

To all beings, known and unknown. Liked and disliked. Let's try this. Breathe in. May all beings be happy. Breathe out. May all beings feel safe.

Breathe in. May all beings know that we are loved. And breathe out. May all beings know we're not alone.

May all beings be happy.

May all beings feel safe.

May all beings know we are loved.

May all beings know we are not alone, one time on your own.

Another minute so that you can visualize and feel deeply into a world where all beings were held in loving kindness. All beings feeling safe. What would that world feel like and how would you be in it?

I always think of that Mary Oliver quote, my work is loving the world.

Let's end with spreading peace, first receiving it inward, then rippling it outward. With Om Shanti. Breathe in together. Om Shanti, Shanti, Shanti. Ommm.

Thank you.

If you like this video, you'll love my free gift: Polyvagal Yoga for Awareness.

If you CARE, you will have stress. But... if you don’t have any way to discharge your stress, it builds up in your body and becomes pain and tension. Sign up here to practice a gentle yoga class to connect with your nervous system through movement, breath, and awareness.

This is NOT medical advice!