It’s a cliche but it’s real. What the world needs now is more love! So, how do you find it when you’re overwhelmed and scared shitless?
I’ll be honest. I wasn’t sure what to title this post. I didn’t want to scare anyone off.
But, the truth is, even though I’m a yoga teacher, mindfulness practitioner, and have a slew of energy healing certifications up my sleeve, some things are really difficult to handle.
And, here’s the thing: that’s ok!
We’re not meant to selectively numb. We’re not meant to “be ok” all the time.
Sometimes, you have to 🤬 before you can 🧘.
And the straw that broke this camel’s back was the recent attack by Hamas on Israel.
As a Jewish woman with family and friends living in many different parts of the country, I immediately felt a sense of fear. Many of our Jewish holidays commemorate our survivorship from persecution.
- As slaves in Egypt
- As scapegoats for a King’s consigliere in Persia
- And then again for a madman in Germany
But those were all stories from the past.
And even as the conflict in the Middle East has cycled through missile strikes, retaliations, and moments of seeming calm, I naively dared to believe that neither side would dare to escalate to full-scale war.
And then Putin invaded Ukraine, populist leaders around the world took advantage of food and gas shortages and the realities of climate change to further stoke the fires of nationalism.
And, with it, anti-semitism.
You can read my statement on the war over on Instagram. But, here’s my take-away:
When you have too much pain, too much worry, anxiety, and fear, you need to let it out. You need it to be heard, witnessed, honored.
You need the thoughts to be brought outside of your body, your heart, your head. Only then, does the weight on your chest release so that you have the capacity to take deep breaths again.
And, with those breaths, the energy flows and shifts. The light or Light shines out and chases the shadows away.
With your mind and heart clear, you can show up from a place of compassion, kindness, and love.
And, the world DEFINITELY could use more love.
So how do I let the words out in a way that feels freeing? In a way that doesn’t feel like I’m flinging a giant ball of 💩 out into the world?
One way is I sing.
Every faith that I know of has some sort of chanting or singing practice as part of their rituals. It’s another way in which we are more alike than we are different.
It’s also a testament to the healing power of sound. Especially our own sounds.
Feeling the vibrations moving through your body.
Studies have shown that singing induces a state of relaxation.
- Cortisol (the stress hormone) is lowered.
- Endorphins (our body’s natural painkillers) are produced that can help support pain management.
- Dopamine (our body’s reward chemical) increases and can boost mood.
Singing has also been shown to improve lung capacity and build up our immune defenses.
Any form of sound healing can work: you can hum, whistle, play tibetan bowls, chant – whatever floats your musical boat.
So, when my fear and anxiety and worry were turned up to an 11, my go-to tool is to find a quiet space – whether it’s my on my yoga mat or in my car or bathroom – and create some noise.
It’s not always beautiful. It’s not always harmonic. But it doesn’t matter. Because the goal isn’t to bring it publish it. It’s to feel more whole.
When Israel declared war on Hamas after the unprecedented attack on October 7th, I sang so much I recorded it.
It’s a combination of the Prayer of Saint Francis from the Christian faith combined with a song from the Jewish liturgy, Oseh Shalom. The lyrics mean: May the one who creates peace on high bring peace to us and to all Israel. And we say: Amen.
I wasn’t planning to share it. I recorded it to just for myself. But I shared it with a friend who encouraged me to share it. To use it as a way of spreading my healing energy. So, here you go.
I hope you’ll take a listen and it will bring you peace.
