I can’t help but feel that yoga was designed for (and by) Highly Sensitive People.  It’s the perfect tool for any HSP.

Highly sensitive people feel things more deeply than others.

We are often very creative and have a deep inner or spiritual life.  We feel others emotions and we’re not always sure how to cope with that.

Shopping centres can be a nightmare with the bright lights, the hustle and bustle and blaring music.  Sad movies (or even commercials) bring us to tears and any kind of drug, whether it’s coffee, chocolate, alcohol, illegal, herbal or prescription has a big effect on us.

Wondering if you’re a HSP?  Check my article on the Gifts and Challenges of the Highly Sensitive Person.

The nervous system of a highly sensitive person picks up on more information from the world than the nervous system of a non-sensitive person.  While this has some amazing benefits, it also means that we can become overwhelmed and overstimulated more easily than others.

I love being out and about in the world and connecting with others.

But I do feel the effects of it.

After a big day of engaging with others, my nervous system feels jangled.  Jazzed up.  Pulsating.  Even fried if I’ve really been over-doing it.

On days like these when I close my eyes and focus inwards, I can feel the energy pulsing throughout my entire body, like a strong and sparking electrical current.

I’ve learnt the hard way that pushing through this ends up with me feeling miserable and depleted.

Now days I stop, find somewhere quiet by myself and practice yoga.

I’m not talking about handstands or back bends.  I’m talking about the off-the-mat kind of yoga.  I’m talking about lying quietly on my bed and just noticing the pulsing of energy through my body.  I’m talking about iRest Yoga Nidra, mindful breathing and listening to soothing music.

It takes surprisingly little time to feel the benefits of the practices.  A few minutes of being with my experience just as it as, and some gentle mindful breathing can make the world of difference.  My nervous system starts to calm down and I feel more at peace with myself and the world.

I’ve been spending time in a recording studio in Byron Bay, recording yoga practices like these for A Daily Dose of Bliss.  And I’d love to share one of them with you now.

Here is Mindful Breathing, the very first track in A Daily Dose of Bliss.  Find yourself a comfortable position to sit or lie in for the next six and a half minutes, gather your beginner’s mind and press play.

Your nervous system will thank you for it.

If you’re a Highly Sensitive Person like me and would like to learn some simple yet powerful practices to calm your nervous system, do check out A Daily Dose of Bliss.

You’ll learn a new practice every day for 6 weeks, and it only takes 5-10 minutes each day.

I’d love to share it with you.

See you in the shala,