As featured in OM Yoga and Lifestyle Magazine in May 2016.

New yoga instructors especially (in fact, everyone, really) need to keep their karma in the face of life’s challenges. Gina Battye shows you how to do it.

There you are. In full flow, observing your class really feel the benefits of the practice. You notice every single person in the room change their energy as a result of their time on the mat. It was a fantastic class – there is no doubt about it. You were on top form, you enjoyed it and they enjoyed it. You feel energized and on a high.

As you are packing up, you are approached by a class member who asks you for a moment of your time. Maybe they talk about their ailments in detail to you, or let you know about a life event that is going to prevent them from coming to class for a little while.

You notice when you leave that you feel drained. Those feelings of energy, excitement and happiness seem to have disappeared. And you are not sure why or how to pick yourself back up.

We all experience this at different times, not only as a yoga teacher but also as a student of life. There may be certain people that really pull you down or situations that suck the life out of you.

Here are some simple techniques that will protect your energy, ground you and raise your vibration.

Raise your awareness. Know what your triggers are: the situations, people and circumstances that leave you feeling your energy has been drained. Recognise what feels good to you in the moment and what doesn’t feel so good. Once you have this awareness, you can put strategies in place to minimise the impact it has on you.

Calm the mind. This is essential if you want to live a calm and peaceful life. One way to do this is through meditation.

In meditation get a sense of your own energy – surrounding you and within you. Tune into it. Imagine a beam of white light entering your body at your crown chakra. Visualise this light filling up your entire body, right to your finger tips and toe tips. This white light fuses with your energy as you breathe it in.

Visualise your energy emanating from within you, and on your out breath, imagine your energy spreading out from you and filling your aura. Breathe in more white light. This time on the out breath, imagine that your energy is filling the room. Then imagine it outpouring into your whole home. See the energy spreading even further, up and out into the sky, reaching up to the clouds, the faintly twinkling stars and the light source high in the sky above.

Sit in quiet, contemplative meditation until you feel drawn to end your meditation practice.

When you are ready, draw your energy back into you. On each in breath, visualise your energy slowly retreating back down from the sky, into your home, into the room you are in, in to your aura and back into your body. Draw your energy right back inside you and feel all the white light that fused with it, cleansing your body, mind and spirit.

When you find yourself in a situation that is or has drained your energy, close your eyes and visualise this white light, circling around within you. Notice it sits within you, not outside you.

Protect yourself. Before you leave your meditation practice, imagine you have a cloak. Feel yourself wrapping it around your shoulders, Harry Potter style if you like. Feel the softness of the material as it shrouds you – a cloak of protection. Ask your guides, the Universe, your inner guidance or your loving energy to hold you close, to protect you and those you love as you step into your day. Remember you are not alone and you can ask for help and support at any time. This loving force is waiting to assist you in your daily life.

State your intentions. For your day and for what you want to experience in your life. Visualise what you want to allow into your life and experience for that day. State to yourself your intentions, for example ‘I intend to only invite in loving, nourishing and happy energy and experiences.’ You can restate your intentions and call out for protection at any point.

Bare feet. Take your shoes and socks off. Imagine you have tree roots growing from the heels of your feet deep down into the ground. Feel the intense pull from these roots, anchoring you to the earth beneath you. Then imagine at the ball of your feet that tree roots are grabbing you from beneath and pulling you back down to the ground. They firmly wrap around the top of your feet and ankles and tug you down. This will earth and ground you.

In the moment of the interaction that you are in, be sure to experience the situation. Be present and listen intently. Hold off with judgements, expressing opinions or being drawn into drama.

Think back into your heels. This will subtly take your weight back into your heels, instead of the balls of the feet. As a result, you will straighten your posture and your lungs will open more which will allow you to breathe more easily. It will draw your energy field back further from the person, give you a little more space and you will notice you won’t feel the need to jump in to the conversation. You will feel calm and open to listen.

Stay in your power. Imagine your power is within you (like the white light and your energy) and allow it to fill your aura. Keep your power within your auric field. When your power seeps out of you and it crosses in the middle with someone else’s, that is when disagreements and frustrations occur. Hold it close to you. Consider the other person too. Are you taking away the other person’s power by ‘rescuing’ them in some way?

Leave it in the middle. When talking to someone, imagine you have an imaginary white line painted on the ground in front of you. When you say something, imagine you are placing it on the white line for the other person to consider, and if they choose to, they can take it in to their experience. You also have the choice to leave it in the middle or to take the comment into you and your experience. When you imagine your interactions in this way, you are more able to consider whether you are going to take it or leave it in the middle. It creates a quiet space where you can pause and think through the conversation, without jumping in feet first.

Say no. To anything that doesn’t feel right or seem like a good fit for you. If it doesn’t serve you, say no and leave it behind.

Afterwards, check in with your thoughts. Your thoughts create your experience. They affect how you feel, who you are, how you behave and what your experience is of the world. You are responsible for you. You are in control of you, your thoughts and how you feel. No one else can take this control and inner power away from you, unless you let them.

Choose to think and feel the higher frequencies of love, happiness, inspiration, joy, appreciation and freedom. Hold the intention that you are choosing a high vibration emotion, despite external influences. When you hold these higher vibrational feelings, you will experience more of what you want.

Release. Anything that doesn’t serve you after the conversation. Say to yourself what you want to let go of. Imagine you are blowing up a balloon and on the out breath blow into the balloon all the negative thoughts, feelings and experiences associated with it. Tie the balloon off and secure a piece of string around it. When you are ready, let go of the balloon and blow it up and away into the sky. Watch it drift further and further away from you. Feel the difference within you as you visualise it drifting away.

Change your scenery. Step outdoors and into nature. Experience the elements. Hear the beautiful calls of the birds, the crickets hiding in the grass, the rustle of the leaves in the wind and the creak of the trees as they grow. This will restore your body, mind and spirit.

Above all, come from a place of love. Send healing and loving vibes to the person both during and after the conversation. They came to you for support because they trust and value you. Learn to protect yourself, manage your energy and stay in your power in these situations to live a calm and peaceful life.

Gina Battye is renowned for her work as a spiritual coach and is a best-selling author. She asks you the questions you daren’t ask yourself so you can flourish into your authentic and true self. Connect with her in the safe and private community on Facebook: Authentic Self UK group.

CLICK HERE TO JOIN Authentic Self UK

ABOUT GINA

Britain’s equivalent to Oprah Winfrey, Gina Battye is one of the world’s hottest rising stars.

Gina is an internationally sought after & award-winning spiritual teacher, creator of Soul Quest™ and THE advocate for LGBTQ in Spirituality. Breaking down barriers, Gina is leading the LGBTQ community to express their voice within the spiritual world.

Through Soul Quest™, Gina takes you on a powerful journey of self-discovery. Soul Quest™ is a 10-step process to discover your Soul Purpose. It consists of powerful principles and proven techniques to discover and connect you to your Soul Purpose.

For more about Gina’s Soul Quest™ and to get your FREE copy of the Uncover Your Purpose E-Book visit http://www.ginabattye.com

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