MindVayu: Meditation with Shalaka

Life after a layoff can feel really challenging. You're dealing with a multitude of emotions. You want to find the right balance between allowing space for emotions and adopting a growth mindset and looking to the future.  This meditation uses a breathing technique to trigger the parasympathetic nervous system to bring your mind from "fight or flight" to "rest and digest" mode. This is important to start assessing where you currently are before you look to the future.  It also uses a visualization technique to ground you and offer you the concept of adaptability and growth.  Music is provided by Varun Shah, my trusted musician.

This is track 3 in social media series and addresses the other side of information exchange i.e. sharing. Social media encourages sharing personal details about our lives with an audience size that is normally not privy to this information. If you feel like you may have over-sharing tendencies without proper intent in mind, this meditation is for you. There is nothing wrong in allowing for a peek into your life from time to time. It's human nature to share experiences. It's how we bond. But it's also healthy for us to take a step back and think about our intent as we learn to mindfully share. Music is provided by Varun Shah, who in fact, requested for the creation of this series.

Social media track 2: Women and men have struggled with body image issues for generations before the advent of social media. But social media has taken that insecurity and anxiety to a different level. When filtered and edited versions of your friends' photos pop up on your screen, it can surface some deep hidden doubts you have about your body. When next-door influencers appear like they wake up with flawless skin or have the perfect body shape, it can trigger feelings of discontent. When there is always talk about a "summer body" - you might start wondering if your all-year-round body is appropriate for the beach. When less-than-ideal lives are never shown to you and are always hidden, you may start to believe that they don't exist. This meditation track helps reinforce your belief in your own able body. It takes the approach of using posture, breath, mindfulness and gratitude to remind you that your body is a truly amazing feat by itself. Music by my trusted musician Varun Shah.

Truth is - we cannot live without our phones anymore and they are an integral part of our life. So instead of suggesting that you do not scroll, I took an approach that will help you learn mindful scrolling. This track is for someone who recognizes that their scrolling habits on the phone have become automatic and mindless. This is a cycle most of us get caught in when we consume news or social media. But even without any media, we tend to stay on our phone screens longer than we really need to. Whether it's refreshing your email inbox or googling something in the fear of missing out. This little pause in your day will allow you to take a step back and truly observe your needs before you move on to scrolling. Music is provided by my trusted musician, Varun Shah, who actually requested this series of social media-related meditation tracks.

If you've had an unexpected Cesarean or C-section and are struggling with birth-related emotions, this meditation is for you. Everyone's birth story is unique. No matter how you give birth, you will always have a special bond with your child. This meditation aims to reinforce that bond and help you find your center. You can listen to it right after birth during recovery or several months or years later and you will still receive the benefits of this practice. Your guide, Shalaka, created this meditation on completing one year after her own C-section to mark the occasion and support other moms. Music was created by Varun Shah, who is a fellow parent and supported his own wife through her birth journey.

This meditation is for mothers whose baby or babies are in the NICU or neonatal unit. As you and your baby are working on healing and growing, use this meditation to build a strong mind-body connection that you can always rely on. Even though you may not be able to take your baby home right away, you can use your breath and body to feel a strong connection with them. This meditation will also help ground you and allow for an opportunity to reflect before you march on with your journey in motherhood. Your guide, Shalaka, recorded this meditation to support mothers who feel like their birth story is different from the expected norm. Music was created by Varun Shah, who supported his own wife through her birth experience and understands that motherhood is complicated. If you are a mother who is pumping breastmilk, you can also listen to pumping meditation tracks created by Shalaka that are geared towards relaxation and promoting breastmilk production.

This is a quick 6-minute meditation to bring your awareness inwards and relax your body and mind. It will encourage you to link the sensations in your body with the joys of motherhood. This mind-body connection promotes the flow of breast milk. Your guide, Shalaka, recorded this meditation as she approached her baby's first birthday ending a long and arduous pumping journey. She understands that pumping can be stressful for some mothers yet is an act of love. Meditation music was created by Varun Shah who is a fellow new parent and has supported his wife through her own pumping journey.

This meditation helps bring your focus inwards and aids in relaxing your mind and body. It promotes connecting with blissful maternal moments to aid the flow of breastmilk. The affirmations help you strengthen your mind-body connection which can help relieve anxiety. Your guide, Shalaka, recorded this meditation as she approached her baby's first birthday ending a long and arduous pumping journey. She understands that pumping can be stressful for some mothers yet is an act of love. Meditation music was created by Varun Shah who is a fellow new parent and has supported his wife through her own pumping journey.