Tools for Calm - hummmmm

I love the sound of humming bees. For a while, I lived in a house with a flowering citrus in the yard. Not quite an orange, not quite a grapefruit. When it flowered, all the bees would come. At those times, I called it the humming tree. I would go sit under it and listen. I'd hum back to the bees and I think the bees liked that. After a while, it made me feel like the hum was under my skin, like I was made of hum, and the humming felt like happiness.

There's a reason why humming feels like happiness.

It has things to do with the nervous system and how one of the nerves responsible for feeling calm and present gets stimulated by the vibrations that happen in our bodies when we hum. It's why chanting can put us into states of bliss or deep calm. It's why singing to ourselves can feel nice too.

And once you know the secret, you can do it on purpose.

When you're stressed or anxious or overwhelmed, maybe the last thing you feel like doing is singing, but perhaps next time you feel that way, give it a try - hum, for a while, and see if it changes how you feel.

And if you'd like to give this tool a go (and many others), come along to my 'Tools for Calm' workshop that's coming up next week. It's on Zoom, and you absolutely can have your microphone (and camera, if you like) off while we practise humming together.

The workshop is $40 and goes for 60 minutes. There are two times to choose from - see those times in your timezone and book your place by clicking here:

https://ellenmay.as.me/tools-for-calm

I'd love to hum with you.