These are challenging times.

It’s no surprise that the stresses of these weeks in lockdown can build up, leaving you feeling tetchy and depleted by the weekend.

The trick is to build some time into your week when you can shut out your babbling inner monologue and take a little break from your thoughts and worries.

Happily, there are loads of local professionals ready to whisk you off on a journey to inner peace – if only for 20 minutes – and without leaving the house.

Here are three soothing classes to try this week:

1. Try chanting to calm a rushing mind 

Yogis view chanting mantras as a kind of vibrational antibiotic.

“Through specific sound syllables that have been used for thousands of years, we vibrate our cells and our brain, we harmonise our thoughts and also send these sound waves out around us,” explains Jeanie Jyanti of Alchemy School of Yoga on the Model Farm Road.

“When there are strong emotions present, or we feel confused or depleted, we can use mantra to help bring balance to the vibrational field.”

Jeanie is hosting a free ten-day course of daily mantra meditation from April 11th-21st, 11am-11:30am. Save your space here.

2. Find out how to handle stress more effectively

The HSE is running a free Stress Control programme throughout April, with each session focusing on different ways to cope during tricky times. The next session ‘Controlling Your Thoughts’ takes place at 9am on Monday, April 12th, 2021 but if you miss the class you can view it online in your own time at stresscontrol.ie.

Join the HSE’s Stress Control classes this month.

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— Cork City Libraries (@corkcitylibrary) April 8, 2021

3. Meditation for everyday life 

Are you worried? Anxious? Tired? Finding it difficult to sleep? Meditation is a simple but very effective method to calm the mind, let go of stress, tension and worry and open yourself up to inner peace and wellbeing.

The best bit? You don’t even need to leave the house to try it; a four-week online meditation class starts on Wednesday, April 14th and beginners are welcome.

Solutions for Anxiety & Worry will be hosted by Kelsang Droma from 7pm to 8.30pm weekly. Join in for €8 per class or €24 for all four classes. Book in here.