How To Utilize Color Therapy to De-Stress Guests

The practice of Color Therapy goes back to ancient times. Long before light was researched, color was being used as a therapeutic ally in ancient civilizations. Records dating back to 1550 BCE show that the Egyptians were utilizing color for healing. In fact, nearly every culture has a deep and meaningful history with color.

In ancient Egypt, Greece, and India, in particular, colors were utilized with reverence, awareness and significance. Colored amulets, gems, and huts were utilized for the prevention and treatment of disease. Even the great Hippocrates (460 – 377 BCE), the father of modern medicine, used Color Therapy with his patients. He is said to have had a pragmatic attitude toward color and created a very practical application of color, prescribing medicines from plants with color in mind.

Colors have been by our side all along, offering their energy frequencies, therapeutic wisdom and natural health benefits. Remember, the very sun that keeps our planet thriving, is gifting us with the visible light spectrum of wavelengths, which we perceive as colors. These color rays help us thrive individually, too. A lot has changed of course, since our ancient times. Currently, we’re a plugged in, frazzled, anxiety-ridden, sleep-deprived and stressed society. Since the marvelous inventions of electricity and artificial light, we’ve grown further and further away from our natural rhythms and health. In addition, we have external and internal chemical exposure, EMF radiation, daily tensions and pressures to contend with.

Stress has become the foundation of our health challenges - physical, mental and emotional. According to the American Psychological Association (APA), 77% of people experience stress that affects their physical health, and 73% report it impacts their mental health. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimate stress-related disorders affect millions of people every year. A Gallup poll revealed 55% of Americans feel stress during the day, and about 45% say they worry a lot. Our clients are more sleep-deprived than ever before. According to a survey conducted by the National Sleep Foundation, 35% of adults report they have trouble falling asleep three or more nights per week. According to the National Institute of Mental Health (NH), approximately 19.1% of U.S. adults had an anxiety disorder in the past year.

It seems now more than ever we need the vital life-balancing benefits that Color Therapy can offer. Professional Color Therapy is a nuanced holistic wellness practice, taking into consideration an individual’s unique needs and color preferences, while matching imbalances to specific colors. That said, I recommend starting with conscious exposure to these colors for general stress reduction benefits:

PINK for gentle emotional soothing

GREEN for a feeling of balance, restoration and renewal

PALE BLUE for peaceful calming energy

Here are some Color Therapy practices you can utilize to start de-stressing throughout your day, plus help your clients (when/where appropriate). Start with the color recommended, and once you feel adept with the practice, you may mix and match with the above colors for their specific benefits. Tap into your imagination and visualization.

Related: Color Therapy: Connecting Colors and Emotions to Boost Well-being

Conscious Colors Stress-Reducing Practices

Color Breathing

For the stress of feeling out of balance.

This is a pleasing Green Color Therapy practice for balancing the stress of living in extremes (staying up too late, not sleeping enough, overeating, being sedentary- any tipping of the scale too far to one side). You can use this practice anytime during the day or night, as green is harmonizing and not overly-stimulating.

• Take a deep breath in through your nose and consciously exhale out your nose for as long as you comfortably can. Allow your next inhale to happen naturally, and when you start to exhale, again extend the length of your exhalation. Continue this rhythm for a few more cycles.
• Next, place one hand on your low belly and the other on your upper chest. Settle into an even breathing rhythm.
• Now, imagine an energy balloon made of green light inside the ribcage, as large as your belly. With each breath imagine you are inflating the balloon with more green light energy. Each breath transfers balancing green energy into the balloon and settles this balance deeper into the core of the belly with each breath.
• Set a timer for a two minute practice, then extend each time you practice. You’ll discover it’s easier to breathe this way, the more you practice.

Color Bubble

For the stress of stressful thoughts

This is a simple Pale Blue Color Therapy to practice amidst a stressful moment to shift into a mindfulness moment.

• When you’re aware that you’re in a stressful moment feeling agitated, frustrated, tense, even panicked, see if you can reduce the stress into one key statement. For example: “This traffic is going to make me late for work.”
• Breathe with: “There’s nothing I can do about this right now, so I might as well release with peace.”
• Next, imagine your breathe pale blue in color.
• Inhale a pale blue light breath through your nose. As you exhale softly out through your mouth, visualize that you are softly blowing out pale blue bubbles of light.
• Exhale with the thought, “I’m releasing with peace.”
• When you begin to feel a little lighter, imagine the space you’re in (car, room) is filled with pale blue light and you are sitting in peace.

Color Avatar

For the stress of anxiety

This is a supportive Pink Color Therapy practice to breathe with when you’re feeling anxious, having a hard time making decisions and/or are feeling alone.

• Again, utilize your imagination. Create a visual of yourself in your mind as a stress-free, kind loving avatar. Perhaps you’re a superhero, a fairy, an angelic being, a child playing, or simply you in present time, but without anxiety. Make your avatar a truly kind helpful version of yourself that you welcome.
• In your imagination, dress your avatar and accessorize in pink from head-to-toe.
• Imagine you’re standing in front of a mirror and this is what/who you see. Set your pink avatar right in front of you.
• Give yourself the thought, “I am not alone. My kind avatar is with me now. I have gentle help.”
• Now set clones of your pink avatar behind you, on your left side, on your right side, and miniatures behind your left and right shoulders.
• Enjoy a deep breath knowing you are surrounded in gentle energy.

“All change begins with a single thought.” -Constance Hart

Enjoy your exploration of these Color Therapy practices to aid in reducing stress. Continued practice will deepen your conscious awareness of the colors and their benefits. 

Color Psychology Visionary, Constance Hart, is an internationally recognized Color Therapy Expert and Educator. Constance is the Founder/Developer of Conscious Colors and Color Aroma. She has over thirty years’ meditation, yoga, and Color Therapy teaching experience and certifies practitioners in professional Color Therapy. Visit ConsciousColors.com for More Practices and Info