The power of practice: Meditation
Meditation. This word brings up so many feelings and questions. It can be intimidating and overwhelming, all at the same time. In today's busy world, who can spare even a minute to sit and do nothing? With meditation, it's not about doing it right or wrong.
I didn't always have a meditation practice. I was always fast paced and multitasking to the extreme. Being a single mother and business owner of a handful of different endeavors kept me in high voltage adrenaline constantly. Then I experienced adrenal fatigue that caused a multitude of other symptoms. I was forced to slow down.
I was faced with some trying times and many challenges. The greatest gift meditation can offer is the supreme knowing that your center is safe and sound and reliable. You can go there anytime. I know this sounds hard. It still is for me. But the benefits I’ve experienced firsthand can guarantee it will change your life. Here's tips to help you cultivate a practice.
Same Place. Same Time. Strive to create the ritual of habit.. This is your time, for you. To get in touch with your innermost self, beyond all the inner and outer chatter.
Aim for waking before the sun. This was hard for me, especially when I was used to being up late. The darkness before the world wakes up is potent magic full of potential
When you meditate first, you set the tone for the rest of your day. You create space between reactions. You create a response from your center, not your emotions.
Breathe deep. This is an endangered species in today's world. Our breathing is a direct reflection of our state of mind. Shallow breathing is fear and anxiety. Deep breathing is trust and ease. It nourishes all our cells with fresh life force energy.
Fill the breath all the way deep down to the belly, hold it for a second or so, and then exhale fully. Try the 4.6.8 breath and feel everything shift. Inhale silently count to 4, hold 6 seconds, exhale 8. 3 - 5 rounds.
Watch the breath come in the nostrils, maybe notice a cool sensation. Feel it go all the way down the spine to full up the belly. Watch it come all the way back up the spine and maybe notice a cool sensation of the air going out the nostrils. Equal ins and outs
Keep your gaze inward at your forehead center. When we have a place to focus the mind, it can relax. Same thing with following the quality of our breath.
Add a mantra, or sound affirmation. Silently say to yourself on the in breath Refresh, on the out breath Relax. Feel your shoulders soften and let go, along with any tension
Meditation turns off the fight or flight response. This is Enormous and the number one reason to Practice. Our frantic to-do lists have the same effect on the body/mind as danger.
Take out the trash. Wash your body. We wouldn’t not do these things. The same care goes for our mental health. Give your brain a hug. Thank you for taking care of so many things. Give it some downtime. This balances the hormones and our life.
Lastly, trust the process. Remember this is simply your gift to yourself and time with your soul. When we practice stillness, all the outdated stories and unconscious thought patterns we've told ourselves for years can begin to slip away, leaving us with our most radiant, shining truth of our soul.
You are not your body. You are not your mind. You are not your circumstance. You are truth, beauty, light.