1. It is called a practice for a reason! Be gentle with yourself if you have a mind that wanders frequently, it is perfectly normal! Your mind has been able to do what it wants for as long as you have been alive, it takes time and practice to get out of this habit!
2. In the beginning, your body will also rebel, it is normal to get physically uncomfortable within the first 10 minutes of a mediation practice, and that is okay too. Take the time to try out different cushions, chairs, and positions and find what works the best for you, and supports your body.
3. You don't have to meditate for an hour to consider it mediation! If you find that your mind and body get uncomfortable and rebel after 5 minutes of meditation and want to stop, that's okay. The more frequent you practice, the longer you will be able to sit for. If you try to sit and focus for an hour to start, you will set yourself up for failure and undermine your whole meditation experience (and your practice). Start small and work your way up to longer and longer times.
4. Use a focusing tool, whether it is a mantra (om and so hum are great), a thought, feeling, or idea ( love, peace, calm, centered, connected), an affirmation ( I am calm, I am healthy, I am sacred) be creative, change it as you see fit, and find ones that really resonate and speak to you.
5. Use breathing to calm the body and focus the mind, check this out for info on breathing
6. Use guided meditations - find an app, listen to Deepak Chopra (him and Oprah have free meditation series regularly keep an eye out for them they are really great!) Find some on iTunes, or find some at 'New Age' stores or Yoga studios, find meditation classes (I lead a monthly one at Omnia Wellness)
7. Do some research, there are different forms of meditation, some are sitting, standing, walking, moving. Find different styles that you can try, so days when you are physically uncomfortable you can try movement or walking.
8. Carve out time in your day to dedicate to yourself, and your practice. If the morning before work, in the evening before bed, outside in the sun on a sunny day (or inside if it is winter!), find what time of day works for you and go with that, don't try to get it done in the morning if you aren't a morning person!
9. It's okay if you miss a day! Don't let missing a day or two throw your practice off completely, do your best to start back again as soon as you can (again, even if it is for 5 minutes, it'll make a difference)
10. Spend a few moments near the end of your meditation with gratitude, for yourself for doing it, for your mind for focusing, for your body for relaxing, and add in anything else you are grateful for. This helps your mind and body to know that meditation = gratitude, happiness, and calmness!
11. End your meditation with grounding. Imagine your energy connecting to the energy at the center of the earth, and allow yourself to ground and connect into that energy, then allow it to come through your physical body bringing that feeling of being grounded with it. Connect into the physical sense of your body, wiggle fingers and toes, then gently open your eyes and take a few deep breaths to bring your full awareness into the present!
12. Have Fun! Do what ever you can to make it the most enjoyable experience possible! Create a sacred space, burn candles, use an incense or an oil that you love, imagine yourself in a place in nature that you love like a forest, beach, cave, or at the top of a mountain, let your imagination take you anywhere!
Happy Meditating!
Sunday, September 14, 2014
Friday, September 12, 2014
How To Breathe
I know it sounds strange to write a how-to for something your body does all by itself without really needing input, but an interesting thing happens when we start to feel stress, we stop taking normal breaths and start breathing really shallow, and it is mostly focused in the upper chest. When we actually take a moment to stop and breathe, it allows our nervous system to go from its fight/flight response to its happier rest/digest mode. It gives the mind an opportunity to really assess the situation and realize you aren't in imminent danger (unless of course you are, in which case, breathing may not be your first choice of actions to take!) this allows the body to follow suit, and stop releasing stress induced hormones, and allow the body's natural process to continue to work in an optimal way.
quick and easy breathing techniques:
**please note that deep breathing can lead to dizziness - if you feel dizzy at any point, simply stop and let your breathing return to normal until the feeling passes.
You can inhale and exhale through either your nose or mouth - which ever is more comfortable for you.
3 part breath
1-inhale into the belly - focus on pushing your belly out as far as it can comfortably go and then naturally let yourself exhale when your belly feels full
2- inhale into your rib cage - place your hands on the sides of your ribs and focus on pushing them away from your body, again allowing yourself to gently and naturally exhale
3- inhale into the top of your chest - place your hand on your sternum (right in the top center part of your chest) and focus on lifting your hand/chest upwards, again exhaling easily and naturally.
Then combine all three parts together - inhale into the belly, then the ribs, then the chest all in one big deep breath. Repeat 3-5 times
Relaxation Breath
Sit in a comfortable position. Take 3-5 deep breaths and on each exhale think about (and allow) your body to relax into the chair you are sitting on, you can also do this in bed before you go to sleep.
You can also focus your awareness on different parts of your body with each breath - inhale while focusing on your legs, and as you exhale feel the muscles in your legs relax etc., also great if you have an area of your body that is in pain, you can breathe the whole time focusing on that area's relaxation and pain reduction.
Counting Breath
Great for if you are feeling overwhelmed, really angry or really stressed. This helps to focus the mind by giving it something to do instead of over thinking about what is stressing you out. Inhale for a count of 4, hold your breath for a count of 4, exhale for a count of 4. You can change the count # to begin always start with a lower number, as you practice this you can gradually increase it as you feel comfortable.
Energy Breath
This is great for releasing negative energy and bringing in positive energy. Close your eyes, as you inhale imagine a bright white light coming into your body, as you exhale allow any negative energy to leave your body - you can imagine it however you like, smoke, butterflies, a color. As you continue, on your inhalations picture this white light going through your body, your bones, muscles, cells, into your energy system and then at the end, creating a protective bubble around you that keeps light energy in, and any energy you don't want, out.
Try different breaths out and see which one(s) resonate with you! These are also great to help you get to sleep, or to start your meditation practice (the Energy Breath can be a meditation all on its own!)
Wishing you Happy Breathing!!
quick and easy breathing techniques:
**please note that deep breathing can lead to dizziness - if you feel dizzy at any point, simply stop and let your breathing return to normal until the feeling passes.
You can inhale and exhale through either your nose or mouth - which ever is more comfortable for you.
3 part breath
1-inhale into the belly - focus on pushing your belly out as far as it can comfortably go and then naturally let yourself exhale when your belly feels full
2- inhale into your rib cage - place your hands on the sides of your ribs and focus on pushing them away from your body, again allowing yourself to gently and naturally exhale
3- inhale into the top of your chest - place your hand on your sternum (right in the top center part of your chest) and focus on lifting your hand/chest upwards, again exhaling easily and naturally.
Then combine all three parts together - inhale into the belly, then the ribs, then the chest all in one big deep breath. Repeat 3-5 times
Relaxation Breath
Sit in a comfortable position. Take 3-5 deep breaths and on each exhale think about (and allow) your body to relax into the chair you are sitting on, you can also do this in bed before you go to sleep.
You can also focus your awareness on different parts of your body with each breath - inhale while focusing on your legs, and as you exhale feel the muscles in your legs relax etc., also great if you have an area of your body that is in pain, you can breathe the whole time focusing on that area's relaxation and pain reduction.
Counting Breath
Great for if you are feeling overwhelmed, really angry or really stressed. This helps to focus the mind by giving it something to do instead of over thinking about what is stressing you out. Inhale for a count of 4, hold your breath for a count of 4, exhale for a count of 4. You can change the count # to begin always start with a lower number, as you practice this you can gradually increase it as you feel comfortable.
Energy Breath
This is great for releasing negative energy and bringing in positive energy. Close your eyes, as you inhale imagine a bright white light coming into your body, as you exhale allow any negative energy to leave your body - you can imagine it however you like, smoke, butterflies, a color. As you continue, on your inhalations picture this white light going through your body, your bones, muscles, cells, into your energy system and then at the end, creating a protective bubble around you that keeps light energy in, and any energy you don't want, out.
Try different breaths out and see which one(s) resonate with you! These are also great to help you get to sleep, or to start your meditation practice (the Energy Breath can be a meditation all on its own!)
Wishing you Happy Breathing!!
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