well actually, this is what I like to do everyday! Meditate!
I know that is a scary word for some people and just the idea of forcing oneself to sit still can be intimidating... but did you know that you don't need to be in a special place or have any tools in order to meditate? To meditate really just means to focus your thoughts on one thing - and that thing is breathing! (Really now, that sounds pretty easy doesn't it?)
If you have never meditated, I encourage you to give this a try.
* Get yourself to a quiet space.
* Set an alarm for 5 minutes (that's not really scary - it's just 5 minutes, right?) Not a loud beep-beep-beep alarm but just some music that will come on quietly or a soothing nature sound that you like...
* Find a comfortable position - traditionally it is sitting up but I even like to meditate laying down.
* Close your eyes and breathe. As you inhale, count slowly to 5 - then exhale for the same amount of time. Focus on the rise and fall of your chest.
* Other thoughts will float into your mind - your list of things to do, how mad you got when blah-blah-blah happened.... just accept these thoughts and allow them to pass through. Acknowledge these and let them float onward to their own time and space. Return your focus to your breath.
* Just keep breathing and letting those thoughts float across your mind. (If you need to, you can always picture them as balloons floating from one side of your head to the other - or from your mind up to the sky where you can no longer see them.
* When the alarm goes off it is your reminder to come back. You don't need to jump up and start running again. Just take a few more seconds, knowing that what you have done is turned inward to your true self and allow yourself to come back slowly. Notice how there became a point when you no longer heard any outside sounds? The only sound you noticed was your breathing....realize that those intruding balloon thoughts came through less and less often and as they did you were able to let them go and they floated away faster...
* Open your eyes, enjoy the sensation of relaxation in your muscles and then allow yourself to return to your daily world.
I bet you feel a little different after this don't you? Calmer maybe? Quieter? Perhaps you notice more of the small things going on around you.... truly in the beginning 5 minutes may feel like a very long time.... but even with 5 minutes you will reap benefits!
As this week progresses, I will post a couple more articles about meditation, so watch for them here or on my FB page!
Thanks for joining me today!
