So you want to meditate, become more "in tune" with your inner being, however you are a parent or insanely busy. As I have been discovering the different meditation techniques, there is a big factor that brings them together: meditation in the morning is a wonderful way to start your day, and then meditation in the evening is a great way to wrap up and relax. Fantastic, however it's easier said than done.
I have heard this in many seminars, and even been told by people (who don't have kids or their children are grown): "why don't you just get up earlier". Sure, I'll get up earlier, except let me tell you why that doesn't always work for folks in my position. I try to get to bed at a decent time, by 10pm or so, but many times that is extended to later. Why? Well, somebody has to attempt to clean up after a busy day of playing. I am also in a place right now where learning and growing in my profession is number two behind my family, and honestly that will always be the case. By the time I'm ready to relax and have my meditation "me" time, I pass out. Literally.
Morning, wake up earlier?! Ha!! That's really really funny. SO, what can we as busy parents, and people who just are busy all the time, do that allows us to tap in without worrying if we're doing it at the right time and following the "suggested guidelines"?
I have found that even if my kids are already jumping on my bed eagerly awaiting breakfast, I take a minute to breathe deeply. Not upper breathing, but way down deep into my belly. I don't worry about saying a mantra or Om'ing, I just take a moment to center. The very simple and conscious act of deep breathing will naturally focus your mind and your body, syncing it together. Yes, 30 minutes would be ideal, but it's not exactly realistic for everybody. I do it for literally 1 minute, and though I don't say a mantra, I do express my gratitude for the day, breathing in calm and focus. That's it.
At night, I do the same thing right before falling asleep, expressing gratitude for the day, for my family, for where I am, whatever speaks to me in the moment. I relax, and off to sleepy land I go.
If you've been looking at getting into meditation, or at least trying to find a way to focus a bit better, relax, start by breathing. If the energy of things around you during the day becomes overwhelming, take a deep breath. Notice if it's in your shoulders. If it is, breathe deeply again. Keep doing that until your breath naturally drops into your belly. When it has landed down deep, then you know that you are grounding and centering. Oh, important point: Breathe in and out through your nose!! By doing so, it will accelerate the breath, keeping it more focused than if you breathe through your mouth. If you want to learn more about this, check out Dr. Sue Morter. I'm currently taking the time to learn about her amazing techniques, along with the amazing techniques of Deepak Chopra.
It takes practice of awareness. I was aware yesterday that the noise of my children was really getting to me. I had to take a step back and breathe. My shoulders raised as high as a mountain. I felt the tension, and breathed again. Still raised. I kept at it, and about 5 breaths later, I finally sank down and relaxed, not letting my emotions of annoyance get a hold of me. Pretty cool, right? You can do that ANY TIME!
Anyhoo, I could go on and on, but I just wanted to post the basics today. If this speaks to you, I encourage you to try it out and notice the subtle, or big, differences in your day!!
Happy breathing!
~A
Saturday, February 18, 2012
Saturday, February 11, 2012
Joy and Love 2.0
While healing from some tummy issues a few days ago, I watched my kids playing. They were full of laughter, smiles, joy, love. I'm sure you've heard this overused expression many times: "Wow, I wish I was still young and carefree like them". What if they aren't carefree? What if I told you that maybe, just maybe they did have a care. The care of their lives being filled with laughter, joy and love.
Imagine yourself filled with JOY and LOVE. Not just "OK, I'm filled with joy, yippee freakin' do", but truly filled with JOY. I was reminded of this very precious lesson this week by an amazing woman, Dr. Sue Morter, as she spoke on my friend Sage's Spiritual Business Bootcamp Telesummit (<-- check it out, it's awesome, and still going on!). Every time she comes into my life, either via telesummit, web cast, Love Streaming Agape, I am more and more blown away by her BEING. I could gush about her all night, but I would just see for yourself. When you click on the link, look at her picture on the front page. Maybe it's just me, but there's such a spirit in that smile. I am becoming more and more surrounded by coaches, guru's, etc, and her picture is one of just a handful that exudes this presence.
Joy, Love, such simple words, yet carrying with them such enormity. Through the commercialization of, well, everything in our lives, these words seem to have lost their luster and meaning. We say "I love you" in passing, but does it carry anything with it? To many people, these words belong on a Hallmark card because that's the way of the world now a days. Here's my question: Does this have to be the way of the world?
Ever watch or read the news? Heck, even your News Feed on Facebook. How many things are positive, filled with good news, and how many posts are negative, about death, torture, debt, fear? I know that I have definitely filled my wall with news of food contamination, a tragedy near and far, the list goes on. After seeing a viral video a few days ago, and being aware of how it changed my being in a negative manner, I decided that it was time for me to shift...again.
No worries, this doesn't mean that I'll start filling my wall with thousands of quotes and pretty pictures. What it does mean is that I need to put my vibes onto the screen, a mirror, posting about things that I truly love: music, gastronomic adventures, travel, artistic expression, things I find as an inspiration... can you tell I'm just a wee bit on the creative side of life? :) Most importantly, be more careful and aware.
When we "share" in terms of social media, what are we doing? Sharing somebody elses news/thoughts/ energy, some that we vibe with, some not so much. What's the point of sharing something that pisses you off? You know what I'm talking about, the "Holy crap, you have to see this news clip/read this article (Prof. Bloom, anybody?)/watch this YouTube video... it pissed me off so badly that I have to share it." WHAT?! In the words of the late Nathaniel Dwayne Hale, aka Nate Dogg, "HOLD UP..." I am completely guilty of this. I am also ready to become more aware of my social media presence in a way that fills the flow in a more positive light: watch what I'm reading, not reading the news as often, and feel it. If it makes me feel yucky, does it need to be shared? Personally, if I saw a wonderful lesson in it, then I would be inclined to share it. If it's just some junk video that's going to suck an hour of your time sharing and complaining about it, then I'd say no.
Some may argue: "That's great, but there are some nasty things going on in this world that you just cannot ignore". To that I completely agree. There have been nasty things happening in this world since the dawn of time, but unfortunately in this day and age, it's in our face 24/7. I certainly don't need to "share" it, because it's not like people haven't already seen it on their feed a thousand times.
So what does this have to do with filling oneself with Joy? We live in a time where technology is ruling. It's hard to find somebody without a cellphone, computer, or who doesn't know how to use the net... OK, my mother doesn't, but she's 92 so I'll let her slide. :) The point is, I'm learning to fill myself with Joy during all aspects of life, and that includes the WiFi.
Some people use crystals in their work space, candles or scent diffusers, lovely scented lotions, listen to music. I am the most grounded, in tune with myself and what I'm doing on the computer when my home is quiet: my kids are in bed, my husband is working/bed/being quiet, and I can be fully present. That's when I can engage in a lovely sense of calm, joy, love, as I work on my site, or take care of emails, check my social media, or write a blog post. This is when my awareness is fully engaged, and I'm not just reacting from emotion, but feeling from a deeper place.
This isn't going to resonate with everybody, and that's totally fine. I know many people that can be on the Internet, multi-tasking away, while listening to metal. I used to be one of them, until I had kids. That's when I saw how precious my energy was, and how I was losing it at "ludicrous speed". Yes, yes I did just quote Dark Helmet from Space Balls.
We've heard this a thousand times, that we live in an faster moving world, information overload, overflowing with technology and knowledge. Slow down, take a breath of gratitude, take a breath that fills you with Joy and Love, and see how you can upgrade your Joy and Love to 2.0.
Yours in Harmony,
~A
No worries, this doesn't mean that I'll start filling my wall with thousands of quotes and pretty pictures. What it does mean is that I need to put my vibes onto the screen, a mirror, posting about things that I truly love: music, gastronomic adventures, travel, artistic expression, things I find as an inspiration... can you tell I'm just a wee bit on the creative side of life? :) Most importantly, be more careful and aware.
When we "share" in terms of social media, what are we doing? Sharing somebody elses news/thoughts/ energy, some that we vibe with, some not so much. What's the point of sharing something that pisses you off? You know what I'm talking about, the "Holy crap, you have to see this news clip/read this article (Prof. Bloom, anybody?)/watch this YouTube video... it pissed me off so badly that I have to share it." WHAT?! In the words of the late Nathaniel Dwayne Hale, aka Nate Dogg, "HOLD UP..." I am completely guilty of this. I am also ready to become more aware of my social media presence in a way that fills the flow in a more positive light: watch what I'm reading, not reading the news as often, and feel it. If it makes me feel yucky, does it need to be shared? Personally, if I saw a wonderful lesson in it, then I would be inclined to share it. If it's just some junk video that's going to suck an hour of your time sharing and complaining about it, then I'd say no.
Some may argue: "That's great, but there are some nasty things going on in this world that you just cannot ignore". To that I completely agree. There have been nasty things happening in this world since the dawn of time, but unfortunately in this day and age, it's in our face 24/7. I certainly don't need to "share" it, because it's not like people haven't already seen it on their feed a thousand times.
So what does this have to do with filling oneself with Joy? We live in a time where technology is ruling. It's hard to find somebody without a cellphone, computer, or who doesn't know how to use the net... OK, my mother doesn't, but she's 92 so I'll let her slide. :) The point is, I'm learning to fill myself with Joy during all aspects of life, and that includes the WiFi.
Some people use crystals in their work space, candles or scent diffusers, lovely scented lotions, listen to music. I am the most grounded, in tune with myself and what I'm doing on the computer when my home is quiet: my kids are in bed, my husband is working/bed/being quiet, and I can be fully present. That's when I can engage in a lovely sense of calm, joy, love, as I work on my site, or take care of emails, check my social media, or write a blog post. This is when my awareness is fully engaged, and I'm not just reacting from emotion, but feeling from a deeper place.
This isn't going to resonate with everybody, and that's totally fine. I know many people that can be on the Internet, multi-tasking away, while listening to metal. I used to be one of them, until I had kids. That's when I saw how precious my energy was, and how I was losing it at "ludicrous speed". Yes, yes I did just quote Dark Helmet from Space Balls.
We've heard this a thousand times, that we live in an faster moving world, information overload, overflowing with technology and knowledge. Slow down, take a breath of gratitude, take a breath that fills you with Joy and Love, and see how you can upgrade your Joy and Love to 2.0.
Yours in Harmony,
~A
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