Choosing health - meditation edition

 

Just breathe - 

Take a moment, feel the breath moving through your body.  Feel your feet firmly planted on the floor.  Let your shoulders relax away from your ears, allow the muscles in your back to release. (also try playing this music in the background while you are reading this post)

Breath in slowly through your nose for the count of 5 

Hold your breath for the count of 5

Let the air out of your lungs, through your mouth, for the count of 10.

Do this 3 more times.

Notice your body and mind relaxing into this present moment.

Give yourself permission to let go of everything for the next 10 minutes.  That's it, just 10 minutes.  You can pause for 10 minutes.

All of this simple practice gives footing to begin to go deeper with a meditation practice.  But, we first need to have a place to stand.

Most of us (including me) think that meditating should be so easy.  It's just sitting.  It's just letting go.  But in our fast paced culture, we have a hard time setting aside just 10 minutes to sit in silence.  Do you notice your body crying out for this pause.  Unless we learn to listen, unless we learn to be quiet long enough to listen, we won't hear what our bodies, or the Spirit of God, or our neighbors, or our minds are trying to tell us.

Meditation is, of course, more than just being quiet.  Is it actively listening to the world around you and inside of you.  It is being attentive to more than words.  It is also being attentive to how our bodies and minds resonate with all of the information that we take in.

Create some time in adding meditation into your schedule.  It does not need to be an hour - but start somewhere.

You can sit in silence

You can listen to calming music (choose something with no "rhythm section" instead try something like this from youtube with pictures (whether you just listen or watch and listen)

You can listen to guided meditation (these are like choosing a good book, but a few that I really like are from Chopra or Calm

Blessings to you in your journey as you choose health for yourself.  And watch how healing yourself makes in impact in the world around you.

Peace

just add water

 As easy as it is to forget - human bodies are made up of 60% water.  So when we are dehydrated we may notice it in physical ways.  But being dehydrated also affects us mentally and emotionally.  Not getting enough water can be a cause of some feelings of depression or anxiety.  The chemical levels in our systems are in need of regular balance for all sorts of physical, mental and emotional health.  

Note that it is possible to drink too much water as well, so pay attention to how your bodies reacts - but in the main I think we are invited to drink up to an ounce of water each day for every pound you weigh.  

A good practice to work on for health.

Meditation...

Finding space and time for meditation can be a challenge in our busy world.  In addition, we tend to think that we need a place like this, this or this.

However, as wonderful as it may be to be in those places – it is our intention that creates what we need.  I have friends who have prayer shawls that they wrap around them and that is enough.  Or a special chair to sit in, or a favorite candle. 

You can make a meditation space as simple as you like.  As you are starting the more simple the better. 

It may be making time that is harder – but really 20 minutes a day is not so hard to carve out – especially when you have already started with 5 minutes – and then 10… waking up a few minutes early to sit and breathe can literally change your whole day.

Blessings on your journey.