I am so glad you are here. This meditation is a break for you — ten minutes to step away from the busy-ness of your life. Meditation helps overcome stress, worry, and overthinking, then leading us to a calm center. There is no magic although it can feel very magical to unplug, be quiet, and to take a few minutes to simply follow your breath.
Over time, meditation does calm our minds so that our thinking slows down. Too much thinking leads to unhappiness. Meditation allows us to be more mindful and settle into the present moment where there is no thought, only presence. Meditation is the practice of cultivating a relaxed and focused mind.
Let’s sit together and step back for another perspective by simply following our breath, then see what happens.
This weekend has been focused on change through the inspiration of youth marching in Washington DC and over 800 marches around the world. Watching the youth of our country step into leadership around gun control has filled me with hope. Listening to their passion through their speeches – many survivors of useless shootings – has inspired me to continue working for peace.
What these students have organized and carried out in a little over a month is more than impressive. They have begun a movement in our country that I am certain will continue. The youth of the world are becoming politically involved and are using social media as their tool to spread their message worldwide. I do believe they will be a force for positive change in the coming elections.
I am reminded of the marches for change that happened in the 1960’s — it was a time of rippling transformations and a major wave of change. It is time again for change and our youth are leading the way. I am grateful!
This weeks meditation is my offering for cultivating peace, love, and hope within us and around us. Remember, the more people who meditate together the stronger our collective energy becomes. My lifelong quest has been for peace, even if global peace seems impossible. Today, I feel hopeful that more peace within might be possible.
My hope is that you will consider sharing this meditation with others so that a wave can be created of more and more people joining in meditation.
Welcome! It’s Meditation Monday and I am so glad you are joining me.
This weeks meditation is focused on Mindful Awareness. As with all meditation, the breath is always a way to return focus to the present moment. Mindful awareness is a practice of noticing what you feel; what sensation, emotion, or thought captures your attention; or how your body is positioned in space. Mindful awareness also means simply noticing without needing to do anything about what we are aware of in any moment. Mindfulness invites you to actively notice without judgement, no action, and no response beyond noticing.
I am glad you have joined Meditation Monday. Whether you are a beginner or a seasoned meditator being guided in meditation creates a ripple of many meditating together.
Here in Massachusetts we changed our clocks last night into Daylight Savings time. What this means today is that it is still light outside and I am a bit disoriented. I don’t really understand why we continue to change our clocks both in the Spring and Fall. I see it as going into jet lag without the vacation or memories! I know that in a few days my body will adjust and I will enjoy more light in the evenings so I can spend more time outdoors.
Now it is time for meditation. This weeks meditation continues with a focus on the breath and adding a visualization of light with the breath. I find adding a mental focus helps me to let go of my thinking mind more easily. This week we’ll also meditate a few minutes longer.
I hope you are enjoying joining me in meditation. There is strength in numbers. I remember how powerful meditations were when living at Kripalu Center and meditating with many people on a daily basis. I found it much easier to dip deeply into my inner experience while feeling supported by the energy of the group meditating together. As you settle into this guided meditation imagine that you are meditating with a group and feel supported on your inner journey.
Of course, passing it along to friends and family who might join you will widen your tribe of weekly meditators. The more ripples of relaxed calm, the more light and peace we can send out into the world.
I hope your week has been filled with calm, especially if you were able to begin last week with meditation. If you are a beginner or a sporadic meditator, I encourage you to bring more meditation time into your life — even 2 – 3 times each week for 10 minutes reaps many benefits.
Each week I’ll have a focus to the guided meditation. Todays focus is more on the breath — deepening the breath and adding some control to our inhalations and exhalations.
In every meditation I will include a period of silence (or contemplation). During the silence you can continue your focus on your breath or allow your breath to settle into its own rhythm in silence.
I hope you enjoy the guided meditation and will check in each Meditation Monday for a new guided experience.
Please, pass it along to friends and family. I do believe that the more of us meditating, the more peace and calm we offer the world.
Consider following my blog to remain updated on weekly meditations as well as posts on health and happiness that will, hopefully, enrich your life.
Welcome to Meditation Monday — a new addition to my blog. Each Monday (as much as possible, anyway) I will post a recorded meditation for you. Below is the link to the meditation. I hope you will enjoy it!
Meditation has been my daily practice for most of my life. The benefits of meditation on health and happiness are growing as more research exists (especially on the benefits of Loving Kindness Meditation). Of course, the recent research simply reflects and affirms what I and many have experienced through regular practice.
What is meditation? Meditation is practice of contemplation that can be practiced in many ways — following the breath, focusing on loving kindness, eye gazing on a candle or photo, prayer, or using a mantra or affirmation to focus your mind on peaceful quiet. Meditation is integral within every religious and spiritual approach. Contemplation is an important practice for experiencing inner peace and devotional prayer. Quietly sitting for several minutes or more a day is how to begin meditation.
In my work, I recommend meditation to many of my clients. What I often hear in response to my suggestion is, “I’ve tried and can’t”, “I can’t meditate. I can’t empty my mind.” After several unsuccessful attempts to experience a silent mind, they stop trying. However, the myth of meditation is that we can empty our mind of thoughts.
Consider this. Our mind’s job is to think. Instead of trying to empty your mind from thought, acknowledge the thoughts that continue while sitting. Practicing meditation is learned by sitting in quiet, gently breathing in and out, noticing thoughts that drift by, letting them go, and refocusing on the breath (or whatever you choose to focus on). A quiet mind? That comes with years of dedicated practice and, even then, the mind continues to think, only slower. A mind without thought is momentary.
The benefits of meditation keep me taking the time to meditate daily. Meditation cultivates more happiness and peace in life; increases focus, creativity, memory, and compassion; decreases the experience of stress and anxiety overall; builds self-esteem and intuition; offsets the aging process of the brain; lowers blood pressure; and improves our health.
How to Meditate? Schedule the time to sit, stand, or even walk in order to calm your nervous system, quiet your mind, and experience focused awareness. Use this dedicated time to turn off the tv, radio, or even music so that you can experience a settling of your nervous system even if thoughts continue. I encourage the same time of day so that it becomes a consistent practice.
Initially, it is helpful to listen to a guided meditation. A favorite for many is the app, Headspace. There is a convenience to Headspace because you can listen from your phone anywhere. Search Google for ‘guided meditations’ and you will find many teachers who offer free guided experiences. I suggest listening to several of them to see who’s voice you resonate with most.
I will be posting a weekly meditation here. My intention is “Meditation Monday’s” so that you might use my guided meditations throughout the week. Let me know what you think. Enjoy!
Happy, Healthy, & The Prepared Mind 