Sometimes I  journal before I meditate,  to let my internal thoughts go. I find that process helpful, it brings out ideas that want to be released.  I am amazed at what comes out when I honor my inner voice. After journalling, I am able to sit comfortably and quietly in my easy chair, close my eyes and just ‘be’ with my breath. I put my attention on my body and how it feels as the breath comes in and out of my lungs. I feel my heartbeat and think about the life-sustaining blood flow that travels quickly, yet effortlessly throughout my body. Putting attention on my body keeps me in the present moment.  With my eyes closed, I shut off external visual stimuli, but not the internal dialog, my mind keeps thinking, as minds will do, even when asleep. 

The key is to watch the thoughts as they drift by, while shifting your focus back to your breath or heartbeat. When we do this, we break the chain reaction of one thought leading to another. We simply observe our thoughts and gently bring our attention back to our breath. This creates space in the mind-body and allows you to experience the peace and the possibility in every moment. After twenty minutes of meditation, we are free to go on with the rest of our day, however, since we have experienced inner peace, we bring a new awareness to our day.

simply breathe

Simply by sitting peacefully and observing our breath as it enters and exits our body while saying silently to ourself a short phrase like: “All is Well.”  We literally stop the clock for a brief time and give our mind and body time to bathe in Universal Love, Peace, Acceptance and Joy. We reconnect with all that there is and in that moment, we experience more than being one individual, we experience oneness with every living creature on the planet.

the gift that just keeps giving

Give yourself and everyone you will encounter today the gift of present moment awareness. You give it to yourself by being present with yourself. You give it to others, by being fully present with them. They can feel your conscious presence with them, since you won’t be scattered thinking about something else.

Try it today and then again tomorrow until it becomes a daily routine like brushing your teeth. It is like spring cleaning for your mind, body and soul. You deserve it! We all do. Namaste.  Debra May

 The outer world is a reflection of our inner world. When we feel peaceful inside, we bring that peace with us into the noise and turbulence of  the outside world. We can not control what others do, only what we do and how we will respond. So, how can we respond lovingly to perceived unloving actions from others? One simple word gives us a clue, detachment.

What is detachment?

Detachment is to separate your feelings  from another’s behavior or action. It does not even require physical separation from the person, although that is also a choice you can make. It means you are not responsible for someone else’s feelings or attitude. Detachment can help you look at a situation more realistically and objectively.  To detach, you simply shift your perspective from how the other person is feeling or reacting, to your own inner guidance system, your feeling. This creates space  inside yourself, when you realize that you are not responsible for how others are acting or even how they view you.

Meditation as a form of detachment

When we practice meditation, we are going inside ourselves to experience our own thoughts and feelings. We can start by sitting in a comfortable chair, turning off the TV, phone or removing other noisy distractions. We sit, close our eyes and focus on our breath as it comes effortlessly in and out of our body. We also focus on our body. What kind of sensations are we feeling? We may feel tightness in the shoulder area or a discomfort in a particular area in the body. We only notice it now, because we are being quiet and focusing on our self. So give that part of the body alittle extra attention. Breathe into it and send it some loving kindness.

Thoughts, oh the thoughts…

Then you may notice that you are being bombarded by lots of thoughts. That happens as well, when you sit down and just focus on the inside. Acknowledge the thoughts by simply observing them as they float by, like clouds in the sky. Then gently return to your focus on your breath. Feel it fill up your lungs, bringing the needed oxygen to every cell in your body. You can introduce a “mantra,” or  instrument of the mind. I like to repeat silently to myself, “All is well.” It calms my mind and body and makes me relax knowing that I am being supported by the invisible Spirit that fills and surrounds me. I visualize the energy flowing from my head to my toes and back again. I focus on my heartbeat and give thanks for my incredible mind and body that supports me as I move through life.

Peace at last

Now I have felt the peace that is always waiting patiently for me to access it. I can open my eyes and face the day with new resolve. I encourage you to try this and send me your comments about your thoughts and feelings and how the process affected you, as well as how you responded differently in the world.
Namaste!
Debra

 Type A Personality/Fast and Stop Speeds

I don’t know about you, but I was born an A personality, maybe because I was the oldest and only girl in the family. There are many other factors to consider, but I will spare you, you get the point. I have always hit the ground running and didn’t stop until bedtime, at which point I slipped under the covers and was unconscious within two minutes. I used to brag that I had two speeds, fast and stop. I was rewarded in the world for this. It sure came in handy while attending college full time and working three part time jobs.

 Why isn’t this working for me anymore?

But somewhere along the line, I became snappy, tense and downright angry. I couldn’t figure out why. I had a pretty normal life with all the same stresses as everyone around me. I started to notice how pleasant it was to be with certain people, the ones who had a minute to chat over a cup of coffee. What was I doing wrong? My searching for answers led me to find a local meditation class, taught by a young professor from UNC. It was pretty simple to learn the technique, watching my breath, saying a “mantra,” (sound without specific meaning to distract the thinking mind).

 This “should” be simple…

What was NOT simple was making myself stop twice a day for 10-20 minutes to do the practice. I could find a million excuses and things that urgently needed only my attention. When I did actually sit down to do my practice, my mind was racing with thoughts and it was NOT peaceful at all, as I thought it “should” be. I would have given up altogether, but I had a good friend, who had been meditating since age 13 yrs. (She actually learned from her parents!) She came over one time just to meditate with me and challenged me with these questions:  Why can’t you simply be with yourself, Debra?  Don’t you deserve to have some time to just relax and let everything go? 

 Then came the shift…

Long story short, I started to actually meditate every day. At first, just for 5 minutes, first thing in the morning, sitting on the edge of the bed, thanking God for a wonderful night’s rest and the opportunity to make a difference in the new day and just before bedtime to let the cares of the day go. It was only 10 minutes out of my life, no big deal, right? But it actually turned out to be a very big deal. Even though I didn’t notice any difference in my day to day life, people around me started to notice and even comment that I was less edgy, more relaxed and more focused during the day. How could such a small act create such a large impact? I didn’t understand why at the time, but I decided to extend the time period to ten minutes twice a day and gradually it became 20 minutes twice a day.

 Successful results at last!

The results: I enjoyed greater creativity and flexibility in my thinking processes. In stressful situations, I found myself less reactive and more able to take my time and respond more thoughtfully.   I also found myself able to complete a task without leaving things half done, as was my previous habit. These are just a few of the numerous benefits to the mind, body and spirit when you simply take the time to be still.

I hope this helps you understand why so many people are discovering this wonderful and simple practice to help you enjoy your life more fully and be more present in every moment. Life is short, don’t miss any of it.

Love and laughter,

Debra

What you will experience when you first begin to meditate is not the absence of thoughts, but an opening of the space in between the thoughts. You are not your thoughts, instead you are the thought generator. Think about it, we even have thoughts in our sleep, they are called dreams.

The purpose of meditation is to become self-aware, tune in to what you are thinking about and ultimately create more beneficial nourishing thoughts to create the life that you consciously choose.

Let’s begin:

You can begin this journey of self discovery by simply sitting in a comfortable position. (No need to curl your legs up like a pretzel). However, it is important to be sitting upright and not reclining. You want to indicate to your body that you are relaxed, but not ready for sleep. You are sitting with your feet flat on the floor and your hands are resting palm up on your thighs.

Start by taking in a slow deep breath and releasing it. When you feel comfortable, close your eyes. This is to keep the outside stimulation down and for you to focus on your breath and body, without allowing outer visual stimulation (sights) to distract you from concentrating on your inner self.

Gently put your attention on your breath as it enters your body, fills your lungs and abdomen. At this same time say silently to yourself  ”SO” on the in breath. On the out breath,  silently say “HUM.” Continue this for a few minutes, 10-15 breaths. Then put your attention into your heart area and feel the beating of your heart. You can even play with this and shift your heartbeat into the palms of your hands. You can do this simply by using your awareness. Continue with your attention on your breath and the words SO and HUM on the in and out breaths. Your background thoughts will start to slow down and relaxation in your body will occur naturally.

Take one or two more in and out breaths and gently bring your awareness back into the room. Feel your body as it makes contact with the chair. Open your eyes and sit for a minute to allow the experience to sink in before your resume activity.

You just meditated. How did that feel?  What did you experience? There are only three things that can happen in meditation. Tune in for the next blog post to find out what they are.

Any form of meditation that allows the mind to be peaceful is beneficial to the physical body. The mind/body connection turns negative emotions: anger, fear, stress or worry, into chemical toxins, sometimes called “stress hormones.” These stressors have been linked by numerous scientific studies to heart disease as well as many other diseases.

Mindfulness Meditation is a simple way to lead us back to our natural state of restful awareness. Although, meditation is not new, it has recently been studied thoroughly by the scientific community and found to offer a simple, but profound way to alleviate the stress responsible for many common and chronic illnesses.

It is possible for each of us to achieve and maintain a vibrant and joyful state of health by understanding our mind-body connection and learning how to keep ourselves balanced. By understanding our individual constitution, we are able to make better choices and maximize our health and well being.

Our bodies are ever changing networks of intelligence in a dynamic exchange with everything that surrounds us. We are influenced by many things: the foods we eat, our environment, the sights and sounds, as well as our thoughts and emotions.

With the practice of mindfulness, we can free ourselves from old patterns that no longer serve us. We access our source of balance and fulfillment within us which gives us the power to make important changes that will beneficially affect our state of health.