Hello~
How is your mindfulness going?
meditation for rest
We all know how important having plenty of rest is for general health. But unless you sleep like a log, you are probably not getting a lot of true rest when you sleep. With all the twisting and turning you do, your body can be very tense. I have had people tell me that they wake up with their fingers all sore from apparently making a fist all night. They have tired jaws from clenching their jaws all night. Doesn’t sound all that relaxing to me. How many times have you gotten up in the morning not feeling rested?
This is one reason you need meditation. Sitting in meditation, gets you truly relaxed. With meditation, you turn your conscious mind off. You can actually do that by the way. I do that every night when I go to sleep.
How to sit
There is the full lotus position. This is where you sit with the left foot on the right thigh and the right foot on the left thigh. This can be a very difficult position if you are not very limber. There is also the half lotus where you put one foot on the opposite thigh. If you get uncomfortable, you can always change which foot goes on the opposite thigh. Some people meditate in the Japanese style. This is with the knees bent and resting on their two legs. Personally, I think just sitting in a chair or on a couch even is perfectly fine. You want to be comfortable. Having good posture is important for proper breathing. You will start with your eyes focused between 3-6 feet away. And you want to add your Mona Lisa smile.
Meditation basics
Take a few slow and easy breaths. Relax your entire body. Release all the tension. Release all your worries. Release anything that concerns you. Imagine going with the flow of life. Imagine being a river. The water washes all the negative away. For at least 20 minutes and perhaps as long as 30, just follow your breath. Feel yourself being that river and going in the direction of least resistance. You are just going with the current. Continue to let go of all tension. This is the tension in your body and in your life. Feel yourself being filled with peace. Remember to maintain your Mona Lisa smile.
The pebble
I want to take this meditation deeper. In the last lesson, I talked about the pebble. Remember? I mentioned thinking about relaxation being like the ripple of a pebble. Imagine that pebble. Instead of being the river, you are now a pebble. A pebble that has been tossed into the river. A pebble tossed into a river will sink. Imagine you are this pebble and you now float to the bottom of the river. You are completely free. You have nothing to tie you down. You are free to float to the bottom. You may move some with the current. But otherwise you are completely at rest on the river bed. The river water washes over you. As it does, your rough edges become smooth.
Life is a river.
So it goes as it goes as the river flows.
Remember that a key element of mindfulness is to be in the present. I know that for some of you to sit and do nothing for 20 minutes sounds like an eternity. So many are so used to multi tasking that doing nothing is foreign. But really, it is only 20 minutes. And we need to stop slipping into the future. If you can’t enjoy the present, life is like a river. And it, life, will flow right by you. You lose your future when it becomes your present.
Renewal
The more you practice the easier it becomes. The more you practice the more restful you will become. You will become renewed in spirit. This renewal will bring peace and joy that will fill more and more of your life.
Make it an event. It can be a very special time to spend with those you love. If you are in a relationship, this can be a very uniting experience. Sit down with some soft music. Perhaps have candles going or a fire if the weather is right for a fire. Perhaps you can sit outside. You and another or you and others can enjoy this peaceful time together. If you want, you can hold hands, and get the energy flowing from one to another. If you do, it is important to hold hands properly.
Energy comes in your left hand and out your right. So you want to have your left hand up and your right hand down. Remember it this way: If it were left up to me, we would get right down to it.
On this same note, cat’s energy goes the other way around. So, petting a cat is very calming energy. You might say it is purrfect to pet a cat.
OK. Let me know how you are doing. www.facebook.com/lisaylifecoach
Yeah!
Mona Lisa smile for me.
Lisa Y coaching