Meditation Monday: Patience Video with Davidji~

Hello!  I came upon this lovely meditation video hosted by Davidji, and it moved me so much that I thought I would share who stumble upon it.

http://www.yogiapproved.com/yoga-video/

{Unearth the quality of patience as an anchor in your meditation practice. Take your meditation deeper in this grounding practice by abiding inner acceptance as you cultivate patience.}

During this meditation, my thoughts did drift to the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and I came upon a realization that he must have cultivated great, great patience in order to instill and create change in the mindsets of Americans during the 1960s and beyond.  Imagine being locked up in the Birmingham Jail and deciding to take that moment with great patience and begin to write?  And what profound writing it was because it was his truth, which I believe was cultivated from patience.

Love,
Bece

Meditation Monday: Surrender~

With the passing of the fabulous David Bowie, my thoughts have turned to the notion of humanity's ultimate surrender.  Death is something that we do not control, a complete surrender to the present moment, to what the Universe has in store, and surrendering to that "next" step on our journey.

Sometimes the idea of surrender in Western cultures has the connotation of giving up; it's perhaps perceived as being weak.  I would like to posit that surrendering is actually the most courageous action an individual can perform, and very a powerful quality to embody.  

With meditation, you can safely begin to cultivate this powerful quality by steadying the breath, calming the body and simply observing the thoughts, emotions; acknowledge them, surrender to them, and then notice how they release and float away on to their next journey.  Through regular practice this becomes easier and easier.  You may notice you have no thoughts at all, simply a peaceful feeling of absolute presence and pure embodiment.  

Stay in that feeling and breathe deeply.  If thoughts arise, surrender, release.  Turn your attention to right below the navel.  In some Chinese philosophies, this is the seat of your essence, spirit, called the Dantian.  Bring your mind's eye to that area; surrender to it.  Notice what you may feel, what emotions arise.  

While surrendering in every moment, every inhale, every exhale, notice how everything is changing and transforming -- thoughts, emotions, ideas, actions -- just as in life.  Once you fully surrender and begin to tune into this ever-changing state of being, you can then master your thoughts and emotions and transform your way of being in the midst the constant state of change, and that's where action truly lies.

One example of this state of being would be David Bowie's quote above:  I don't know where I am going from here, but I promise it won't be boring.

Thank you, David Bowie!

Meditation Monday: Breath

breath

[breTH]

NOUN

1. the air taken into or expelled from the lungs.

   One of the great benefits of meditation is becoming more attuned to the mind/body connection or union, which for me, lends itself to a sense of peace and wholeness to my existence on this plane called Earth, and it turns out that one of the easiest meditations to begin the cultivation of mind/body union is your breath.  Each day we breathe about 20,000 times, so there's no shortage of opportunity to stop, and focus on your breath!

   Here's a simple, but effective meditation.  Lie down or sit in a comfortable position.  Really take a moment to first align your spine and broaden the collar bone and chest to allow more space for your breath to enter into your body.  After you find alignment, then allow the muscles of your body to really relax if only for this moment. 

   Now place one hand on your abdomen and one on your heart and begin to let your mind relax on your breath.  Begin to take really full, nurturing inhales.  Notice how the lungs expand, and when they expand, the ribs expand, too.  If you are lying on the ground, you can notice the ribs expanding into the ground as well as on your hand.  I like to imagine my ribs as rubber bands expanding and contracting as I breathe.

    Now notice how the abdomen expands slightly, and contracts slightly with each inhale and exhale. The greatest expansion is in the chest and ribs, but your abdomen is involved in the movement as well.

   Turn your attention to your exhale.  Really focus on releasing every last bit of oxygen as your exhale.  Allow the breath to be soft, gentle and nurturing. 

   Combine all three areas of focus --inhale, exhale, soft breath -- notice how your mind is relaxing with each round of breath, perhaps the universe has suddenly become a much more soft, gentle and nurturing place.  Practice this breath in the morning, in the evening, and really anywhere, anytime you want to connect the mind and body and perhaps bring the immediate events surrounding you into a clearer focus.

   
   

   Enjoy~~~~~

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It's Time for Meditation Monday!

Yes, it's November...nature is and has been changing, daylight savings happens to some, and it's the start of the Holiday Season. For some those words "holiday season" bring a feeling of stress and dread, and that is why I am suggesting that this is the PERFECT TIME to begin a meditation practice, or if you already have this practice, perhaps tacking on an extra five minutes or setting aside an extra session during the day to perhaps cultivate that feeling of peace within that you can call into action at any moment throughout the next couple of months.

You see when the habit of meditation is formed, just like any discipline in life, the more you practice it, the more your body naturally performs, which is pretty sweet! but start out slow. If this is new to you, perhaps start with one minute in the morning right after you wake up. You can use that minute to quiet your thoughts, focus on your breathing a go within. I personally do my best to start my day out this way, and I always feel a bit more centered, and focused when I check in with myself first, before checking in with the world. And once this habit is formed, maybe increasing the practice in one-minute increments, and always check or even journal the changes and the differences and the progress or not, is going; REMEMBER, each day, each moment is different.

My favorite time to meditate is before I go to sleep. I take up a comfortable seated posture with my legs crossed, sitz bones rooted firmly into the bed, nice straight and aligned spine and neck, and I spend 10 to 15 minutes meditating before I settle into my restful slumber, which I am inclined to believe is even more restful due to this habit. I find I am able to focus the mind easier due to the fact my day is done and there's nothing left to concern myself with for that day.

I always encourage an attitude of experimentation and play when it comes to forming a new practice. Like I mentioned before, maybe it's helpful to keep a meditation journal? Try to meditate at various time during the day, and see which time really clicks for you. The key to forming this new habit is to meditate around the same time every day. Your brain simply starts to expect it, and you will find it will become easier and easier, and once this practice becomes a part of you, the peace and solace you find in your meditation will begin seep into your day-to-day events, and maybe you find that the words "holiday season" are not as stressful and dreadful as once perceived. I mean, it's all a matter of perspective; right?

Happy Meditating,
Bece

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Meditation Monday's Maiden Voyage!

Welcome to my first ever Meditation Monday post!  I would first like to start off with the definition of meditation, so that we have a universal basis of understand to communicate with.

MEDITATION: 

: the act or process of spending time in quiet thought
: the act or process of meditating

: an expression of a person's thoughts on something

                                                                                   from Merriam-Webster's online dictionary.

I find it very intriguing that the first post of this new adventure would happen on a day that we observe Mr. Christopher Columbus, the famed explorer.  I know the topic sparks a bit of controversy, but I would like to put that aside for the moment, and talk about something I find a bit more provocative, and that is the concept of exploration.

If it hadn't been for Christopher Columbus, and many others before and after him, we would not be jaunting around the universe as we are today!  It takes that first bold step, that deep exploration into the unknown to really discover and come up with some amazing and profound insights, whether it be our outer environment or out inner environment.

I find it interesting that we actually do not need to take a step out our front door to go on a very exciting voyage into new territory.  All it takes is a few minutes, maybe 15, 30, maybe an hour to quiet the mind, surrender to this new moment, every moment, and witness and observe what appears...or perhaps take that first step into that deep magical void inside the very center of us, whether that be your heart or that area right below the naval, that connects each and every one of us to the cosmos, universe, god, whatever description you would like to give it. 

Yes, perhaps the idea is exhilarating, perhaps frightening, or maybe you observe a hesitation or some thoughts of boredom, or I don't have "time".  Pause, just for that moment, and acknowledge those thoughts, feelings and emotions as a very important and integral part of you.  Thank them for bringing you to a new chapter of awareness, and then perhaps right before you eyes those thoughts transform!  Perhaps that's "life".  Perhaps that's the exploration, the voyage that you are on.  What an amazing adventure for you!

I hope you enjoyed this post, and stay tuned because I plan on doing this every Monday.
Warm wishes,
Bece