Breathe in and Breathe out

I want to get back to some basics today.  The intent of this blog is to share my passion for mindfulness, meditation, yoga and other body –mind- spirit practices.  I get off track sometimes.  

Let’s talk some meditation 101 – we discussed creating a sacred container and making a space yours.  I hope that you have had some success with this and if you have not I invite you to go back and read that post again and locate a place for you!  

I find it very important to show studies and proof that these practices work for those who need the science back up but today it’s just me writing my experiences.  How to meditate?  I suggest in my therapy practice all the time that clients take up a yoga or mindfulness practice, I suggest and practice deep breathing and urge people to take the information home and make it their own.  The most common response I get it is “I don’t know how to meditate, I can’t do that my thoughts won’t go away”.  Guess what?  Your thoughts won’t go away and there is no right or wrong way to meditate.  Let’s talk about a simple practice to start with.  Grab a friend or partner and take turns reading the script below for a simple but powerful meditation.

Find a place to sit or lay or just get comfortable.  Settle in and shake out your arms and then legs and find a comfy position.  I suggest that you can have your arms at your sides or gently in your lap with palms up or down.  Palms up seems to be effective when you are in an allowing or accepting state and want to draw in what the universe has to offer.  When you are feeling a bit lost or flighty then palms down may be more grounding.   You can place your palms down on your legs or on the floor or chair.  No right or wrong way just what resonates with you right now today.  Closing your eyes might feel good or it might not.  If closing your eyes is uncomfortable then try an easy gaze downward.  Start with just noticing the breathe and how it feels moving in and out.  Breathe in through your nose and out through your nose allowing each breath to be slow and deep.  Feel your belly rise with the in breath and sink back to normal with the out breath.  Inhale slowly and deeply with a slight pause at the end of the inhale and then exhale slowly taking as long or even a second or two longer to exhale letting all of the stale air out and then inhaling slowing bringing in fresh air.  Continue breathing slowly and deeply and notice the feelings it brings up.  When thoughts come up and they will try noticing the thought and gently send it away.  This is a practice of non judgement and so try not judging your thoughts but just observing them.  You can send them away by gently watching them float on.  You may find it helpful to visualize them going away in a puff of smoke or tossing them into a river and watching the ripple it makes as it moves along.  Come back to your breath, use your breath as your anchor and allow it to pull you back to just observing.  Breathing in slowly and out slowly and deeply.  Breathe in through your nose and breathe out through your nose allowing in all the fresh new air.  Continue for 10 or 20 minutes or start out with only 5 minutes working your way up to longer if this is a new practice.  If is helpful to practice daily so you will be able to easier access the calm state that you can get from the meditation.  Finding a sacred container and allowing yourself this time to just be can be invaluable and will improve your quality of life is so many ways. Practicing most days of the week provides the most benefit but anytime you can practice is a positive thing.

Honor yourself and your feelings and make the practice your own.  

The above is a simple breathing meditation.  We will talk about some other ways to practice on future posts and remember you can’t do this wrong.  There is no wrong way to honor yourself and your time.  Coming soon a video post with a live guided meditation to help you along.  Happy practicing until then.

Take away tip- Follow the above script 4- 5 times this week, record your mood and feelings before and after the practice and see if you start to notice a pattern. In my upcoming meditation challenge I have worksheets to record your observations on and these will also include “mindful mini’s”  which are quick easy ideas to implement mindfulness throughout your entire day.  

love and light

Jamie