2024 - Week 35 - Meditation: Let’s Breathe Together

Why Struggle? Podcast w Barbara J. Faison

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2024 - Week 35 - Meditation: Let’s Breathe Together

Week 35 - Meditation: Let’s Breathe Together

Over the last month I have shared my Meditations, Affirmations and Practices - My M.A.P.

Meditation and breathwork are so essential to my daily life and I am so grateful.

In this excerpt from my book/audio/eBook, Why Struggle? Life is too short to wear tight shoes I share my thoughts about meditation as a practice and we also will have a brief breathing practice at the end.

Meditation/Visualization Exercises

So what is meditation? One of my favorite descriptions of the meditation process is that meditation is mental hygiene. Every day we brush our teeth and shower or bathe before leaving the house. We make sure we are properly groomed before presenting ourselves to the world.

Meditation, a form of mental hygiene, is a way to prepare my mind for the day by allowing me to connect with my inner guidance. Meditating regularly is like muscle training; the more I meditate, the more in tuned to life I become.

My mental focus and clarity gets stronger just as my physical muscles get stronger when I exercise them. Imagine your mind is like a bowl, open and ready to receive. As we go through our day, our minds are filled with thoughts, images, and sounds -many of those we have no control of based on our environment. Unless we take the time to manage these things, our bowls begin to overflow. Science now confirms that we can manage our minds and have a major impact on our lives by simply slowing down and paying attention more. It’s important that we take the time to feed our mind just as we feed our body. Paying attention to what we listen to, who we spend our time with and what we feed our mind is crucial for love and self-acceptance.

Meditation is one way that allows you to manage your emotions and thoughts. Visualization is similar to having a focused daydream. When you visualize, you are the main character in your movie, mentally designing how you want to see things unfold. Taking two or three minutes to think specifically about something you want to see in your life is a practice that is very beneficial.

In my meditation time, I often reflect on what is important to me so I can start my day with a clear mind. Meditating daily helps me manage the stuff I allow in my bowl. The most important element of any practice is consistency. I am more focused because I begin every day from a place of peace and gratitude.

Meditation is a process. The more I meditate, the more comfortable I become with the process. The breathing practice that accompanies meditation gives me an opportunity to be present to what is happening, right now. This meditative time allows me to become more aware of what is happening in my life and world. I think of meditation as a form of mental focus. I have discovered that it is because of the silence, not in the silence, I gain more clarity. Imagine you discovered a new flavor of ice cream that you didn’t know you liked until you tried it. That’s how meditation feels to me. I didn’t know I liked pistachio until I tried it. And now, I really enjoy that flavor of ice cream. I would even try to order it or buy it if available. Meditation is like that for me now. I find ways during my day to find moments to be present by meditating or taking time to connect with my breath or just paying attention more.

Once you decide to start meditating, your experience will vary each time you meditate. Be gentle with yourself and allow what happens to happen and just be present to whatever comes up. This is not a test or a goal that needs to be completed. Developing a practice is committing to being there and present, your willingness is all that is required. Make your practice as formal or informal as you choose. The most important thing is that you decide to meditate.

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