I have had a brilliant summer so far!

It has been time to reconnect with the good stuff in life – getting outside, chilling at my parents house by the sea, pottering in the garden, having a glass of wine or BBQ with friends, fun golf at different courses and just a chance to absorb sunshine (we’ve had loads!).

I have taken some extra time off to do all of the above. I figured I needed to still my mind and listen a bit more to my intuition!  However, to do that I had to overcome the feelings of guilt of what I was not doing that I “should” have been doing –  of course  there is nobody actually standing over me with a big stick!  Taming the mind is not always easy and it sure does take some practice.

It got me thinking about meditation practice. Coincidentally a client this week was telling me about her routine. Taking the nudge seriously, I figured that this might be important to integrate and do more of.

I get the sense that mediation is different things for different people. My take on it is that it is any opportunity I get to quieten the mind.  Whether that is in what I would call “formal” mediation where I get space to relax, focus on my breathing and feel the sensations in my body and just let go.

 

But there are other less formal ways for me to “meditate” just like I have been doing this summer. Plus I get the same feelings when I listen to music I really connect with, when I get really immersed in a fab book, when I walk by the beach or when I get to spend quality time with my partner.

 

 

You see these, opportunities, are a chance to fuel my spiritual energy tank with the kind of  energy that helps me to deal with what life chucks at me. Over and above that, this quiet time gives me the chance to get some answers to the questions I struggle with.  I find I emerge creative, more decisive, more in touch with myself and with the wisdom of knowing what I need to sustain me. I, therefore, eat more healthily and am not so tempted to crave sugar and things that are not good for me.

So think about what you do that gives you energy – write a list down of at least 10 of them and pick one of them to do each day.

If you want to do spend some time in meditation practice then I have found the following resources really helpful.

I love the meditation CD that comes at the back of Jon Kabat Zinn’s book “The Mindful Way Through Depression” It has a short breathing meditation and some standing yoga meditation to do as well as some longer exercises to deepen your process.

I also love this piece of music  – Devi Prayer – that used to be played at the end of a yoga class.

So think about what you do that gives you energy – write a list down of at least 10 of them and pick one of them to do each day. Enjoy!