Feeling stressed? Overwhelmed? Guided visualization meditations are a useful way of coming back to your breath, and finding a sense of calm and inner peace. This is a ten minute guided visualization that will help you feel more grounded. Would love to hear your thoughts in the comments.
Quite a few friends have recently asked where to find videos and guides for meditation, so I've created a short guided meditation on breath. Nice and easy! Take a seat and start meditating today!
We want
A solution An answer A pill A medicine A magical being To make suffering end In order To be Skinnier Healthier More wealthy Successful Lovable Make life easier If only we could wave a magic wand Or stick to the diet Or do the affirmations Or follow the right guru Or read the right books Or do the exercises Or make the bad people go away We desire Quick fixes Instant solutions We wanted to be better yesterday Last year Ten years ago And still we’re waiting. Meditation Doesn’t make you better It doesn’t provide The silver bullet To curing life’s ills It is not the be all and end all To achieving happiness But it does take the edge off Allows for moments of clarity Moments of peace Moments of stillness It is free You don’t need any special skills You don’t need to be any kind of person You don’t need to believe in anything or anyone Just pay attention Without judgement And repeat. I'm not an athlete. I don't win medals, and I have weeks where my run total is exactly didn't-even-put-my-shoes-on. However, running has helped me develop a more regular meditation practise. The great thing about running for me is that it's addictive. Every time I go through a period of time without a run, I get to a point where I need to run. And come rain, snow, or shine, I just gotta put on the running shoes and get out there.
Moving from Australia to the northern hemisphere two and a half years ago meant encountering cold weather. Real cold weather. I had never really experienced anything below zero degrees (32F), and my first English Christmas was a horrible shock to the system. I had a slightly bizzare, self imposed, rule that if the temperature was below 8C (46F), it was too cold for a run. The thermometer continued to drop. My runs became less frequent. The temperature hit zero... And my addiction kicked in. I headed out for a jog dressed in two pairs of socks, thermal tights, beannie, gloves, and a windbreaker. It was cold. Within a few minutes I couldn't feel my face. I kept going. My run time was decent, mainly because I was trying to get through the kilometers and back inside! But it did teach me a valuable lesson. Just show up. It could be bad. It could be good. It doesn't matter. You showed up to the practise. This week saw me heading out for my run with the temperature reading a balmy -11C (12F). I never imagined I could run when it was that cold. And yet, I could. Some practitioners will tell you that when you least feel like meditating, that is the best time to meditate. It's so easy to make excuses. I'll do it later, I'm too busy, I don't feel like it, it's too cold... Whatever your practise is, as the slogan goes, JUST DO IT. Just show up, and the rest will follow. |