Meditation…its one of those conversations that either gets immediate understanding or immediate reactions of challenge.
The traditional view of meditation is to silence the mind by sitting in a crossed legged pose for 30 minutes or more, slowly letting thoughts pass by and connecting with higher presence. A practice of concentrated focus upon a sound, object, visualization, the breath,movement, or attention itself in order to increase awareness of the present moment.
Quietening the mind…this is where meditation really does make the difference. The thoughts we have every second can be very tiring, confusing, confronting, emotional, false, or fearful. These lead to stress and feeling unease. They can also be happy, joyful, loving and beautiful.
I have found that while I am not always disciplined enough to set aside 30 minutes to sit quietly and let my thoughts go, there are many other ways of gaining this peace and stepping into the calm.
Many people I speak with are the same, and some people have expressed to me that meditation is not something they have ever been able to achieve. I have discovered that there are many ways to quieten the mind, and you dont necessarily have to sit crossed legged on the floor for 30 minutes trying to stop the thoughts with little or no success.
My definition of meditation is:
‘To be lost in beautiful, loving and peaceful thoughts for a period of time’
This could be 30 minutes or more, or it could be 30 seconds.
Here are 5 ways to meditate, to achieve this:
1. Look intensely at the sunset or sunrise
See the beauty and wonder of the shapes, colours and movement of the sky. If you can truly focus on this, all thoughts will silence for a few moments and you will be in stillness and Love.
2. Hold, pat or talk to your pet.
If you have a pet, spend a few minutes just immersing yourself and thoughts into how much you love them. Cuddles or talks with your pet can be amazingly calming and if you can focus on the pure love they give to you, then your mind will be filled with peace and love. Its a great start or finish to the day!
3. Focus on nature
Find something you consider beautiful in nature and simply look at it with Love for a few minutes. Breathe it in. Know that the essence of Love flows through nature and you, as one.
4. Have a cleansing shower
If you are super busy or have children that are always wanting your attention (any 2 year olds in the house? 🙂 ) then one great way to connect and still your mind is to do this in the shower: Close your eyes and allow the water to run over your head and down your body. Feel every drop and focus on the feeling of the water on your body. Do this as long as you can. Even 30 seconds will connect you to Love.
5. Immerse your senses in music
Find a piece of music that you love. Classical, instrumental, ballad, soothing music that you can really feel. Close your eyes for a few minutes while the song plays and BE the beat. BE the music. BE the notes. Its a great way to connect, ditch the mind chatter and ‘peace out’.
Of course, if you can achieve the traditional way of meditation by all means keep going with that and also incorporate these added extras to really enhance your day.
Be peace, BE Love and be calm, as many times as you can throughout your day. It will make a huge difference to your experience and of those around you.
Share your experiences of meditation below in the comments 🙂
Love xo
Trish
