I really appreciate your patience with the pauses in this 30 day experiment. Part of me wants to say that it's an exercise in pure mindfulness, to have lags and flows in the videos, which mirrors life and meditation, and part of me gets agitated that it isn't perfect. Thanks for watching, whenever it crosses …
Continue reading Mindful Meditation Project, Day 20: Using Can’t As A Map
If we can't be kind to ourselves, how are we going to extend kindness to others? https://youtu.be/42bnczQbmQ4
That seems so ridiculous to say. Don't you think meditation would be the perfect place to find calm and peace when mental and emotional chaos becomes intense? I do, and it's what I believe and teach. But there's also a piece of meditation that invites compassion along with the discipline. A place to be soft and vulnerable and open and a part of the flow of chaos rather than trying to stop it.
You're already meditating every day in every moment of your life. You just don't know that yet.
Sometimes even the most beautiful meditation spaces aren't enough to stop a vicious cycle of mental thoughts from running rampant. Dealing with an unexpected situation in my life made my brain grasp for answers in all directions, and before I knew it, my meditation was off and running in a thousand different directions. Grounding myself …
Continue reading Mindful Meditation Project, Day 17: Alternate Nostril Breathing
How do you come back to yourself when your mind wanders from what you think is 'right' or 'wrong' in meditation?
Perhaps you want to learn to meditate, or you're just curious. But when you "try" to meditate, or even attempt to be more mindful, you're convinced it doesn't feel right or look right. What if it doesn't seem correct because you're not really allowing yourself permission to explore? Let's look into that idea with today's …
Continue reading Mindful Meditation Project, Day 15: Granting Yourself Permission
It might take some doing, some breath, a pause to use my imagination to carry those sensations and allow them to linger, but the idea of fully investing the self into a moment of bliss to make it last and release the need to go hunt out another bit of happiness in my day to keep me going is where I'm hanging out today.
Sorry, no Mindful Meditation video today, due to a number of reasons. Instead, enjoy this shot from my moody afternoon walk on the Camp Chase Trail. See you tomorrow!
It breaks my heart when students tell me they don't meditate because they can't empty their minds. Well, of course you can't...we live in a chaotic world full of life, energy, and action. We are no longer required to take time away to become monks in a monastery by denouncing everything and everyone in our lives in order to explore ourselves and our spiritual path.
I had fun with this one. We frequently spend so much attention on releasing and letting go of thoughts and emotions that block our path that it's easy to overlook the option to spend time basking in the bliss of the things we love. The promise of coffee, a pen, and a blank notebook did …
Continue reading Mindful Meditation Project, Day 12: Breathing Into Your Bliss
Let's use the power of the Aquarius full moon tonight to release whatever we're carrying that no longer serves us in this moment. https://youtu.be/rV2_GdmJYvc
Monkey mind. Let's look at the idea of divine wholeness despite our human perception of brokenness. https://youtu.be/V7pJ_dQHiFM
As it turned out (unbeknownst to me), this morning's regularly scheduled 30 minute practice was a continuation of yesterday's theme of giving ourselves grace. I woke up later than usual, again due to not sleeping well, but made up my mind that I'd get back on the cushion despite a gnawing headache. I am a …
Continue reading Mindful Meditation Project, Day 9: Sitting With Discomfort
Today's practice almost didn't happen. Thanks to a sleepless night from feeling ill, I was in no shape to meditate this morning. I put it off and put it off, and finally, as the sun set, settled down for my 30 minutes. I didn't have much of a direction or even intention, but it was …
Continue reading Mindful Meditation Project, Day 8: A Sense of Grace
Words by Beth 