Meditation changed my life.
When I was young’un, I had no idea that all I had to do was close my eyes and quiet my mind to feel solid, connected and whole. I didn’t know that so much of what I was seeking was within myself. Meditation opened that door for me.
Meditation is really quite simple and easy. It is you being you whilst sitting, walking, talking, cooking etc. You, at ease with yourself.
In this fast-paced world, we often forget that ease of being. We find ourselves uncomfortable and fidgety, out of sorts with our lives, relationships and work. While we search for answers on the outside… the truth pulls us to the inside. There are a gazillion ways to meditate, and you may unwittingly practice a few yourself.
I’ve decided to start Monday Meditations for Mindfulness because I would love to meditate with you.
Each Monday, you’ll find a new meditation exercise. Each one will be brief and very easy to practice within your busy daily schedule. You’ll be surprised by how quickly your meditation muscles will grow and strengthen!
Let’s begin.
Here is this week’s meditation:
Sighing
This is a very simple and effective technique for beginners or long time meditators. In fact, our bodies perform this technique naturally…
Take a deep breath and let out a deep sigh. Let your body release the tension through the exhalation, without feeling any embarrassment or self-consciousness. If you are feeling shy or resistant, you can start off by inhaling deeply through your nose and exhaling through the nose fully.
Do this several times until you feel a shift in your body and mind. The shift can be experienced as a sense of stillness and peace, or the calming of the chattering mind.
When you are ready, sigh audibly – it really does make a difference to the whole body.
Sighing allows the lungs to fill up, open the chest and make more room for your heart.
As you breathe more deeply you also bring in more life-affirming oxygen into your blood
and thus decrease the ‘squeezing’ that lack of oxygen creates. There are so many benefits to this.
See how your body responds and consciously note what other benefits you experience.
Thanks for joining me for this week’s MMMs! I’ll meet you back here next Monday.
Love,
Navjit