Healthy Habits - Meditation Tips

What are you doing right now?  Right this second - ok, silly question... you're reading my blog.

Here's the thing - there are many ways to meditate. We just sometimes get stuck on a particular idea of how to do it, get overwhelmed and then never start.  The key is just to get started!  ACT NOW :)  It may just change your life.....

I'm no meditation guru, but I've certainly tried out a few techniques. I'll share them with you and hope it gives you some ideas to get started. It's not hard and anyone can do it.  

Best tip is to choose a time of day that you can do it each day such as first thing in the morning or perhaps at night before bed.  Whenever it is, choose to commit.  It's like brushing your teeth - make it a "won't forget to do it" habit or a "non-negotiable". Oh, and find a quiet comfy space you call yours. 

As I mentioned in my last post, meditating for an hour didn't fit my lifestyle, so I had to find something that did. Meditation need only take 10-15mins. Surely you can find that amount of time and if not, here's an idea - when you go to the toilet, just stay there a bit longer!  :)

1. ok, for those who don't think you can sit down and actually do the act of meditating, look at meditation this way - it's just a way to create mindfulness and keeping in the present moment.
   
   Pick something you do purely from habit each day, like brush your teeth or your must-have coffee.  Do nothing else but notice yourself brushing your teeth.  Don't think of what you have to do that day or what you're going to wear. Just stay present and notice what you're doing - which side do you start brushing your teeth? Is it the same everyday? How long do you brush each tooth for? Do you start with the front? the back? Brush back and forth or up and down? What does your tongue do? How long can you hold toothpaste in your mouth until the taste starts to disappear?
   
2. Another way is that you can choose a mantra.  My first yoga teacher taught us one to use - "so hum".  You breathe in (quietly say) "so", breathe out "hum" - easy right?
   
   This allows you to not think of anything else BUT those words. Alternatively you can focus on your breathe, maybe count each breath when you breathe in and if thoughts get in the way, you just start again. Time yourself for 15mins.
   
3. Want a guided meditation? Oprah & Deepak teamed up earlier this year and have had two releases of a 21 day "meditation challenge".
   
   Guess what?  You're in luck!  They are doing another one!!!!  Who's excited?  It starts in 11 days on 11th November - enough time for you to procrastinate ;)  Here's the link to the next one:  https://chopracentermeditation.com/
   (you can purchase the other two which I also loved doing!).
   
   These too only go for 15mins.

Have fun with it! ENJOY!!  If you think it's easy, then it will be! And RELAX! :)

Letting go of Meditation Myths

The other day I caught up with a friend and I asked her if she had any "me-time" - her answer was yes, no...yes... I'm going to mind-read here and say the answer was probably no... 

Each of us do really know the answers as the answers can be found in our heart, but what many of us are unable to do (yet) is to tap into our hearts to be able to speak our truth.

I went on to suggest that perhaps she could find 10mins a day which she could call her "me time". For her it was her coffee - but I wonder what she's doing while she's drinking that coffee?  Was she thinking about the coffee in the moment, the smell, the taste or was her mind elsewhere thinking about the kids, what happened yesterday, what needs to be done today?  

Sound familiar?

I decided to suggest meditation to her - her answer made me realise there are many myths out there on what meditation is or does.  Firstly - just LET GO of that idea!

Here are a few myths:
- meditation is for busy people, who want to slow down: er...no, meditation is for ANYONE!

- I can't meditate because I can't sit still and my mind races on all sort of things: well that MINDSET just isn't going to get you anywhere now is it? :)

- I don't have time to meditate: that's probably an indication that CREATING A PRACTICE would do you some good!

The truth is, there are many meditation techniques out there - you just need to find the one that suits you, with your lifestyle.  Trust me, I've tried plenty! From 30mins to 1 hour practices only to give it up a year later.  I now realise I too am a busy person and dedicating a full hour meditation practice did not really suit my lifestyle.  I now practice for 10-15mins daily and you can too.

Creating a meditation practice for me is important because I know the benefits of it, plus it really did expand my awareness so that I did let go of control I didn't even know I had!  You know the times where you want things to be or turn out a certain way and then get upset/annoyed when it doesn't? ;) 

Here are just some ideas you might like to try on. Meditation allows me to be more grounded, to allow me to speak to my own heart space and in return be more intuitive. A daily practice allows me to be a better person towards others, living my life with more gratitude, awareness and to be more loving and mindful. I am able to cope with life's stress a lot better, recognise when I'm self-judging, be kind to myself and generally have even more happiness in my life than I already :)

Happy Dayz!! :)

Creating rituals

Today is my dad's birthday - Happy Birthday Dad!

This quote was one of the many I would hear my dad mention to me. Perhaps it's one of the reasons I like to find inspirational quotes!

I love waking up early to see the sunrise. It's one if the most favourite parts of my day (and watching the sunset, but I live in the east, so I get the sunrise!). This photo is a photo I actually took on one of my many early morning Bondi walks. 

There is so much truth to this quote, what a clever man Mr. Benjamin Franklin was! 

It is a reminder that we need to be looking after ourselves - it's all about mind, body, spirit. Without our health, then what wealth would we enjoy? 

Be mindful to eat well and fuel your body with lots of nutritious whole foods and cut out all that refined sugar! Not only should one eat well, exercise is important and what many people might struggle with is to get enough sleep! So get to bed early, turn off that iPad, TV, smartphone or anything similar at least an hour before bed. This way you're not overstimulated before bed and you have a better chance of a more restful sleep!

I have to say, I personally am at my best before lunch time. So the earlier I'm up the more time I have to get more done! And the only way I'm up early (not using an alarm clock !) is an early night :)

When we're getting better sleep, our body functions so much better!!! (Such as burning fat or better alertness). Would you cope with stress a whole lot better if you made sure you got a restful sleep?

What time will you be heading to bed tonight? And what night time ritual might you put into place for a more restful sleep?

Kindness and Appreciation

How are you feeling this morning?

What small thing will you do to make a shift in your life that might make your day better today, right now, in this very moment? 

We can all do something very small and very simple to improve our lives and our day to give us a different perspective and change it for a more a positive outlook. But have you ever thought about what small thing you can do for others that might make their day? It could be as easy as letting them know how grateful and appreciative you are for them.

What small but certain RANDOM ACT OF KINDNESS could you be doing today? You might not know it, but it could totally change their day and allow them to have a better day!

Think of a time when a stranger perhaps did something for you that changed your course for the day.

The other day, I was standing in line to buy a bus ticket and a random elderly man gave me his all day train/bus/ferry ticket, meaning I could use any public transport for free! (To go and pick up keys from my husband). The kindness he presented made a small impact in my day as I was a bit flustered from having locked myself out of the house! 

Perhaps we forget to let someone know how much you appreciate them for what they did or said to make you feel better?

My mother-in-law specifically wrote me an email to let me know how good I looked over FaceTime and how pregnancy was suiting me well. That really meant a lot to me as we don't all feel radiant during pregnancy! Yet I hadn't let her know how much I had appreciated her thoughts. 

So my small act today is to email her back to acknowledge the appreciation I felt. 

I know sometimes all we want to feel is acknowledgment and the knowing we are appreciated by others. 

Find Your Inner Energy

This is such a great quote!!

Recently I've been feeling a bit flat and a bit less motivated than usual. Now I know, that when I'm that little bit more irritable (ok, I accept, there are the pregnancy hormones at play here but let's not use them as an excuse!) - then I know I've not been giving enough to myself. 

It's really important to look after No.1 - yes, that's right - YOU! and I don't mean this in a selfish way. Wayne W. Dyer says it well - by giving to yourself first, showing yourself some self-love, self-respect, self-compassion, then you're more able to give to others. You are definitely a better person and did I mention happier too?!? :)

Once we've fulfilled our needs of nourishing ourselves, then we're much better at coping with everything else that comes our way.  I know I'm a much more giving, understanding, energetic, patient and LOVING human BEING which allows me to do what I love to do and give back and be there for others. Whether that be to have the energy to uplift my husband after he's had a tiring hard day at work or be it that I can be a good listener to a friend who needs to offload her problems for a different perspective.

What you choose to give to yourself will be different for everyone. My suggestion would be to find something small that you can do regularly or daily that gives you more energy.  

It could be creating a habit for daily meditation, treating yourself to wholesome food and making sure you're eating well for the week - fuelling your body with nutritious food like green smoothies, or walking regularly after work to clear your head and to breathe in fresh air.  It could be a commitment to increasing your yoga sessions to more than once a week or start that gratitude journal you've been meaning to and commit to writing in it everyday. Some might treat themselves to a massage, a mani & pedi or a weekend away.

What ever it is, you do it because it's for you.  No one else.  Just for you!

Call these "self-loving" moments :)

If you're feeling uncomfortable about giving to yourself, perhaps try this exercise:

1. Look at yourself in the mirror
2. Now say "I LOVE YOU" to yourself - feel what comes up for you, does it feel good? uncomfortable?
3. Repeat steps 1 & 2
4. Repeat step 3 - keep repeating it until you're comfortable with saying it to yourself
5. Try it again the next day

Embrace It!

Earlier this year we were in Bali doing a 7 day surf & yoga retreat with Salt Retreats - Amazing experience by the way if you ever decide to try it! The retreat was small but the people we met were amazing - fun and just really down to earth.  One of the things I remember is one of the girls saying was "Embrace It" and I've since carried it with me.

When we allow and accept what is, we definitely feel a little more relief, release and happier.  When we try to fight against something - a situation, person etc - we tend to end up feeling more stressed, frustrated, unaccepting, controlling - the list goes on! 

A chat with my mentor, Mia Munro, not too long ago, made me realise that for a long time my journey has been about 'letting go' - yes, one might say, I too wanted to be in control of my own life (like all aspects!) - now I'm not saying don't be responsible for your own life, because you are, but if you add a little bit of 'letting go' in there with some of the 'control'...well... the feeling is just completely different.

For me, with my current circumstances, I've had my husband tell me many times "embrace it" (the pregnancy) and I'm certainly doing a lot of allowing and accepting.  Just on the weekend, I've totally just had to allow and accept that my body is changing, there is no rule when or how much it will change in whatever time frame, so I've just got to embrace it.  I'm talking about the fact that I had to go out and buy maternity pants!  Just getting into my forth month, you're only really just starting to show!  You read lots of stuff about wearing loose or stretchy clothes.  Yup that totally worked for me from the second month and I stored away my skinny jeans and lived in my leggings, but a shop with my mum found me making the switch - and oh my goodness, they felt so good! It's such a different feeling. 

Now I could be all depressed about it that I'm getting bigger, losing my petite shape and having to wear maternity wear so early on OR I could and have totally embraced it. I've shown me a little self-love and respect - more about that another time!  It makes me love being pregnant!   In fact, it's made it more fun as I get to look at a new wardrobe!  

so let's just sit with that thought for today....

What are you trying to 'control' that's not working for you?  What would happen if you allow things to be as they are, or to accept that person for who they are?  

We can't control everything - think about it - you can't tell the sun when to wake up, right?  As they say, when in Rome, do as the Romans do!

Attitude of Grattitude

A while back I started on this path of personal development, getting to know me, finding the meaning of life, you know? that sort of thing...surely you've contemplated to find the meaning or purpose of your life at least once!

A lesson I learnt was to have an "Attitude of Grattitude". Now this takes practice. Now and again over the years it slipped through for me as it hadn't really been ingrained into my subconscious. But these days I totally believe in this little motto. 

Let's take what Paul Coelho says: "Life has many ways of testing a person's will, either by having nothin for by having everything at once". How true this is! But what an help keep us grounded and same is having an Attitude of Grattitude. For whatever the situation may be, in order to find happiness and contentment rather than overwhelm and stress is to just 'let go'. Easier said than done right? Well what if you just were grateful for whatever the universe was throwing you at that moment. What if you were grateful for the opportunities, the people in you life, the fact you are healthy and fit?

Want to try it? No better time than to start today! What 3 things are you grateful for?

For me: 

I'm grateful I have a day off so I can go hang out with my dad. 

I'm grateful for the winds blowing to dry the laundry outside

I'm grateful I did some grocery shopping yesterday so that I had some breakfast this morning

Super easy!!! Happy Dayz! :)