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?