Making Room for Your Present & Future

Five weeks ago, I became a mother of a beautiful baby boy! This little human being - this amazing creation - has taught me so much about this quote I found.

Before my son, I had set up some daily rituals that would set me up for my day when I awoke - meditation for my mind, a cup of lemon juice + warm water to alkalise my body and I would write in my gratitude journal for my soul. When he came imto our lives, my once morning 'healthy habits' were thrown out the window! :) As a new mum to a newborn baby, your body goes into a bit of a shock - having to wake up several times a night to feed this precious being and becoming so sleep deprived that you never know what day it is! Particularly in the early weeks...they say your life will never be the same - and that advice is not wrong! ;)

At first, I certainly wasn't used to it all and I was craving for (besides sleep!) some meditation time or to have my warm lemon water first in the morning. I was basically trying to hang on to what I know, rather than discover what could be and embrace what is.

I soon had one of those lightbulb moments! My new son was dependant on me and all he wanted was LOVE! I am his life force (for the moment!) for food, care and cuddles. All I needed to concentrate on was to feed, change nappies and most importantly BOND with my baby - learning to be a mother! It sounds so obvious and simple, but when you're used to being independent and doing everything and achieving everything yourself, it takes a little time to adjust and acknowledge that life had to change - my UNCONSCIOUSNESS had to get it. I had to become more present, more conscious of what new things were happening for me. I've now got a greater awareness of his presence and love every moment even more :)

Ever happened to you? Don't you just love it when things just "click"! You know, when you have that lightbulb moment or Ah-Ha moment?

Once you get that you need to sometimes LET GO of your past or just letting go of what you've always known (ie, re-reading the last chapter/s of your life), you can go on to living the next chapter, full of discovery and adventure! EMBRACE the new chapters ahead and continue living presently - it may be scary but usually exciting as well! :)

Day 21: "30 Day Gratitude Challenge"

Day 21: Today I am grateful for the rain

I usually love, love, LOVE the sunshine because for me, it brightens up my day, it makes me happy and I associate it with growth.  But you can't have one without the other - if we only had sunshine, how will things grow without a little rain?

Today I am grateful for this beautiful rainy day - it didn't start off that way, but it's been raining for a few hours now and it's rather refreshing on this humid day.  It waters the dry land, my herbs and garden, it cools down the warm air. Today, there was a moment, where I found it peaceful, calming and soothing - the light pitter-patter of rain drops.  Almost meditative...

How do you view the rain?  And what about the ups and downs in life?  We know HAPPINESS because we've experience sadness... the two compliment each other! It allows us to appreciate the good times, the happy times and the UP moments in our lives :)

Day 19: "30 Day Gratitude Challenge"

Day 19: Today I am grateful for my meditation awareness this morning - to be made aware of my energy and what I may be projecting

In the last couple of days, my awareness has shifted to a different level - I did things differently...

I listened to my night time visualisation meditation lying down with my feet up against the wall - for me, I did this because I was trying to also do two things at once, I wanted to start practising putting my legs up the wall to relieve my swollen legs (joys of pregnancy!) and at the same time it was keeping me awake enough (whilst lying down) so that I didn't fall asleep during my night time meditation! It was AMAZING - I was able to listen to the whole visualisation meditation all the way to the end and I had a different awareness.

This morning, my mind was quite focused again and again I was able to listen to each word at the beginning of the meditation and had some new awareness and learnings - I am so grateful for this as it brought a different energy to my day.

Have you ever had an awareness around your energy?  What did it do for you?

Day 4 - "30 day Gratitude Challenge"

Day 4: Today I am grateful for my dinner being made for me! 

It's always a treat having someone else cook you dinner or perhaps a cup of tea when you seem to need it most!

We all have needs and it's important to listen to your body and be intuitive to it. I may have had 9 hours sleep last night but I was still feeling lethargic when I woke up. I'm not perfect and I'm ok with that. After all we're not super human. 

Sometimes we have commitments that we have committed to, like going to work each week or day (or a full weekend if birthing classes!), even if we may not feel up for it. We just have to remember the purpose of doing what we have chosen to do. 

As soon as you get home, look after yourself as best as you can in order to rejuvenate. It's different for everyone. Perhaps it's doing some meditation to centre you after a hectic day, a bath or shower to forget any stresses that may have turned up and to release those tense muscles or just another early night to bed so your brain can just process the day. 

Whatever it may be, try to find some positivity in your day at the end of the day. Maybe this might be the best time for you to reflect in your gratitude journal. It might be the very thing to help induce a more restful sleep! ;)

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!! :)

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