How to Meditate

A simple guide to the frequently asked questions, or frequently held  thoughts about the “RIGHT” way to meditate.

Let’s start off with the foundational questions: What is meditation?

A: Meditation is witnessing your breath and thoughts. Taking the time to pause from the constant stimulus of being aware of all of the events going on, and reacting to all of the stimuli throughout your day, and just finding stillness for a period of time.

Do I have to sit?

A: No, you don’t have to. Most people do for numerous reasons. First, you are more likely to fall asleep if you are lying down. What’s wrong with falling asleep? Nothing is wrong, but being asleep makes it hard to witness the full experience of your breath because part of the brain is asleep or I guess you could think turned off. Meditation is actually turning ON the brain. Another reason we sit is because your breath flows most naturally in this posture. Actually, when I meditate the first 5 minutes is often just focusing on moving the breath into my spinal column, through my hips, and to my feet. I often revisit the movement of breath throughout my meditation when my back muscles start to feel sore, or my feet start to fall asleep.

What do I need to do to prepare for meditation?

A: Most simply, I set a timer. I make sure I am not constricted by my pants, and then I sit. I personally don’t like music or earbuds because meditation is the practice of witnessing. It is the moment to not be stimulated, but rather to rest in stillness. Music is a stimulus that alters my natural brain patterns. However, that is not to say that some people may need that aide to pause the other stimulus around them. Some people prefer to be on a yoga mat or to be outside. I just advocate that you keep it simple. Overthinking, will only hinder you more from taking the steps to just sit down and breathe.

How long, and how often should I meditate?

Start with setting a timer for 15 minutes. Close your eyes and keep your eyes rested, closed. I personally meditate 3 times a week for 30 minutes. Some individuals meditate every day. This is your practice that is your choice to take some moments for self-care. Remember that self-care is not a checklist. If it is stressing you out to need to get it done, let it wait until tomorrow, or let is just be a 15 minutes session this time instead of 30 minutes.

Can I mess up meditating?

I am going to say yes. These are mistakes that I used to make, and realized I was not meditating.
A) Turning my alarm off and lying on my back to meditate. All I did was fall back asleep.
B) While meditating, taking a picture, or journaling my thoughts.
Meditation is a practice of witnessing your thoughts. Not controlling them, holding onto them, breaking them. Just witnessing them. When you stop to write down an idea, you disrupt your body’s natural phase of relaxation and breath. Just rest. Remember these thoughts are not new. They are in YOUR mind. Meditation is helping clear the fog so these great thoughts have the space to stay and grow – and they will.

Why should I meditate? I am not religious, I am not stressed out, I don’t get what sitting down is going to do for me.

First, if you say you are not stressed out, I question what you define as stress. Are you spending hours flipping through social media, and not having time to do things productive or have motivation to take action? Do you have an array of ideas and thoughts in your heads but organizing them isn’t happening? Meditation is giving attention to your thoughts and mind’s actions. We may think that we already do this when we are out and about throughout our days, but we actually are only just being reactive. If the server says what do you want to eat, we go with our first reaction of hunger and craving, or the advertised picture. When asked “how are you doing?” our knee-jerk response is “good,” and “well,” not actually taking into account the actual events, physical pain, nightmares you had last night, person that cut you off in traffic, old-man that belittled your generation, all resulting in your mind actually feeling frustrated and confused.
Meditation takes the time to witness how your mind actually feels. Then it takes the time to accept, and move forward with your mind’s current state. Recognizing your strengths, skills, abilities, and energy to do good and make change.

What others questions, or thoughts, do you have about meditation?
If you meditate regularly, how has it impacted your daily life?

If you are looking for an aid to relax and help focus during meditation there are two essential oils I would recommend.
When I need peace, I like to diffuse or rub doTERRA Serenity on my earlobes.
When I feel down, and would like something uplifting and focusing, doTERRA Wild Orange is a great aid.

Cherish your self. Cherish today.

Sending you love, comfort, peace and encouragement to be Truly You.

 

December: Being Merry!

December is here, so on the northern hemisphere of the world, we are experiencing the COLD! (Even in Florida it’s getting cooler!) The body starts to require a little bit of extra care and so does the mind, as the words “fatigue” and “chaos” ring in many of our ears. There is A LOT going on, and we have two options: we can experience the moments, or we can try to survive them with jaw clenched and checklist in hand.

It is easy to get caught up in taking care of everyone else’s demands of holiday parties, getting gifts, preparing for family/travel, and the usual care we give throughout our day. We find the mind spinning, whirling, and obsessing with quesions of: Will this gift make them happy, or be good enough? Which relative will bring up the fact that I’m not married, or criticize my, or my partner’s, career choice? When will I have time to clean the house for the guests? Do I have enough money to buy these gifts? I want to eat healthy, but…

Listen, YOU ARE NOT ALONE! We all have a family with sparkling gems and rough patches. We all hear the expectation to give gifts at the holidays. There is a lot going on between still working and everyday responsibilities plus preparing for company or travel, a lot of social gatherings that take more time from our regular schedule, and ALL of this takes away from the foundation, the key factor to success and happiness, and the essential in living a balanced life style – SELF-CARE!

This is the best time to express yourself as exactly the person that you are!

So here is your Holiday Self-Care survival kit!

1. Breathe – Inhale. Hold. Exhale. Hold
   Every day, take the time to breathe. 5 minutes to sit in stillness, without your phone, without music (unless you really need some instrumental music), with nothing but yourself. Set a times on your phone for 5-15 minutes, close your eyes, and breathe. Accepting whatever happens, letting the thoughts pass, instead of trying to solve problems in that moment. Just sit and focus on breathing. Inhaling and sitting tall. Exhaling and letting go. There is not accomplishment, or “you know you’re doing it right when…”, it is simply being still.

This is so important for this month because winter already gives extra stress on the body – lower intake of Vitamin D, and more energy expelled for body heat. So, resting is a crucial practice to maintain energy levels.

2. Accept – “Everything is perfect, as it is”
First off, what is acceptance? It is surrendering to the idea that you don’t have to be in control. You don’t have to have the last word.
Now, this doesn’t mean that you have to be silent (and, we’ll get to the in a sec).
Make the choice to surrender control of others as well as yourself. What do I mean? Stop saying “I have to…” Recognize the various tasks and ideas you have in your mind, and write them down if you need. But instead of saying, “I have to clean the house, I have to call the dog groomer, I have to find time to workout so I can eat that pie…” All of these expectations are clogging your brain from its power. YOU ARE POWERFUL, YOU ARE ORGANIZED, YOU ARE HAPPY. So don’t let the little tasks hide the light that is inside of you. Instead prioritize. Prioritize being your self, and not sacrificing your joy and your Light for the small things that will be gone in small moments of time.

The mindset you contribute to the situation will play  a role in the outcome! If you bring a positive, joyful, loving spirit to your activities, this will drastically effect the quality, memories, and interactions you have. Holiday shopping, the food that you eat, the family you catch up with, the coworkers and neighbors at holiday parties, the partner that you come home to – will all be much more enjoyed when you choose to bring joy rather than criticism, judgment, and expectation.

3. Be Yourself – “The person I am is great”
Let’s make a promise…the only person wearing a costume this year is Santa Claus! You don’t need to be richer, more like-minded to your family, funnier, more social, more religious, or less disciplined in your food choices. You need to be you.
This is so important, because you will have more patience, more energy, and more happiness when you stop trying to wear all of the hats. Focus on what your ideas, and what’s inside of you. And bring that to the table. Do your best in what you have to offer, and know that everything else will happen at its will.
You don’t have to say “Yes” to stuffing when you aren’t eating gluten – there are plenty of other delicious meals on the table that you can compliment the chef on!
You don’t have to break your budget to get everyone a gift, or get that right gift for the special person – instead really think about what you can give (it doesn’t have to be a material, it just needs to be you) and offer that from a place of love.
You don’t have to smile and nod, or hold your tongue about your passions “don’t agree” with distant family members in your life. Instead choose your actions from a place of accepting and loving the diversity of yourself and others. (Nobody ever learned from always agreeing)

Make the choice to be You. Say this outloud:
“I accept myself because I am happy and filled with joy by my life. And I choose to keep my happiness and joy in every situation of my day. If that means that one of my tasks doesn’t get completed, or I don’t find the exact gift that I had in mind…that is okay. Because most importantly, I am giving love and joy to myself, so that I can also share this with everyone in my life.”

What you need this holiday season is no different than what you need every day. You need to hydrate, sleep, and bring love and joy to everything you do.

Remember, you are not alone. And when you choose to practice self-care of breathing, accepting, and being yourself, you will enjoy and connect with the moments of your day and people that come through your life. When you give this care to yourself, you can begin to give care to others.

Take time this holiday season to recognize YOU, instead of being weighed down by the hustle and bustle of everyone else’s agenda.

Blessings and Joy to you and & your family. Thank you for your support and following!

If you are new to Jenn Journey’s, there are two posts a month, one that highlight the mind-body, and a second that highlights easy, healthy recipes. Be sure to subscribe to stay in the loop!