Wine & Wellness Wednesday: Meditation to Get Unstuck

Read that title again; I bet you thought it read “Motivation” instead of “Meditation!” But maybe, just maybe, I can help you motivate yourself to try meditation, if it isn’t already part of your regular practice!

Oh, and for the record? I don’t give two hoots for what anyone says you should do properly for meditation. There’s no one right way to meditate. Does whatever you do to meditate work for you? Great! Then do that. Does what one of the experts says to do work for you? Great! Then do that.

Maybe it’s a minute in your parked car before you go in to your office first thing in the morning.

Or maybe it’s five minutes in your recliner after you’ve tucked your kidlet into bed for the fourth time after requests for “just one more story” or “I’m thirsty!”

Just maybe it’s first thing in the morning, on a bench in the back yard as the birds are singing up the sun at dawn.

And maybe it’s in the moments when you feel stuck, when you can’t decide which of the seventeen things on your to-do list need to be done next, and you stop to take a breath, repeat a favorite mantra, and then carry on with whatever.

I’ve blogged about meditation a few times over the years, and it continues to be one of the items in my wellness toolkit that I take out regularly and use at times other than my preferred morning meditation habit.

I have moments when I’m feeling just plain stuck. (Can you relate?) Can’t decide what to do next. Overwhelmed with ALL THE THINGS. In enough pain that I don’t want to do anything, no matter what’s on the to-do list. On occasion, I feel like my thoughts are a messy tangle, and I need to figure out how to slowly, carefully find the ends of each thought so I can roll them up into tidier balls.

At those moments, sometimes I’ll remember to take a deep breath and quietly repeat something along these lines from the late, very wise Thich Nhat Hanh:

In, out.
Deep, slow.
Calm, ease.
Simple, release.
Present moment, wonderful moment.

That is similar to this, slightly longer mantra:

Breathing in, I calm my body.
Breathing out, I smile.
Dwelling in the present moment,
I know this is a wonderful moment.

Meditation has many benefits. It can decrease your blood pressure, improve your concentration, and help you loosen up tense muscles. Those are all good things. And best of all? It doesn’t require hours and hours to do. (If you WANT to meditate for an hour, absolutely go for it!)

It can be that minute in the chaos that you take for yourself to get unstuck.

What positive mantra will you repeat to yourself for a meditation minute today?

Cheers! Here’s to your health!

Wine & Wellness Wednesday: Meditation (Again...and Again...)

I mentioned last week that one habit I’ve done fairly well at maintaining over the past year has been my meditation practice. Typically, I meditate in the morning, then I journal, then I exercise. Sometimes, I’ll go outside and meditate in the hammock. (Yes, even in the winter. In fact, the thumbnail photo for this post is a recent pic I took while in the hammock!) Sometimes, I’ll repeat one of my mantras to myself to relax and fall asleep. I’m grateful for that practice and I’m grateful that even if it’s only for three minutes, I make time for it daily.

What does meditation do for the body, exactly?

Lowers blood pressure. Helps increase focus. Can provide clarity. May boost your immune system. Creates a general feeling of relaxation, which is never a bad thing.

And you don’t have to sit there saying “ommmmmmm” for an hour. :) I mentioned a mantra; my mantras vary and I take them from things I’ve read. They’re usually short, which makes them easy to memorize. While meditation isn’t strictly a religious practice, either, maybe your mantra is a prayer. Maybe it’s a poem. Whatever it is, make it positive, and something that is meaningful to you. For example, here’s one I like:

Forgetfulness is the darkness, mindfulness is the light.
I bring awareness to shine upon all life.
~Thich Nhat Hanh, PEACE IS EVERY BREATH

Sometimes, I practice the Small Universe meditation from my Qigong class, which helps me be mindful of and focused on many parts of my body. That also helps me relax and bring my blood pressure down.

So it’s highly varied, but the consistent thing is that I do it, in some form, every day.

I led an activity once for a virtual team meeting in which I talked about the benefits of meditation. As part of the activity, we meditated for one minute. One minute. Sixty seconds. Several people on the call were amazed at how fast it went. One person said “That was the worst minute of my life and don’t make me do that ever again.” That still makes me laugh to this day! Everyone’s experience is going to be different!

How about you? Have you tried meditation? What did you like (or not like)?

Cheers! Here’s to your health!

Wine & Wellness Wednesday: Being Intentional Is Good for Your Health

Being intentional about _______ can be really good for both your physical and mental health.

Yes, I left that blank on purpose. It’s different for everyone, and it’s different day by day or moment by moment.

For example, on a recent morning when I knew the remainder of the day would be really busy, I sat down and took a few minutes out of my morning exercise to pick up one of my smaller cross stitch projects. I added a row of stitches, thinking about nothing other than how much I enjoyed cross stitching, how nice it felt to sit with my stitching, and how I hope the person for whom that project is destined will like it.

It felt wonderful.

It took less than five minutes.

That wonderful feeling extended into the remainder of that morning’s exercise. I felt calm, and focused, and a bit joyful.

For me, the concept of being intentional goes beyond having a to-do list and checking things off, or sitting down at my computer and thinking, “I want to…” for whatever the project or task may be. It’s about granting myself permission, as well as encouragement, to focus entirely on whatever I want or need to be doing in that moment. In this world of multi-tasking, we spend much too much time trying to spread ourselves out and get as much done as possible in as little time as possible, and by the end of it, we are worn out, unhappy, and unhealthy.

Intentional is defined as, “done on purpose” and “deliberate.”

I deliberately sat down and cross stitched because I knew the day would be busy.

I sat down and cross stitched on purpose because I knew the day would be busy.

Yep. Both of those substitutions (definitions?) fit how I felt that day.

To what other actions can I apply the concept of being intentional?

I deliberately poured a glass of water instead of a glass of soda.

I went for a walk on purpose to clear my mind and get exercise.

I took intentional action to improve my mental and physical health.

This goes hand-in-hand with being mindful! (I’ll include a link to a Wine & Wellness Wednesday post from last August about mindfulness.)

When you set an intention, and focus on it, and devote positive energy to it, I expect you’ll find yourself feeling more than OK by the time you are done.

Try it, and let me know how it goes. :) Cheers! Here’s to your health!

Wine & Wellness Wednesday: Mindfulness

I love this line from an article on mindfulness, from the web site www.helpguide.org.

“Did you notice whether you felt well-rested this morning or that forsythia is in bloom along your route to work?”

For one thing, forsythia is one of my favorite spring-blooming shrubs.

For a second thing, paying attention to whether or not I feel well-rested is a good thing to try and do.

Both things demonstrate the importance of mindfulness and being present in your day-to-day life.

Mindfulness is generally defined as focusing on what you are doing, feeling, or thinking right now, rather than trying to think about EVERYTHING ALL THE TIME RIGHT NOW ALL THE THINGS.

Specifically, Wikipedia defines mindfulness as “the psychological process of bringing one's attention to experiences occurring in the present moment, which can be developed through the practice of meditation and other training.”

If you think about it, you can probably come up with dozens of examples on your own. I can think of a few. Sitting with friends, focused entirely on the conversation instead of thinking about what’s for dinner or what’s on the to-do list for the next day. Watering plants at the greenhouse and listening to the wind and the birds and simply enjoying the sunshine and the breeze. Sitting on the patio watching dragonflies dance. (I’ve noticed that for me, many mindfulness moments come while I’m outdoors!)

When I’ve allowed myself to be mindful, to be present with what I’m doing or with the people around me, I feel calmer, more peaceful. My blood pressure drops. My mind feels more settled.

I’ve also noticed that dogs are just about the most present, mindful creatures and we could learn a lot from them. They are fully engaged with what they are doing in each moment without worrying about the past or the future. (Except sometimes when they think food should be showing up!)

The first step is to pay attention to what you are doing in a given moment. A different first step is to practice meditation and bringing your thoughts back to your breathing. A different first step…you get the idea. Everyone could have a different approach to being more mindful in their lives!

What are you going to do today to be more mindful and more present in your life?

Cheers! Here’s to your health!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mindfulness

https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/compassion-matters/201303/benefits-mindfulness

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/tenzin-norbu/mindfulness_b_1789607.html

https://www.helpguide.org/harvard/benefits-of-mindfulness.htm