5am Meditation Day 48- Quick Yoga Break

Need a pick-me-up, a moment to catch your breath, or just a quick, luxuriating stretch?

Try a Kripalu Yoga Break

5am Meditation Day 44- Meditation in Schools

Perfect timing. We just had a professional day at my school on stress and relaxation techniques earlier this week, and today I cam across an Edutopia article on Meditation in Schools.

5am Meditation Day 43- Practicing "minis"

I had a couple of minutes between responsibilities today, so I decided to do a "mini" while waiting for my next appointment. I reflected on how calm and peaceful I was, and how I should definitely keep this in mind the next time I get sad or scared or angry or overwhelmed. I imagined myself taking a minute to sit on my meditation cushion instead of crying myself into a tension headache.

And then I thought about this past week, and reality hit me. Who am I kidding!?! Do I really think I will be able to have the self awareness and mindfulness to stop myself before crying to sit down and center myself? I am currently in the last week of my last course towards a new degree, and I still cry about homework deadlines! I got so stressed out earlier this week, that one day I came home and took a 3-hour nap because I just couldn't handle the pressure anymore and was completely exhausted with a headache from the day before. Every course along this past 4-year journey has been one tension headache after the other, and yet I always end up doing very well on my assignments and in the courses. When will I learn!?! I spend all my time and energy worrying and stressing for nothing.

I recently shared an activity with my students about the online me/offline me where we looked at the different roles we play and the personalities traits that each role brings out in us. Below is the "me" I shared with my students:

Offline

mother- nurturing, playful, fun, silly, loving, caring, protective

teacher- serious, academic, professional

student- stressed, overwhelmed, anxious, cry a lot, worried negative, tired, cranky

(yogini, runner, coach, athlete, baker/chef, sister, friend, daughter, etc.)

Online

twitter- serious, academic, professional, academic technology

blogger- calm, relaxed, wise, yoga and meditation

student- polished, professional, great student, academic, serious

(facebook, reading news, watching Youtube, playing games, shopping, paying bills, etc.)

I explained to my students that when I am at home being a student, I am stressed and anxious and feel overwhelmed, as I always have as a student since I was in 6th grade. I worry about getting assignments done and not having enough time. I am a perfectionist, and it always takes its toll on me. But the person I present online as a student is very different, because what gets posted online is my final product, my professional, academic, serious, hard-working self. I am the same person in both cases, but very different sides of me come out through the process and the final product.

No matter how good my final work is, I never trust myself the next time around that it will get done, and that it will be good. The next time I get overwhelmed about an assignment or a deadline, I am hoping that by practicing my "minis" in the meantime, it will get me to the point where I can walk away from the stressors, breathe, and just witness the negative emotions until I am centered. And then I can do whatever needs to get done without any more tension headaches. Maybe it's just wishful thinking, or maybe just "putting it down on paper" takes me one step closer to my goal. Only time (and headaches) will tell...

Relaxation Response to Reduce Stress

Eliciting the Relaxation Response

Minis

Relaxation Response Videos from MGH's Benson-Henry Institute for Mind Body Medicine

5am Meditation Day 42- Relaxation Response

Yesterday we had a representative from the Massachusetts General Hospital's Benson-Henry Institute for Mind Body Medicine give a presentation to our entire faculty and staff on stress and relaxation techniques. Below are some of my take-aways:

Most people consider stress to be tension, anxiety, feeling overwhelmed, being scared, etc. Stress is actually your body's response to perceived danger or threat when you feel that you do not have the resources to cope. Most people encounter stress about 50 times per day, but how we handle the stress varies from person to person. A stressor can be your alarm going off, getting kids ready for school and getting out the door in time, traffic, finding a parking spot, running late for a meeting, etc. The most key word in the definition of stress is perceived. We often feel that we cannot get something done because we don't have the ability or the time. We perceive that things will not get done, and we end up feeling overwhelmed or anxious. Everyone encounters these moments in their daily lives. How do you prevent the stress from ruining your day and getting worse and worse with every encounter? The relaxation response.

You cannot control the traffic or a child who needs a spill cleaned up before heading out the door in the morning. But you can control how you respond. In the moment, it is important to acknowledge the negative thoughts by witnessing them, but then letting them go. Don't let them get to you and ruin your mood or your day. Simply observe the thoughts and move on. There are certain factors that are within your control. In any stressful situation, there's either a solution- so do it, or there's no solution, and there's no use in stressing over it. You can view the exact same situation through many lenses, so it is all about our perspective, our perceived inability to handle the situation.

The Mind Body Institute realized that people's health was negatively affected by stress. We can respond to the stress and health issues after the fact, or we can proactively deal with them through healthy lifestyles. This includes eating well, exercising, getting sufficient sleep, and getting relaxation through yoga, meditation, massage, listening to music, etc. The Relaxation Response also involves deep breathing, meditation, guided meditation, mindfulness, and visualization. Yesterday we learned about "minis," taking 2-10 minutes to sit quietly and just observe your thoughts. The presenter discussed how this technique could be done in the morning, during a break, in the car, or even brought into the classroom as a tool to use with our students to help them get centered and focused before class begins. We had also watched the film "The Race to Nowhere" earlier in the day, so a lot of our conversation was centered around students stress.

Next time you are in a stressful situation, try to just stop, breathe, witness the situation, and be aware your reacting thoughts and feelings to it. Then respond. See if there's a difference when you take the time to breathe and be aware before reacting.

Benson-Henry Institute for Mind Body Medicine: The Education Initiative

The Race to Nowhere

5am Meditation Day 40- Simply Being

The Pleasure of Simply Being

"Whenever you try to exert control over the natural ebb and flow of life, you end up either frustrated or disappointed- because it can't be controlled. Whenever you apply effort to trying to relax and slow down, you produce the opposite effect. Whenever you try to dictate the outcome of your meditation you negate its most wondrous benefit- the pleasure of simply being."

Paul Wilson The Quiet

Wherever You Go There You Are

How often each day would you have to say I don't want to be where I am? What does it feel like when you don't want to be where you are- the traffic jam, your place of work, the airport lounge, and the people you are with?

It has been said: wherever you go there you are. In other words you are always here. Why is it so hard to accept that?

Surrender is surrender to this moment not to a story through which you interpret this moment and then try to resign yourself to it.

Eckhart Tolle Stillness Speaks

http://www.learning-modern-meditation.com/meditation-quotes.html

5am Meditation Day 37- Happiness

"Happiness is not about making it to the peak of a mountain,

not is it about climbing aimlessly around the mountain;

happiness is the experience of climbing toward the peak."

-Dr. Tal Ben-Shahar

5am Meditation Day 36- Meditation Techniques: Tips for Beginners

I came across a meditation blog, and I thought its tips for beginners was worth passing along:

What are some simple meditations I can do?

Mantra Meditation.

This is a very simple meditation practice, which involves chanting a thought or affirmation. You can chant a mantra repeatedly for a distinct period of time while maintaining focus on your breathing pattern.

A mantra can be said silently in your mind or it can be said aloud. If you are in a shared space, then it will be easier to silently repeat a mantra in your head. If you are alone, then try sharing the mantra with the world around you. The mantra does not have to be anything complex rather a simple phrase that helps you attain peace. Some of the mantra’s I have used in the past are:

1. I can handle it
2. Everything is going to be alright
3. The XYZ problem is very easy to solve.
4. I am not attached to the outcome.

Breathing

Breathing meditation works best if you feel anxious, stressed or helpless. Deep inhalation into your belly and mental focus on the breath will help you direct your energy away from thoughts that have a negative impact.

During stressful times, our minds are hijacked by emotional thoughts and make us constantly worry about different outcomes. The beautiful paradox is our brains ability to solve problems. Our logic that helps us solve so many problems also becomes a mechanism of stress as it is overloaded by 100 different tasks.

Directing your focus on simple breathing meditation gives your mind a much needed break. A mini vacation if you will.

Some simple Breathing Meditation Techniques:

1. Sit in a quiet relaxed cross legged position. Make sure your back is straight as possible.
2. Inhale deeply through your nose and into your belly. Your belly button or navel should rise if you are breathing into your belly.
3. Hold your breath for 5 seconds.
4. Slowly exhale out through your mouth.
5. Continue this for 5 – 10 minutes. If you are just starting meditation then start with just 5 minutes and slowly increase your time.

Benefits of Meditation Techniques

- Calm and in control of your self.

- Ability to change your attitude from negative to positive.

- During dark times, you will be able to find hope and happiness.

There are thousands of different meditation techniques that help a person reach inner peace. Each meditation technique requires constant practice and whole hearted participation. Once you set a time to meditate daily, you will notice that your day will be more smooth and easy. Your mind will become a stream of happiness during a thunderstorm of life’s problem.

5am Meditation Day 35- I Asked for Strength

I Asked for Strength

I asked for strength

and God gave me difficulties to make me strong.

I asked for wisdom

and God gave me problems to learn to solve.

I asked for prosperity

and God gave me a brain and brawn to work.

I asked for courage

and God gave me dangers to overcome.

I asked for love

and God gave me people to help.

I asked for favors

and God gave me opportunities.

I received nothing I wanted.

I received everything I needed.

-Hazrat Inayat Khan

5am Meditation Day 33- Twitter Wisdom from the Dalai Lama and Eckhart Tolle

Earlier today the Dalai Lama tweeted:

In order to use human intelligence properly our mind should be calm.

Eckhart Tolle's last tweet:

Use whatever challenge comes into your life as a kind of fuel for the flame of consciousness. That is done through surrender to what is. Some people may need more of that than others. If you choose presence in your daily life you may not need the drastic challenges.

5am Meditation Day 31- Thoughts

"What we are today comes from our thoughts of yesterday,

and our present thoughts build our life of tomorrow:

Our life is the creation of our mind."

-Buddha

"Today I can do anything I put my mind to."

-Louise Hay

Picture from: http://www.therefinedmind.com.au/visiting-buddha-in-my-dream

5am Meditation Day 28- Change

Change is the essence of life.

Be willing to surrender what you are

for what you could become.

Image from: http://www.evolutionarynexus.org/system/files/images/Emergence.jpg

5am Meditation Day 27- The Struggle of the Butterfly

A man found a cocoon of a butterfly. One day a small opening appeared. He sat and watched the butterfly for several hours as it struggled to squeeze its body through the tiny hole. Then it stopped, as if it couldn't go further. So the man decided to help the butterfly.

He took a pair of scissors and snipped off the remaining bits of cocoon. The butterfly emerged easily, but it had a swollen body and shriveled wings.

The man continued to watch it, expecting that any minute the wings would enlarge and expand enough to support the body. Neither happened!

In fact the butterfly spent the rest of its life crawling around. It was never able to fly. What the man in his kindness and haste did not understand: The restricting cocoon and the struggle required by the butterfly to get through the opening was a way of forcing the fluid from the body into the wings so that it would be ready for flight once that was achieved.

Sometimes struggles are exactly what we need in our lives. Going through life with no obstacles would cripple us. We will not be as strong as we could have been and we would never fly.

Picture from: http://www.flickr.com/photos/davidyuweb/4736981359/

5am Meditation Day 23- The fisherman and the businessman

A businessman was at the pier of a small coastal village when a small boat with just one fisherman docked. Inside the small boat were several large yellowfin tuna. The businessman complimented the fisherman on the quality of his fish and asked how long it took to catch them. The fisherman replied only a little while.

The businessman then asked why he didn't stay out longer and catch more fish? The fisherman said he had enough to support his family's immediate needs. The businessman then asked, but what do you do with the rest of your time? The fisherman said, "I sleep late, fish a little, play with my children, take a nap with my wife, Maria, stroll into the village each evening where I sip wine and play guitar with my friends; I have a full and busy life."

The businessman scoffed, "I have my MBA, and I could help you. You should spend more time fishing and with the proceeds buy a bigger boat. With the proceeds from the bigger boat you could buy several boats; eventually you would have a fleet of fishing boats. Instead of selling your catch to a middleman, you would sell directly to the processor and eventually open your own cannery. You would control the product, processing and distribution. You would need to leave this small coastal fishing village and move to the city, then LA and eventually New York City where you would run your expanding enterprise."

The fisherman asked, "But how long will this all take?" To which the businessman replied, "15-20 years." "But what then?" The businessman laughed and said, "That's the best part! When the time is right you would announce an IPO and sell your company stock to the public and become very rich. You would make millions." "Millions? Then what?" The businessman said, "Then you would retire. Move to a small coastal fishing village where you would sleep late, fish a little, play with your kids, take a nap with your wife, stroll to the village in the evenings where you could sip wine and play your guitar with your friends."

The fisherman, still smiling, looked up and said, "Isn't that what I'm doing right now?"

-Author Unknown

Photo from: http://www.flickr.com/photos/jimmead/5069397412/

5am Meditation Day 21- Wisdom from the Dalai Lama

"The Dalai Lama, when asked what surprised him most about humanity, answered, 'Man. Because he sacrifices his health in order to make money. Then he sacrifices money to recuperate his health. And then he is so anxious about the future that he does not enjoy the present; the result being that he does not live in the the present or the future; he lives as if he is never going to die, and then dies having never really lived,'"

5am Meditation Day 20- Living in the present moment

"My mind never grew still but Rick assured me that the goal of meditation was less to quiet the mind than to witness its ceaseless activity, using what Swami Kripalu called 'self-observation without judgment.'"

-from "Meditation and Me" by Danna Faulds, Kripalu Compass Feb 2012

It was reassuring to read Danna's words above. I have been struggling with trying to quiet my mind instead of just simply observing it. Hearing from another meditator that I can just observe my thoughts takes some of the pressure off. Hopefully over time my mind will race less and less during meditation. I am also looking forward to meditation without the need to blog about it, because during meditation I often think about the blog and what I will write about late on. I was thinking that today's blog post would be about BEING IN THE NOW and LIVING IN THE PRESENT MOMENT, but while I was struggling to come across the perfect Dalai Lama or Buddha quotation that would sum up my thoughts precisely, I instead found Danna's article above and gravitated toward her words. She described her journey to becoming a daily meditator and expressed how it wasn't easy. I am definitely feeling the not-easy part of it. I am still struggling to commit to 20 minutes per day, so an hour a day seems unimaginable right now, yet remains an obtainable goal reading about others' journeys to get there. Whatever your goals are, focus on the journey, not just the destination.

5am Meditation Day 19 - Giving up Technology and Social Media

No, I'm not giving up technology and social media! I wouldn't be able to do my job or take my graduate course. But, I just read an article about a student who did just that. And he did it for 90 days. Check it out!

5am Meditation Day 15- inspirations

From a variety of sources...

Peace. It does not mean to be an a place where there is no noise, trouble, or hard work. It means to be in the midst of those things and still be calm in your heart.

Prayer is when you talk to God; meditation is when you listen to God.

Meditation is listening to the Divine within.

Meditation is not a way of making your mind quiet. It's a way of entering into the quiet that's already there—buried under the 50,000 thoughts the average person thinks every day.

Take the time to come home to yourself every day.

Meditation brings wisdom; lack of mediation leaves ignorance. Know well what leads you forward and what hold you back, and choose the path that leads to wisdom.

Peace comes from within. Do not seek it without.

It is not the number of books you read, nor the variety of sermons you hear, nor the amount of religious conversation in which you mix, but it is the frequency and earnestness with which you meditate on these things till the truth in them becomes your own and part of your being, that ensures your growth.


Never lose sight of this important truth, that no one can be truly great until he has gained a knowledge of himself, a knowledge which can only be acquired by occasional retirement.

image from: http://www.flickr.com/photos/mmoorr/1922485388/

5am meditation Day 14- ocean breath

Last friday I blogged about my meditation practice and how I needed to focus on my breath to bring myself back to a place of calm and to quiet my mind. Today I discovered that doing my "yoga breathing" helped me bring my attention back to my breath whenever my mind wandered.

I have gone to several yoga retreats in the past, and for some reason, when I sat down to meditate earlier today, I was reminded of ujjayi, or "ocean breath" from yoga. I think it was the sound of the breath itself that kept my mind more quiet than usual. I found this to be a very effective technique for getting more out of my meditation session. I was able to sit still longer. I'm not sure whether I drifted off to sleep, but I may have, because I felt so relaxed and the time sure seemed to fly by today! I didn't seem to be as aware of myself in the physical sense as usual. Perhaps I did fall asleep! If I can fall asleep on the massage table, I am sure I can fall asleep during meditation!

image from: flikr

Wanderlust coming to Vermont

From the Wanderlust website (http://wanderlustfestival.com/):

"Wanderlust is a one-of-a-kind festival bringing together the world's leading yoga teachers, top musical acts and DJs, renowned speakers, top chefs and winemakers, and much, much more -- all in a setting of breathtaking natural beauty. We're talking about fun in the sun and dancing under the stars. Hiking on peaceful trails and gettin'your down dog on at the top of the mountain. Sipping poolside cocktails with your friends, and then enjoying a tasty farm-to-table dinner with views of the surrounding mountain peaks. Early morning meditations and all-night chakra spinning musical performances -- it's an all-out ecstatic celebration in the most awe-inspiring locations in the world.

So what's a day like at Wanderlust? Wake up to crisp mountain air and morning sunshine in your mountainside condo, throw a couple of items in your daypack, and join dozens of fellow attendees for one of Wanderlust's signature morning meditation hikes. If you have kids with you, no problem -- drop your children off at the Wanderkind kids' program before you head out. After your hike, cruise for some handcrafted goodness in the vendor village, grab a quick snack from one of our local & organic food vendors, and then hop into yoga class with one of your favorite teachers in a stunning outdoor classroom. After class, reward yourself with a delicious meal from one of our on-site restaurants. Have a seat in our outdoor food co-op, grab a cup of tea in our tea house, and stroll over to our Speakeasy venue, where you can listen to a fascinating lecture by one of our many speakers. In the afternoon, you might check out some of the live music at our Casbah stage, rock an afternoon yoga class, go kayaking down the local river, hit the trails with your mountain bike, or ride the free cable car up to the top of the mountain to kick it poolside with your crew.
As the sun sets, head over to Winederlust and sample a variety of biodynamic and organic wines from local vineyard, then take your appetite up the mountain to the Farm to Table Dinner. After dinner, you could sit back and enjoy a film at the Soulful Cinema, walk around the festival grounds to check out the eclectic art installations, or get your dance on at the Wanderlust main stage. And if you're still looking for more, Wanderlust's late night DJ dance parties go until 2 am. Eventually, you'll fall into your comfy bed -- but the best part is that another adventure awaits in the morning.

Whatever you do, the choice is all yours. That's Wanderlust. "

Yoga and Music schedules will be posted January 24th

5am Meditation Day 9- Kripalu's January Healthy Living "Time for Self Care"

This morning as I was meditating, I listened to my mind wander from one subject to the next. I was aware of my thoughts and kept trying to come back to the present and ground myself in the NOW. However, my mind kept wandering. After my meditation I came across Kripalu's January healthy living e-newsletter, and it included an article about meditation (pasted below). It reminded me to focus on my breath. Whenever my mind wanders, I need to bring it back to my breath. I had forgotten to use this technique, so the timing was perfect. I will try to remember this tomorrow when I start mentally planning my day instead of calming my racing thoughts. I have been considering recording myself saying "Breathing in, I am aware that I am breathing in. Breathing out, I am aware that I am breathing out" repeatedly, or something along those lines (Thich Nhat Hanh has some great books on this subject), so that I can have a soundtrack for my meditation that will help me focus on my breath until it becomes second nature.

yoga practice going within to let go

By Janna Delgado, Yoga Teacher and Personal Trainer

Anxious? Tense? Worried? Try meditation. This simple tool for self-care can be done anywhere and anytime to de-stress, and with practice, you can reboot and find inner calm in just a few minutes. A main component of any meditation practice is focusing your attention. By creating a single point of focus, such as the breath, the multitude of distractions that overload your mind and cause stress can be cleared away. Meditation allows your mind to settle and your body to relax, creating a balanced state that benefits overall health and well-being.

Ready to try it? Find a quiet place to practice where you are free of distractions. Get comfortable, whether you’re sitting, lying down, or walking. Begin to breathe deeply through your nostrils, taking slow and even breaths. Focus all of your attention on the flow of your breath. Bring your awareness to the feelings, sensations, and sounds that occur as you inhale and exhale. Continue to breathe deeply and slowly. When your attention wanders, gently return your focus to your breath. Remember, meditation takes practice, so be kind to yourself. It’s natural for your attention to wander. When this happens, simply refocus your awareness on your breath.

http://www.kripalu.org/KripaluOnline/hlenews.html

Happy meditating!

5am Meditation Day 9- guilty or proud?

I am trying to decide whether to feel guilty or proud of myself that I turned off my 5am alarm YET AGAIN, but I did choose to meditate at 8am when I first got to work to start my day off right, and I even did it for a new increased total of 20 minutes. I am also trying to decide whether I should feel guilty or proud that about halfway through my meditation session I chose not to sit but rather decided to lie down instead. I am so not used to meditating to the point where the back pain becomes distracting and takes over my mind.

I noticed that the first several minutes in my brain are all about the physical sensations- I'm cold, my butt hurts, this floor's too hard, where's my pillow, my pants are too tight for meditation and I should be wearing loose comfortable (elastic waistband!) pants, my back hurts, and so on. Then my mind started to drift towards all those other busy thoughts about my day, but this time, perhaps knowing that I had a full 20 minutes and could get to the point of calming my mind, I sort of stepped outside of myself and just observed the thoughts. I tried not to get mad or frustrated that the thoughts were there. After all, we can't really control our thoughts; they just appear. I tried to be that mountain observing the thoughts as clouds floating by, but instead, it was more like I was the cloud, and I was floating by my physical self, observing myself, and observing the thoughts in my head. Then, I'm almost embarrassed to admit that this is how I spend my meditation session, but I went into an almost dreamlike state that played like a movie in my head as I imagined where I would hang the hooks on my living room ceiling if I decided to install chair hammocks. I know, crazy! When my mind shifted to another thought, it was almost like waking up too early from a good dream, and I struggled to remember what I had been so excited to think about, and then I went back to trying to figure out where the beams in my ceiling would be, and whether I still have that stud finder...

Should I feel guilty about my stud-finding thoughts?

5am Meditation Day 8- a racing mind

First of all, I tried meditating at work today in the middle of the day to see how it would impact the rest of my afternoon (or, at least that's what I tell myself so I don't feel guilty that I turned off my 5am alarm to wake up up 6am instead!), so this blog entry should be my 1:30pm meditation, not my 5am meditation.

I think it's time for me to increase the amount of time that I meditate, because its feels like from the moment I sit down until the moment my alarm rings to tell me my time is up, my mind races. It races from what I will write my next blog post about (perhaps it was not a great idea to start meditating and start blogging at the same time), to my to-do lists, to my New Year's resolutions, to how much my upper back aches, to my next lesson plan, to how I plan to fit exercise into my daily routine that particular afternoon. I feel like I am not sitting there quite long enough, so I don't get to the point of calming my mind. It feels very choppy, so perhaps increasing my time will both help me get used to meditating and give me enough time to quiet my mind to truly reap the benefits of a daily meditation practice.

One thing that my racing mind did reward me with was the reminder of the metta practice I have been building with my daughter. Metta meditation is also known as lovingkindness. Years ago I came across an article written by a father about how he meditates nightly with his sons. I was so inspired by his story that I decided to try the same with my daughter. I looked up the story again for this blog article, and while it's in a different place, it's still the same story. We start by sending love and kindness and positive thoughts and energy to ourselves, then to our immediate family and friends, aunts and uncles and cousins, then teachers and others we encounter during the day, then it usually gets sent off to animals and trees and mountains and even the dolls in the room.

Metta website

Metta with Children

Seeding the Heart, the father's story

LovingKindness Meditation to do with Children at Night

What I am going to take away from today's racing mind is that I want to make a stronger commitment to both my own daily 5AM practice as well as my nightly metta practice with my daughter.

Dalia Lama's January 16th Tweet

The key to human happiness lies within our own state of mind, and so too do the primary obstacles to that happiness.

5am Meditation Days 3, 4, 5, 6, & 7 - Challenges

I have two challenges facing me- meditating and remembering to blog about my meditating. I have had several different experiences over the last several days ranging from meditating at 5am, not being able to meditate until 9pm, and completely forgetting to meditate period. What incredibly insightful knowledge did I gain from these experiences? I truly believe that it does take 90 days for a behavior to become ingrained in your being as habit. So when I go away for the long weekend (after only 3 days or meditation), it doesn't occur to me to remember to pack a yoga mat or prayer rug or meditation cushion yet, and I don't remember (or necessarily feel the need) to set my alarm for 5am. I think after taking the challenge on for 90 days, I will feel the benefit to the point that I want to meditate, and I crave to meditate, as if it's in my blood. And I will feel empty or stressed and anxious or somehow different on the days that I don't get a chance to meditate, making me feel that I have to do it as a part of my daily routine and self-care. That';s my goal at least. Clearly not there yet.

Another one of my goals is to be meditating enough that I have thoughts worth sharing through a blog, that I learn from my experiences so that I can pass on my knowledge and share in the process. I have been reading about meditation since my last blog post, and I have discovered another blogger who took on the challenge of daily meditation practice. She said meditating was like taking a shower for her mind every day. She also had some insightful comments about the thoughts that come up during meditation- that there tends to be about 7 recurring thoughts that you slowly become aware of over time. When these thoughts appear for me, I try to sit quietly and listen to my thoughts, just watch them floating by me like clouds and not get upset that the thoughts appear and feel that I am somehow failing at meditation. But what this blogger said that I found really interesting was that she talked about using the meditation practice to retrain her mind, to change negative thoughts or worries into positive thoughts or hopes. I am truly hopeful that after continuing my journey, I will have similar useful nuggets of information or inspirational comments to pass along to you, my readers and faithful followers.

5am Meditation Day 2- Better Late than Never

5am??? Not so much. Try 9pm. As guilty as I felt at 5am when I turned my alarm off, I have forgiven myself already. Even though it wasn't at 5am as I had hoped it would be, at least I meditated today. Better late than never. My goal was to meditate at 5am everyday, and I think the most important part of that goal is the meditation part, not the 5am part.

We all have to learn how to forgive ourselves, and how to find a balance in life. While I had all intentions of waking at 5am for 90 days straight, sometimes we get sick, and sometimes we stay up late, and sometimes we stay up until 1am doing homework AND get a stomach bug, as was my case yesterday. We can't help these things, so we have to learn how to have balance and take care of ourselves. I set my alarm for 5am just in case, but I had a feeling it wouldn't happen. And I'm OK with it. I knew that my sleep was more important today and that I would fit my meditation in eventually.

I am learning two things- how to simplify and how to let go. There are some things in life that we just can't control, and we have to learn to be OK with that. I often find myself with a plan that has a hiccup, and I am trying to learn how to let go of my plan, accept that it is what it is, and be able to move on instead of holding on to what I thought it would be. Today was a step in the right direction. It was what it was, and I am OK with it. But I'm still planning on waking up at 5am for the next 88 days :)

5am Meditation Day 1- Clouds floating by

So, shocker of all shockers... I did it!!! This is a very exciting day for me. I actually woke up at 5am as I had intended and did not hit snooze or set an another alarm for a later time. I actually woke up when my alarm went off and headed straight for my "sanctuary," a little alcove in my living room, where I sat on a cushion on a prayer rug with a shawl draped around me. It was the ideal setting, a nice cozy comforting atmosphere.

Now, I had planned to sit there until 5:15, and I had set an alarm so I would know when my time was up without constantly having to interrupt my serenity by checking my phone for how long it had been already, but I thought maybe something was wrong with my alarm. I mean, it MUST be 5:15 ALREADY, I thought to myself. Surely I set the alarm for 5:15pm by mistake... right? I'll sit for for a couple more minutes. Time always goes slowly on this cushion for me... But it must be 5:15 already, or at least close to it. I just had to look and double-check. If I had sat there and waited until the alarm went off, I could have been there forever. It could be 5:30 already for all I know! What if the alarm really is messed up... how long will I sit here before checking. Now was as good a time as any. How relaxing is this meditation anyway if I can't stop thinking about at which point I will stop to check the time...

It was 5:12. Oh well. 12 minutes isn't too bad for my first day. Of course, I don't know how fulfilling it actually was for my spirituality when I sat there most of the time thinking about whether it was 5:15 already and what I would write for my blog! Be a mountain, I said to myself. You are a mountain, and all of these thoughts are just clouds floating by you. Still your mind. Quiet your mind. I tried to imagine myself standing tall, calm and still, like a mountain, with all my busy, crazy thoughts simply drifting along. This is good- I'll have to add this to my blog later!!!

Oh, well. It's only Day 1, what can you expect!?! At least I actually woke up at 5.

Decision Day 1

I've chosen my first new healthy habit to add to my life- a daily meditation. I have been meaning to do this forever. I know it will help me in the long run, but I haven't quite been able to muster up the motivation to rise at 5am daily YET. Now that I am going to be held accountable by my blog, I will commit to waking up at 5am every day for 90 days. After 90 days, I am hoping I can do it with ease (i.e. without the snooze button tempting me.) If I commit to 90 days, I promise to do it for 90 days, and then after the designated time period, I can reevaluate whether I really want to wake up before the roosters. But until I've done it consistently for 90 days, I won't really know whether it is a habit that can change my life. So, here it is, I promise to wake up at 5am every day for 90 days straight... starting tomorrow!

And I promise to check-in regularly to report my progress. Let's see how it goes!

90 Days to Change Your Life Intro

I once heard that it takes 90 days to break a bad habit or to get a new behavior engrained into your being. So I've created a blog to track my daily progress in starting some new habits (or tackling those bad ones if I feel brave enough). Every 90 days I'll choose a new habit to start or break. Here are some of my ideas-

1) daily morning meditation

2) creating my own yoga practice at home

3) running, possibly trying out those Vibram 5 Fingers "barefoot" running shoes

4) home-cooked meals, try a new recipe every night for 90 days

Evidently it's January, and I've got New Years resolutions on my mind...