Thursday, August 4, 2011

It does NOT have to be Complicated




I have written a number of short blogs on things we can do to take care of ourselves, everything from nutrition, to exercise, to other integrative approaches; Chiropractic, Acupuncture, Massage, CranioSacral Therapy, etc.  More and more people are integrating approaches like meditation and Yoga into their daily routines, but if this all sounds like a lot, it doesn’t have to be complicated.

A wonderful gift you can give yourself, is taking small meditative moments throughout the day.  Often it’s too hard to take half and hour or an hour to meditate, or do Yoga, but if you take a few minutes a couple of times a day, it can help you not only remain focused, less stressed, open, and also more present.

What does this entail?  It can be done it a number of different ways, and so I will present a few simple ideas.

Breath.  I have written a few blogs on diaphragmatic breathing.  This, in and of itself can be a meditative moment.

Grounding, grounding, grounding.  Take a few moments to feel yourself connecting to the earth’s energies.  You can imagine growing roots into the earth, or you can, with your breath, breathe in the earth’s energies with your in breath, and with your out breath, connect yourself deeper to the earth.

Two simple questions.  “What am I feeling?”, and “Where am I feeling it?”  Allow yourself to simply observe any sensations without judgment, without trying to change them, or without making them right or wrong.  Breathe.  You can say something to yourself like, “I’m ok even if I’m feeling …”

Smile.  Put a smile on your face.  Now take that feeling, and smile in different areas of your body; your neck, your shoulders, your heart, your solar plexus, your head, etc.  Smile, and allow that feeling/sensation to fill these areas with more ease and joy.