I truly believe eliminating stresses and meditating has helped heal my back. Today was my first hike since basically April when I herniated my back. The hike was beautiful. It was so good to get out in my beloved nature, clear my head, and listen to some tunes. What has meditation done for you? Please feel free to share your story!
Meditation Works…I Swear
When Life Hands You Failed Pumpkin Cookies…
When life hands you failed “healthy” pumpkin chocolate chip cookies, call them pumpkin scones instead.
I decided to make what I thought would be delicious pumpkin cookies for girl’s night. I made them healthier by adding whole wheat flour, less sugar, more pumpkin, more spices. I bought pricy organic eggs, pumpkin, dark chocolate premium chips, and butter. I made them with love. Thet tasted hearty, at best.
I was upset, but then I caught myself…stressing over them, agonizing over the time and money spent. I took another bite…hearty….hearty…like a scone. Instead of getting upset as I usually do–typically throwing a fit, getting angry and swearing like a teamster–I repositioned the cookies. Scones. They’re healthy scones to enjoy with coffee in the morning instead.
What can you look at differently and reposition in your life so you don’t stress out?
Honk If You Love Metta
I’m a horrible driver! I’m not sure why I get so angry at people, but I do. I am totally self-aware that this is an issue, but stupidity stresses me out and thus–affects my back (I’m convinced)! In addition to reducing stress at work, I really need to focus on my driving as well. I don’t even have a commute anymore! Seven minutes to my job and I’m still an impatient maniac. It’s deplorable. I finally found this article that I read a while ago on mindful driving. There was a tip that made me giggle at first when I tried it a while back, but I’m willing to try again.
Metta means “loving-kindness” and it’s a popular form of Buddhist meditation. Chanting “may you be well, may you be happy” instead of “#%%!&@” while driving can help calm you down and dissipate anger. My favorite article on mindful driving also says, turn the radio off, be more aware of your surroundings, connect to your breath at stop lights and take deep breaths before you get out of your car to decompress.
Creating a Sacred Meditation Space
I decided to take my meditation space a step further. I use to sit on a meditation pillow in my room. I really want meditation to become a daily routine in the morning. I moved the pillow to my guest room. I used a box and covered it with a beautiful scarf from India my sister bought me. I have a Shiva candle, mala, buddha, and incense sticks. I really like having this new space. It is inviting and calls to me.
Here are some tips I found like keeping your space simple and beautiful–add objects and fabrics you love that you can re-assign to your new space. I think having this dedicated meditation altar will excite and incent me to meditate every morning. Wish me luck! What does your space look like? Share your tips!
Deep Breathing Is Your BFF!
I had my epideral steroid shot today and it was a much better experience than the last time. My anxiety was a little high but not as bad. And, the pain was not as bad.
As I mentioned last night in yesterday’s blog, I got a massage and meditated before bed. This morning I meditated, and then at the end while saying my gratitudes, I asked God, Spirits, Saints, Guides, you name it—to be with me in the procedure room. I’m not going to be afraid to ask anymore for help. I drank chamomile tea to calm me down before I left this morning. (HOT TIP/SIDE BAR: My sister mentioned rubbing chamomile oil on your wrists and smelling it can also help before making presentations or in other high-anxiety situations. Good to know!)
I didn’t have the anxiety I did last time on the way to Mayo Clinic. I made a sign of the cross before getting on the procedure table (guess you can take the girl out of the Catholic but not the Catholic out of the girl!) and said a little prayer. I took deep breaths on the table. My anxiety kicked in a bit so I deployed my Jedi mind tricks. I decided to count my breaths to narrow my focus because I wandered a bit—thinking about the procedure about to start, would it be painful, etc.
I breathed in deep from my belly—counting 6 seconds while inhaling and 6 while exhaling. The counting really helps. I’ve heard and read 6, 7, 8 counts and also to hold for 2 or 3 seconds after your inhale but I didn’t want to faint on the table. Six was good and no struggle. This really helped me concentrate on breath and not what was happening around and to me.
Do you count breath when you meditate? When you’re a beginner, I’ve found this really helps. I do it at the beginning of my meditation to get me in The Zone.
Jedi Mind Tricks
Tonight and tomorrow I am employing some Jedi mind tricks. I have another shot for my back tomorrow morning and I am already starting to feel anxious. I had a complete mental breakdown last time. Tonight I had a 90 minute massage so I could relax. I’ll mediate and pray before bed tonight and tomorrow morning. During the procedure, I’m going to have to figure out a way to put all that I’ve learned about meditation to work while I’m on the table. I tried last time but emotions and anxiety got the best of me.
The Jedi religion fascinates me because they live a very Zen lifestyle and have an interesting philosophy. I realize Jedis are fictional but I love reading 33 Jedi Teachings to Live By, written by Jedi Kidoshin (jedisantuary.org). Number 8 says:
8. Jedi practice meditation to achieve a calm mind.
Meditation is clearly a part of the Jedi lifestyle. Jedi believe that a calm mind can be achieved through meditation and contemplation. Jedi need to meditate often in order to clear their minds. Our minds, like sponges, get contaminated from the world, and need to be cleaned out daily. We even absorb things from those who are around us, and from our environments, the food we eat, etc. so it’s important to keep a calm, focused, clear mind and to meditate daily.
So, tomorrow, I will channel my inner Yoda and pull through the procedure ensuring I’m thinking positively the entire time: I will get better. This will be the last shot. This will not hurt, I am not alone, etc.
Keep It Simple Silly
I saw an outrageously delicious documentary today called The Queen of Versailles about the David Segal family–extravagant trashy millionaires who lost everything in the down turn in 2008. It was fascinating to watch them live in such excess. I can’t imagine the stress that comes with having so much and then losing it all. Thankfully, I have a simple life and honestly enjoy the simpler things in life.
The beginning of the movie chronicles their lives before the financial crisis–as they begin building the largest home in America–a 90,000 square foot mansion in Florida that was supposed to look like Versailles. It would feature 30 bathrooms, 10 kitchens, an ice rink, a bowling alley, a spa, etc. It was interesting to watch how David Segal changed during the course of the documentary and what financial stress had visibly done to his body and spirit.
From the Guide to Buddhism A-Z:
“Psychological simplicity is achieved through the practice of meditation, particularly mindfulness meditation. Usually we see things, not as they actually are, but through a mass of prejudices, memories, desires and constantly chattering thoughts which distort them. Meditation clears all this away so we are able to establish a direct relationship with things. Knowing things directly allows them to reveal their truth to us.”
How simple do you live your life? Is there anything you can simplify and make less complicated?
“As you simplify your life, the laws of the universe will be simpler; solitude will not be solitude, poverty will not be poverty, nor weakness weakness.” —Henry David Thoreau
The Habit of Meditation
To be honest, I’ve been so busy I haven’t had a chance to meditate since last Wednesday’s group meditation. And, the fact that I haven’t been meditating is weighing heavy on my mind. I’m disappointed in myself that I keep breaking my routine–which in turn causes more stress and as we have learned–affects my mental, physical, and spiritual well-being. How do you make meditation a habit?
I found a great article that said to make sure you meditate at the same time every day. It mentioned a service called HabitForge which can send you a reminder email every day which I thought was interesting. I came across a another article that said to just try meditation for 2 minutes a day.
Most people will think they can meditate for 15-30 minutes, and they can. But this is not a test of how strong you are at staying in meditation – we are trying to form a longer-lasting habit. And to do that, we want to start with just a two minutes. You’ll find it much easier to start this way, and forming a habit with a small start like this is a method much more likely to succeed. You can expand to 5-7 minutes if you can do it for 7 straight days, then 10 minutes if you can do it for 14 straight days, then 15 minutes if you can stick to it for 21 straight days, and 20 if you can do a full month.
What is your meditation routine? Do you find it helps to have one to make it a habit?
Mala Mamas 