Day 3 of my 21 Meditation Challenge!

On my first day meditating I decided to keep it simple and quick....you know ease into it. I figured five minutes would be good. I looked up a short  five minute meditation video on you tube and got started. It was nice soothing music and I tried to begin by being aware of my breathing and tried not to think about anything. It was harder then I thought it would be. It was difficult not to think about little things like..."what should I make for supper"....or..." do I have clean clothes for work." It really is hard to keep the mind still, when you are used to thinking what you need to do next during your day. I didn't even last the whole five minutes to be honest. I peeked at the time at the four minute mark, because I felt like a lot of time had gone by. So yes day one was not so amazing.

For day two I chose to look up meditation for beginners on you tube and to try to stretch it to ten minutes. I found one that looked good because it said guided meditation for beginners. I found it much easier to relax and to get in a state of just being aware of my breath. I actually really enjoyed it and was able to do it  for the ten minutes without thinking about when it was going to end. In fact I would have done it for longer except my husband yelled from the other room about a tv show that we usually watch together was coming on...well that's reality for you. Afterwards I felt very relaxed and mellow and was happy that I did it.

Today I again decided to look up another guided meditation for beginners on you tube. I found one that was fifty five minutes long and thought to myself that this could be something I could work up to as my goal. It started off with some breathing exercises to relax, then it went into guided meditation with beautiful calming music in the background. It was very effective and it's hard to explain how I felt. I can just say that I felt weightless, calm, centered and very relaxed. I knew I had gone longer then the ten minutes, but I was finally feeling like I was in what I had imagined a meditative state would feel like, so I decided to keep doing it. Eventually all was quiet and I thought to myself...that's strange. I honestly thought I accidentally hit the mouse on the computer or something. When I opened my eyes to see I couldn't believe the time. I had actually meditated for an HOUR!!!! the whole HOUR!!! I still can't believe it..what a time warp!! It felt like maybe twenty minutes. It was awesome, and  I totally believe it when they say that it reduces stress because I don't remember the last time I felt so relaxed...without wine or a hot bath:) My body felt like a bowl of jello...no joke.I think I am hooked on meditation now:) I don't know if I will be able to do an hour everyday, but I do feel that a half hour is realistic. 

For those of you who may not yet tried it I have to say you are missing out! Just give it a try..well more then a few tries. After all it's free, it's healthy, and easy.Believe me if I can do it and feel results within three days then you can too!

Join me on my 21 days of Meditation:)

Over the last few years I have put a lot of time  and effort into my personal development goals, so that I can continue to grow, and learn, and in turn help others do the same for themselves.  I have done this in many ways. One main way has been by developing the habit of listening to Inspirational leaders and speakers, such as Anthony Robbins, Dr. Wayne Dyer, Deepak Chopra, and Louise Hay on a daily basis. I feel that each of them offer a certain wisdom and insight into the puzzle of how our mind and spirit work together and that once we know how it works, we have the power to change it for the better.

It's a very empowering thought to know that we actually have the power to change the way our brain processes information! We don't have to be the victim of what has happened to us in the past. We can decide instead to take control of our lives starting now and a big part of that is by choosing to be mindful of the thoughts we allow to enter  into our awareness. The first step is just that simple...to be aware of our self talk. What kind of self talk do you have with yourself on a daily basis?....is it good or is it bad? If the way you talk to yourself is not aligned with your intentions of where you want to go in life and how you want to feel, then I encourage you to put a stop to these self defeating thoughts that are holding you back.

 Most of us are going about our lives unconsciously conscious...by that I mean that we are kind of on autopilot, going from task to task without really slowing down to be aware of our thoughts. One way to develop mindfulness is to meditate, because it forces you to slow down and have one pointed focus.

If you had asked me five years ago what I thought about meditation, I probably would have said something like..."Isn't that what they do in yoga class to relax"...."or isn't that what monks do,"  I didn't realize all the benefits it can have. One main benefit is that it helps to develop the prefrontal cortex, which is the part of the brain that helps with reasoning, planning,  and the ability to have control over your emotions, which ultimately effects how you feel and what you do, because as Dr. Wayne Dyer said "as you think, so shall you be." As if that were not reason enough, regular meditation leads to better focus, less anxiety, more creativity, more compassion, less stress, and shown to diminish the decline of cognitive functioning in old age. I don't know about you but that sounds pretty good to me:)

So with all that said...I am happy to say that today is a good day to start my 21 day mediation challenge. I decided on 21 days because that seems to be the amount of time it takes to develop new habits that stick to the point where it becomes part of who we are...isn't the mind amazing!!

I would love if you could join me on this meditation mission:) We can support and motivate each other on the way...please feel free to share your stories with me. I'm sure the first few days will feel strange or funny....but that's good because I enjoy a good laugh...especially at myself:)

Happy Meditating:)




Here is one of the good websites I found explaining the benefits in more detail...just in case you need more motivation.  http://lifehacker.com/what-happens-to-the-brain-when-you-meditate-and-how-it-1202533314

My first blog post!

This is my first time ever attempting to write a blog....it was a little confusing at first, but I think I will slowly get the hang of it. After all anything new is a little tricky at first. I am excited to finally start what I've been wanting to do for a while. I decided that I just need to start and the rest will eventually fall into place. It has been my habit in the past to over prepare for things, which in some ways can be good, but then in other ways I realize it can hold me back, because you are never going to know everything and at some point you just need to take a leap of faith and begin. So YAY!!! I know I won't be perfect and know everything...who does?...right....we all know people who think they do...and we all know they are not that fun to be around.

What I do know for sure is that I want to help and Inspire others to see the unlimited potential within themselves. I want to let them know that their past does not define them, and the choices they have made along the way were all life lessons...ones which they can learn from and move on. We all have things we wish we had done differently....I know I have, but I also know that it has made me the person I am today, and I kinda like me:) so if It took all those mistakes to get me to where I am now then it was all worth it!