Many people think of meditating as something done in a certain way, usually in a sitting or lying position while focusing on the breath.
But the truth is you can meditate anytime, anywhere.
You can turn any mundane task into an opportunity to practice mindfulness, such as brushing your teeth, making your bed, cooking dinner, and even showering.
Meditating in the shower is an excellent alternative if you’re short on time or aren’t interested in more traditional meditations.
Feeling stressed, disoriented, depressed, anxious, or just worn out?
People keep telling you that you need to get back into nature, go to the beach, take more walks, etc.
But you’re having a hard enough time just getting things done.
It’s been too long since you felt really connected to the Earth — or yourself, for that matter.
You’re about to change that with the guided grounding meditations in this post.
You and the Earth make a phenomenal team.
Let’s find out why.
Helping others doesn’t necessarily mean donating millions to charity or volunteering for fifty hours a week. Rather, it can involve approaching life with a fresh generosity of spirit, a simple giving-ness that is its own joy.
But how can we develop these qualities? Loving-kindness meditation, or “metta bhavana,” offers us the key. The Sanskrit word for meditation is “bhavana” which literally means “to cultivate.”
In this way, we can see meditation as a process of cultivating positive qualities of mind, rather than some state of hyper-concentration.
So “metta bhavana” means the “cultivation of loving-kindness.”
Loving-kindness (or lovingkindness) itself can be defined as non-judgmental, compassionate acceptance, and awareness of ourselves and others.
Meditation is a hot topic nowadays.
So many people swear by its benefits, and maybe you’ve already discovered some yourself.
Perhaps you’ve also found solace in prayer — or you know someone who has.
What if you pray and meditate?
As you’ll see further on, for all their differences, the two are not mutually exclusive.
Praying and meditation can even complement each other.
So, how are they different?
And what’s with the stigma against meditation in Christian circles?
Two hundred years ago, the planning and preparation of meals dominated the time and energy of a family.
Crops had to be grown and tended.
Animals were slaughtered, butchered, and then the meat was dried and preserved.
Women would rise early to prepare meals on the hearths of brick fireplaces.
Every meal was prepared from scratch, every single day.
It wasn’t until the turn of the century and the Industrial Revolution that kitchens became more modernized and food preparation wasn’t the time-consuming effort it once was.
You may be aware of the power of mindfulness to help you act with intention instead of reacting thoughtlessly.
Being present in the moment brings clarity to understand your situation and take meaningful action.
Mindfulness, however, is not limited to your inner world.
You can apply the same concept to communication.
By communicating mindfully, you increase understanding between both parties.
Greater comprehension yields positive results in your interactions and relationships.
I suffered from it for years.
At times it was debilitating.
Sometimes it made me physically ill.
I’m sure there are times when you deal with it too.
Stress and anxiety. The feeling of overwhelm. A racing heart. Unexplained dread. Looping thoughts. Panicky feelings. Exhaustion.
Life IS stressful. All of the normal, everyday stimuli, demands, and deadlines alone create plenty of anxiety.
Piled on top of that, I created even more stress by demanding too much from myself and then feeling stressed about my anxiety. I just kept layering it on, blind to how I was manufacturing much of my own suffering.
Not until I got serious about a mindfulness practice was I able to find a sustainable exit ramp from anxiety. I still have stress, and there are still times I feel anxious.
If you live in the same busy world as the rest of us, you often spend your days multitasking and doing a million things while never actually getting anything accomplished.
During your rush to accomplish all those necessary tasks, you probably find yourself losing your connection with the present moment, missing out on fully experiencing what you’re doing and how you’re feeling.
Mindfulness is the practice of intentionally focusing on the present moment and accepting it for what it is without judgment.
The ability to shift your focus away from your controlling thoughts and toward awareness of the present in a non-reactive way is the key to mindfulness.
You don’t think about your experiences as being positive or negative; instead, you observe and experience them objectively.
Mindfulness meditation is like any other new habit — it takes practice. It can take years of meditating to reach any level of real mastery. But even as a beginner, you will enjoy many benefits from a meditation practice.
Fortunately, there are some great digital tools that can help shorten the learning curve and improve your success with meditation.
We’ve done the research and put together a list of resources that can help you live in the present moment.
What do star soccer player Carli Lloyd, actor Jim Carey, Media Mogul Oprah Winfrey, gold medal skier Lindsey Vonn and award-winning TV and movie star Will Smith have in common?
Well, the commonality between these successful people has many names. Some people call it “the power of positive thinking.”
Other people like to say these people have an incredible sense of focus, or they pray to get the results they expect.
However you want to describe the abilities, these people are able to reach new heights, achieve incredible things, and bask in celebrity status.
But even though these and thousands of other people seem superhuman in their achievements, they are still like all of us in many ways.
Yesterday my head spun off, whirling away in a maelstrom of mental exhaustion and overwhelm.
It had had enough of my internal angst, so it disengaged and rolled into the corner in protest.
It’s now patiently waiting for me to place it back on my shoulders and treat it more kindly.
Give it some breathing room.
Stop tormenting it.
Of course, my head is still attached, but it certainly felt like it was spinning off.
It felt like all of the coils and springs had popped out like a cartoon character who has finally reached the end of its tether.
After a stressful weekend driving through a snowstorm, dealing with some family drama, and replaying my worries and frustrations over and over in my mind, my mental state was scattered and frazzled, to say the least.
Do you ever feel this way?