The Week With All The Meditation
January 17, 2012 in 52 Delights Project
Here we are, another week of the 52 Delights Project where I change small things to see if it makes a big (and positive) difference in my life.
THE WEEK THAT WAS
So, did my sleep improve last week? Yes and no. I can tell that my body benefited from a regular bed time and less stimulation before I went to sleep. I also loved doing a small sleeping meditation (Gabrielle Bernstein’s Sleeping Meditation podcast) and have just started taking melatonin so I’ll update on that down the track.
I think it’s hard to take complete control over something like your sleeping patterns as so many different factors out of your control can have an impact. The heat was one such factor that disrupted my sleep last night – not much you can do about that if you’re sans-air conditioning like we are. Sometimes things happen in your life that stress you out and you’re unable to shake it even when you’re sleeping. I find that I have very vivid dreams when this happens to me and never seem to wake feeling refreshed.
In saying that, taking a few steps to calm yourself before bed is a fantastic idea. I am going to take all the things I tried and attempt to create a mini bed time ritual that ensures I have the best sleep possible every night. Do you have a ritual that you use? I’d love to hear about it!
Photo by Gwoeii H
THIS WEEK
I have always been terrible at meditation. I’m one of those people who tries to shut off their brain, but ends up writing an entire screenplay while they’re trying to empty their thoughts. But I’m willing to give it a serious go this week and see if I can learn how to quieten my mind. Everyone says it’s a skill that can be learned, don’t they?
I will be downloading a few free/cheap apps and podcasts to assist me on my “quest for enlightenment”. I seem to relax into meditation a lot better when it’s guided by a voice and I have things to focus on (affirmations, breathing patterns, words etc). I have a yoga mat that lives in the lounge room that will be my “place of meditation”. I think it’s best to find a place that you don’t associate with the noise of life (avoid rooms where you use the computer, watch TV etc).
Wish me luck unwinding this week – I’ll be in Queensland catching up with a few fabulous bloggers from Thursday to Saturday so will be doing my meditation on the road!
Do you regularly meditate? Do you have any suggestions for a novice?
Good luck!! My advice would be to not to actually try to quiet your mind, just look at the thoughts objectively as they arise, acknowledge them and then let them go. In a kind of “look at what my mind is thinking now” way. I find that doing this helps my mind to quiet itself :) x
Thanks Hayley, that’s great advice. I often find that I get frustrated with my brain not being “still enough”. I’ll be a little kinder to it from now on. xx
I’m really trying to make meditation a part of my day. I had an amazing Reiki treatment over the weekend, and I think for the first time in my life I properly zoned out & completely relaxed. It was fantastic, and afterwards I was so floaty and relaxed!
I agree with Haley, sometimes quietening your mind completely is difficult. Which is why, as a novice too, I love creative visualising. I love Shakti Gawain’s book ‘Creative Visualisation’. It’s full of lovely techniques including the pink bubble. I’d definitely recommend! – Jenn x
Wow, I’ve never had a Reiki treatment Jennifer, but you’ve certainly inspired me to get one! Thanks for the book rec too, I need all the help I can get. ;) xx
I’m the same, I find a voice or repetitive noise keeps me in the right frame – my yoga instructer does the best meditations ever! I’ve started doing ten minutes every morning and I’ve found that keeping it nice and short works quite well.
Thanks for the tips Courtney! Short and sweet seems to work best for me too. :) x