If you're feeling down, unmotivated, stuck in a rut, or disconnected from the simple joys of life, here's a quick and easy exercise.
This is an especially great one to do in the morning, right after you wake up, when you're laying in bed thinking, 'Ugggghhhhh.... morning.' Imagine that each cell of your body has a face, and suddenly each one BURSTS out with, "Laaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!" See each cell of your body singing mouth WIDE open with joy. Imagine each cell singing with joy purely because it exists. Then imagine the cell realizes it's a part of something that composes you and it sings even louder and with even more gusto. Imagine all of the cells of your body singing with joy over the state of their and your existence in this Universe. Imagine this in the cells of your liver, your heart, stomach, bones, muscles, brain, lungs, blood, nerves, skin, brain and so on. Focus on individual cells and the whole parts they compose, just letting your focus drift around with this visual. It doesn't matter if you feel anything or if you don't believe your cells would ever be this exuberant over the idea of just being (especially first thing in the morning). Don't doubt it or let your thoughts convince you to stop. If a thought comes in that says something like, Nothing in you is this happy and excited, then simply respond with, Shhhhhh, I'm just trying this. I'll get back to you later. Try and gently shush those naysaying thoughts without feeling the need to heed them as some ultimate truth. Also try to resist judging, condemning or forcefully pushing them away. Just imagine this for as long as you can while simultaneously allowing any thoughts that arise to do so - but at the same time, don't expect those thoughts or wait for them. If you do have them, these thoughts can help you find the source of your initial feelings of being unmotivated, down, and uninspired. If no specific thought arises, it doesn't mean you can't get out of your rut - it could mean anything from your feelings are too general to pinpoint in a thought, to you're not ready to know, and the exercise is enough for now. Although down and pessimistic thoughts aren't the final word about you or your life, they are important, because they can lead you to what led to their creation. But again, all you must do is acknowledge them for now, and then tell them to patiently wait quietly until you're ready to dig into what's really going on. Your thoughts will obey, so long as you remember you created them, and they belong to you, and not the other way around. You are the owner of your thoughts, and you can tell them to be quiet just as easily as you can summon them up. Close your eyes, start the exercise, and hear, see and sense with your inner senses this singing. Every cell inside of you is singing with joy. Let it rise up and flood your mind, body and spirit. When you're done sit quietly (or lay still if you're in bed) and breathe deep. Feel into your Inner Guide and trust that if there is something for you to know at this time, the answers will come, and in the way that is perfect for you.
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Above is a track of nature sounds I put together on the nature sounds for me website. It's 5 minutes long and very soothing.
For this meditation, close your eyes and take a few deep breaths. Breathe in deep and center into yourself. Imagine you are on a path in a warm, tropical forest. You are alone here in this natural sanctuary. You feel at peace, calm, and in the process of rejuvenation. At a casual pace you walk to the waterfall, continuing to breathe deep as you go. Breathe in the fresh air and feel the warmth on your skin, relaxing your body and allowing you to open up and breathe even deeper. As you approach the waterfall you see the cool, blue lagoon of the water it pours into. It begins to rain slightly. You duck under the rock outcrop and step out of the rain. As you sit on a rock you feel yourself cool to a comfortable temperature. The rain and waterfall soothe you into a deep state of relaxation. Breathe deep, and spend this time as you like. Walk under the waterfall if you like, letting it wash through your energy field and all over your body. Or just sit, relaxing and refreshing and enjoying nurturing yourself. This time is for you. numinous(adj.) describing an experience that makes you fearful yet fascinated, awed yet attracted - the powerful, personal feeling of being overwhelmed and inspired
- from other-wordly.tumblr.com Photo by Diueine One of the things that can keep us from experiencing the changes we seek is getting anxious about when and how what we want will show up. For example, we want a loving partner so badly that as we meditate our energy is not actually aligning with the joy of a relationship, but rather feeling into all of the negative feelings associated with it not being there. You might be repeating in your mind, "I want a loving partner that supports me in all facets of my life." But the feeling inside you might be, "I'm lonely. I never have anyone to share my interests with. I'm scared to date because all my past relationships were so awful."
One way around this is to be playful with it, to turn the words around so they feel lighter. I've heard using the wording, "Wouldn't it be nice if...." can help us ease into what we want, rather than fight against it. I.E. "Wouldn't it be nice if I got the promotion?" rather than, "I really want the promotion! I NEED the promotion!" Personally, I've found the wording, "I wonder..." really helps me get out of my past memories and associations and just open up to what it is I truly want to feel and explore. For example, "I wonder how I will find my ideal partner...." or "I wonder how it will feel when I get my promotion" or "I wonder how I will get the money for my trip next year." I find "I wonder..." carries a special vibration and really opens me up and bounces me out of the feelings that are holding me back. It seems to help soften everything, and when negative or countering thoughts do come up, I don't feel ambushed by them or that I need to suppress them. There's something playful and open about the words, "I wonder..." that brings our soul to it's happy place, back to that playful feeling of daydreaming and believing anything is possible. Give this a try and see if it doesn't give you a new, more open and more positive perspective on things. I wonder what magic will show up in your life when you try this? The best thing is you don't need extra time to do it. While you cook, drive to work, etc., just for a moment, let yourself be open and as free as possible and ask, "I wonder what step will show up today to bring me toward my dream life?" I love this series of videos on the MAKERS website. They all feature women but these stories of finding yourself, facing adversity and choosing to be true to yourself can be related to by everyone. I really loved Ellen's videos because it's so easy to forget that the road she walks on is one she built herself. After she came out and everything had turned against her, she carried on and refused to believe that was the end of her journey. Her second video is short and simple but has great moment of owning who you are, and using I AM to stand in your sense of self. I also loved Val Demings' video because she has such a sweet spirit, but took on such a tough role. I could post tons more, they're all short and have great wisdom in them. Check these out and hop over to the MAKERS website for more. |