This meditation technique takes only a few minutes, but it can help to release resistance, center you and bring in feelings of calm and well-being. To do this, all you are going to do is breathe in and out and count. On the first breath, breathe in for a count of one and out for a count of one. On the second breath, breathe in for two and out for two. On the third breath, breathe in for three and out for three. Continue with this until you get to 10. Try to breathe into your heart and out from it with each breath. Keep breathing. Keep going, until you get to 10. When you get to 10, do it again in reverse. Breathe in for 9 and out for 9, breathe in for 8 and out for 8 and so on, until you are back at one. If you feel up to it, you can repeat the counting and breathing cycle again. If you felt a lot of heavy resistance pass during the breathing, imagine a bright white light in your heart at the end of the meditation. Let that light pulse through you, flowing to every corner with each beat of your heart. After you may also have the desire to sit quiet and hear your inner guidance. You can try breathing into your heart with a question. Ask yourself a question you've really been seeking an answer to, such as, "Why am I still stuck?" See the words going into your heart for a few breaths, maybe 3 or 4. Then sit quiet, don't force it, and wait for the answer to be softly whispered from your heart. It might not be what you expect, and that's why this is a wonderful thing to do after the breathing exercise. Your mind will be quiet, you will be still, centered and ready to hear what your heart has to say. Whatever you hear, trust it is right for you.
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It begins with a rumble and we're falling. Falling. Free falling to the ground. It's terrifying and exciting. Where will I go this time? How long will I get to stay?
I land on a leaf and each time I'm down it's always the same: it's like the first time. I feel so free and different here. I can feel the air on my edges, I can feel where I stop and the wind begins. I can feel that I am something, and small or not, I am real. I can feel that I am a solid part of this glorious world. There is no feeling like that moment you realize again what you are and what you are a part of. Sometimes I feel like what I do here can be about numbers. I can see the number of people who like my Facebook page, how many come to this website daily, and how many like the blog posts I write. Although I create my website from my own experiences, I share my stories and journey for others, with the intention that it serves as a light on the path of someone who feels they are wandering around in darkness. I really don't want to feel like I'm serving a number, but people, so today I'm just going to take a moment and say hello! Today I am reminding myself that someone real, someone important, someone walking their own path full of obstacles and highs and lows, is going to read this. I know sometimes we hesitate to send a message because we don't want to intrude or take up a person's time, but I am always excited and honored when one of my website visitors takes the time to message me. If you ever get the urge to comment or send a message and say hello please do! People who connect with me here and on my page are like guests in my home, they've come for a reason, because of a feeling that we're spiritually connected, almost like a soul family, and that we're not doing this alone. We may never meet in person, but we have experiences, feelings and dreams that connect us. Knowing people come and share in this experience with me is something I feel gratitude for every day. When you come to my website there's going to be at least one other person looking at it (based on the website statistics I receive). And this is what truly humbles me. I cannot make it have a feeling of community, a feeling that you're not alone, by myself. It's you, and everyone else that comes by, that really does make it feel like my home, like a warm place where people gather and find a moment to just be. And because you're important, and you're here and sharing in this journey with me, I'd like to do more than say hello. I'd like to share a virtual cup of coffee with you. This is kind of cheesy, I know, but I felt grumpy and down this morning so I'm in the mood for cheesy. If we were having coffee you'd ask how I'm doing. And I'd tell you - this morning I didn't feel motivated or very inspired. I haven't reached some goals I'm aiming for, and I felt down. I didn't feel what I'm doing is good enough. But this is why I have my mantra, one step at a time. So today my step isn't about writing or sending out pitches. It's just about getting my good feeling back. And that's enough. That's my step for today, and it's an important one.
And then I'd ask you. How are you doing? You don't have to actually tell me. But I would like you to take a moment to ask yourself how you're doing. What's going on in your life? Take a deep breath, and think about you for a second. Write your thoughts down in a journal, or just hold them in your heart for a moment, and then release them. Whatever you do just know someone cares, I care, and if I could meet you for coffee and ask in person I would. But for now, we've got this space, and I'm grateful you're here.
In trying to live our best life we often come across these singular lines of thought that are supposed to be the key to getting what we want. Some examples:
"The person at the top of the mountain didn't fall there."
There is just no way around it. If you want to be a writer then you must be persistent in your efforts and your ability to learn. You cannot positive-think yourself into gaining experience. You must take steps, and then more steps, and then many, many more. That might sound heavy, but if you're going for your dream you will find rewards and gifts with those steps. Is there anything worth having in this world that doesn't take persistence? What about being an artist, a doctor, or a restaurant owner? Or what about learning to love yourself so that you can be in a loving relationship? None of those things can be made manifest overnight. And I sincerely hope my doctor learned by persisting through medical school, rather than by using positive-think to just manifest a degree out of thin air.
I want to reiterate that positive-think and self-talk are essential to the process. Using the law of attraction can be very powerful and kind of shocking when you start paying attention to how it works, whether it be for or against you. Anyone going through medical school who constantly visualizes failure is eventually going to experience failure. I am only suggesting someone use the positive visualization tools WITH action steps. I use many various tools myself, my favorite being a gratitude journal. I also use the tool of meditation every day. But I never forget that this is about me growing and expanding as a person and taking steps that sometimes scare me, sometimes show me my weaknesses, but always lead to the next breakthrough.
Here are some more famous quotes about keeping going to keep you going:
Patience and perseverance have a magical effect before which difficulties disappear and obstacles vanish.
- John Quincy Adams Courage doesn't always roar, sometimes it's the quiet voice at the end of the day whispering 'I will try again tomorrow'. ― Mary Anne Radmacher I don't believe in failure. It is not failure if you enjoyed the process. - Oprah Winfrey Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not: nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not: the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. - Calvin Coolidge I'm convinced that about half of what separates the successful entrepreneurs from the non-successful ones is pure perseverance. - Steve Jobs Competition has been shown to be useful up to a certain point and no further, but cooperation, which is the thing we must strive for today, begins where competition leaves off. photo by Laura Bittner
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