AN AMAZING TOOL

If you haven’t got a journal then make sure get hold of one ASAP, as it will play a huge part over the next 4 weeks. Journaling is an incredible tool that can act as a gateway into your own mind. When everything in your life is moving quickly it’s hard to notice the thoughts that are flying through your mind. It may even feel like you have 10 tabs open at the same time. How are you supposed to work with this? That’s where the journal comes in! When you sit down and put your thoughts down onto paper it will help you do the following:

1. Bring conscious awareness to the thoughts that you are having.
2. Give yourself time to listen to the deeper parts of yourself. Yes we all talk to ourselves!
3. Take an observers view of your own thoughts so that you can look at things logically.

Therefore, journaling can help to observe, process and rationalise your thoughts & feelings. If you want to commit to change then journaling should really become a daily habit.

HOW TO USE THE JOURNAL

BACK – I would use the back of the journal to write down snippets of information that resonate with you throughout the course.

FRONT – Perform the tasks that I suggest throughout the course in this area. Try to stick to one page at a time and don’t forget to write the date in the top corner so you can look back on how much you have progressed. You might not recognise yourself. In a good way.

JOURNALING TASK

Answering these questions now could pull you through the hard times:

1. What am I trying to change in myself by starting this journey?

2. Apart from my own, who’s life will this effect, in a positive way & how?

3. What characteristics do I need to stay consistent?

4. What potential hurdles may I face throughout the course?

5. What are my usual excuses when the going gets tough?

Write your answers down in the front of your journal. Be honest and open with yourself. This is only for you to see!

ACCOUNTABILITY

To experience the many benefits of meditation/mindfulness it’s important to have consistency. To start, you might find it tough, but through repetition and daily practice you will start to notice small breakthroughs, that turn into huge leaps in self-growth. However, this will only happen, if you stay consistent! Grow the muscle of self-discipline.

SEND THAT MESSAGE

Make yourself accountable or even better be accountable to some else. Tell a friend/partner that you are starting this course, ask for their full support and for them to check in on your progress, so that you stick with it. Have a think of who that person could be, now send the message or better tell the person face to face.

POTENTIAL BENEFITS

Increased Sense of Happiness

Improved Focus & Concentration

Improved Creativity

Reduced Pain Levels

Reduced Anxiety

Regulate Emotions

Become Calmer

Improve Sleep

Improved Immune System

Which two jump out at you the most? 

Keep these in your mind for a minute…

JOURNALING TASK – CONTRACT

This is another great way to hold yourself accountable. Make yourself a contract, including these two benefits that jump out at you and maybe some of the answers to the previous questions you asked yourself…

Here’s an example –

I (name) have committed wholeheartedly to this course and nothing will stop me from becoming the person I know I can be. I owe this to my family, but more importantly myself. I have the discipline to become a happier person and melt away stress. Come on stick with it. You can do this!

Be creative! Use words that will resonate with your future self. Words that surge you towards action and not procrastination.

Go to the front of your journal, write your statement, then underneath print and sign your name to seal the deal.

Now it’s there whenever you start to feel self-doubt creeping. Use it to remind yourself why you are doing this, then get back on it!

What comes into your mind when you hear the word meditation?

Relaxation… Monks?

When I think of the word meditation it pulls 3 words to the forefront of my mind:

FOCUS
SPACE
OBSERVATION

CONCENTRATION – In essence it is the art of being present, rooted in the the here and now. Our mind has a tendency to run down every rabbit hole and in the day and age of stimulus overload we find it hard to just be. As a result of this inability to retain focus and concentration we spend the majority of our lives living in the past or the future. If you were to compare the mind with a muscle. The past & future are the exercise (stimulus) and the present is our recovery. If you were to go to the gym and train the same muscle over and over again, day in day out it would end with injury or exhaustion. Your mind is the same. We can think obsessively, forgetting that the present is the only reality that exists and it is here that your relief from thinking lies.

SPACE – Through this refined focus and concentration, you start to slow everything down and SPACE starts to appear between your thoughts. This space allows the perfect opportunity to observe your thoughts making you consciously aware of what you are actually thinking, rather than being on autopilot the whole time.

OBSERVATION – As you start to create more space in your mind you build a greater awareness of your own thought patterns. You can then observe and choose which thoughts to connect to and which to let pass by.

WHAT ISN’T MEDITATION?

Meditation is not about clearing the mind, which to be honest is pretty hard to do. It’s about releasing your connection (letting go) to thoughts and anchoring yourself into the present moment.

This can act as a release from unconscious thinking and can also serve to give us clarity in many areas of our life.

CHOOSING THE RIGHT ENVIRONMENT

As a beginner setting the right environment for meditation is essential. You don’t want the family dog running in and licking your face, whilst your trying to find your Zen. To start, the least amount of distraction the better! I always say, ‘Let your external environment be a reflection of your internal environment’.

MAIN TIPS

Best Time – Choose a time of the day when you will be totally free of distraction. That means no kids, partners, dogs, phones and any other stimulus that may draw your attention away.

BUT, I haven’t got any time? 

You create the time for the things most important to you and trust me, the knock on effect to the rest of your day/life will definitely be worthwhile! This is the time for self-growth. I think the best time of the day to meditate is in the morning. When there is a sense of stillness & peace in the air. It’s also an amazing way to start your day, putting you into a really good headspace from the get go.

How do you usually feel when you wake up?

Saying you aren’t a morning person is an excuse that your mind will make to stop you moving towards self-development. This is the lower functioning brain talking! Like anything new you need to grit your teeth at first, repeat to create the habit and then let the good times roll. Set that intention for tomorrow! You’re going to get up 30 minutes early to set the ball rolling.

SET YOUR ALARM NOW – 30 MINUTES EARLIER

Choosing your room – Choose your room wisely! Don’t choose a room that you know may have a chance that people will come in and out of. Get your feng shui on by clearing all of the clutter from the room. Again, let the external be a reflection of what you want to achieve with the internal.

Drop the phone – Mobile devices are our biggest form of distraction in the modern world. How many times do you reach for it on a daily basis! Guess what you are building the habit of distraction, rather than the habit of focus & concentration. Put it on aeroplane mode, so you don’t get any notifications/messages etc, but have it close by as there is a cool tool on there that you can use to aid you in your journey. It may even have subtle effect on you by switching all electrical appliances off, to remove the constant buzzing sound in the background… Just an option…

Temperature – Have the room at a comfortable temperature. I go by feel with this one. However, it has been said that 15-19 degrees celsius is a great temperature. It’s not too hot so you feel all sleepy and not too cold so it distracts you.

Lighting – Preferably remove white light, have softer colours light blue or green. Have it dimmed and not shining straight in your face. You could even go for an even calmer feel with candles being your main source of light. Bright lighting and energetic colours cause distraction.

Equipment – There isn’t much equipment needed. Depending on how you decide to set up your meditation posture in one of the following videos will dictate, what you require (chair, pillows).  You will also need your journal and a pen or pencil nearby for some journaling tasks. practice is being used to enhance your life so show it the respect it deserves.

Same spot – Use the same place every time that you meditate. So that you know when you enter this space, it signifies a time to step back and go to work on yourself. Our brains like familiarity and associate certain areas with certain states. When you step into your bedroom, your brain usually feels like it’s time to relax and go to sleep. When you enter your meditation environment you will build a relationship with it over time, feeling instantly calm as you step in there

TASK

*Using the tips above setup your area, ready for meditation*

THE GATEWAY

The breath is a key fundamental of meditation and part of the 4 stage model that I have created to build your desired future self. Breath transformation will be practiced throughout the programme. In the outlay of the plan, I mentioned STILLNESS. The breath is your gateway towards stillness of the mind. Being able to still the mind may feel a million miles away at the minute? And I won’t lie to you, it’s not going to be easy to start! However, if you move towards it on a daily basis you will return to a place of peace and tranquility that your whole being will remember before your mind got so busy! Your liberation lies in something that has always been there…

BREATHING DYSFUNCTION

Breathing is a natural physiological function of the autonomic nervous system. However, over time as life speeds up, the mind speeds up and as a result of this we start to breathe erratically or even hold our breath without being consciously aware of it. We create a breathing dysfunction that can wreak havoc on our lives. Poor sleep, breathlessness, lack of energy, restricted blood flow, inflammation…

*TAKE A LOOK AT A COUPLE OF THE COMMON BREATHING DYSFUNTIONS IN THE FOLLOWING VIDEO*

Everyday of the course you will be given a task to carry out. This can range from a journaling task to a breathing meditation. It’s time to commit to positive change!

LET’S DO THIS!

POSTURE IS KEY

Our body is designed to function more efficiently, in every way, when we adopt the correct posture. Even when you are sitting in meditation, your spine should be aligned. When you slump in meditation you close down space for air to rush into the lungs, restrict blood flow and pinch areas where nerve pathways run. By increasing mindful awareness of your posture you will become more conscious during everyday life and as a result your body will function more efficiently!

What is good posture? How’s your posture? Do you catch yourself slouching?

Well now it’s time to become aware!

SETTING UP

When you think of meditation, you may think of a person in a cross legged position. That is my favourite option to be honest. However, we are all different, so it’s important to find what works for… YOU. There are a number of options to choose from. Here are a few:

1. Seated on a chair
2. Seated on a bean bag
3. Seated on a pillow
4. Lying down (most risk of falling asleep)
5. Seated on the floor

Basically pick a position that you are able to maintain a neutral spine and you feel most comfortable… Not too comfortable though, otherwise you may…. zzzzz… Fall asleep.

HOW TO SET UP YOUR POSTURE

HIPS

No matter your position I think the hips have the largest role in promoting good posture. If you tilt your hips forwards, as if you a pushing your bum up into the sky it will have a knock on effect up the whole body.

SHOULDERS

Draw the shoulders back and down slightly. Not squeezing the shoulder blades together as hard as you can. Just a gentle contraction. This will create a great position. Be sure not to pull the shoulders upwards as this can create unneeded tension in the neck.

HEAD

Try to lengthen up through the top of the head towards the sky. This doesn’t mean tilting your head back. So, make sure you keep your chin parallel to the ground.

HANDS

Find a comfortable position for the hands. Maybe overlapped, on your lap or palms facing upwards on your knees.

And there you go!

*CHECK OUT THE VIDEO AND FIND WHAT WORKS FOR YOU*

DAILY MEDITATION

From this point onwards you will be given a daily meditation (part of your daily tasks). This may be one or a combination of breathing/mindfulness techniques. It will slowly increase in time as the plan moves forwards.

Our 1st breathing technique is called wave breathing and focuses upon breathing mechanics. When we become trapped in our own minds, we tend to favour a shallow inefficient breath, in turn forgetting about our connection to the body and as I mentioned earlier, creating a breathing dysfunction. So we basically have to strip it all back and learn how to breath again! Sounds crazy, right?!

When you are learning a new skill there needs to be repetition. Think of one of the skills you pride yourself upon… Did that just come naturally to you? Or did you have to work for it? Well there you go, it’s the same when trying to install the habit of efficient breathing. You will thank me for it in the near future…

At the same time don’t beat yourself up if you miss a day. Accept that you have strayed from the path and then jump straight back on it!

BREATHING MECHANICS

– Adopt your preferred position for meditation, as shown in the posture video.

– It might be a weird sensation breathing into your stomach (the bottom of your lungs), especially if you have shallow breathing that comes from your chest. It’s important to use your full lung capacity and that means using both your stomach and your chest.

– Place one hand on your stomach and one on your chest.

– Breathe into your stomach filling it like a balloon so that you can feel your bottom hand rise. You are using your diaphragm an important respiratory muscle, which is linked to your parasympathetic nervous system. The rest and digest part of the central nervous system (check out the video below)

– Then send the breath to your chest with the stomach full of air. You will feel the chest rise as well.

– Now exhale from the chest, followed by the stomach.

– Repeat the process until you have completed the stated amount of breaths.

It might be tricky to start, but you will get plenty of practice over the coming weeks.

*START YOUR JOURNEY WITH THE BREATH IN THE NEXT VIDEO*

*TRY TO KEEP SCORE EVERY DAY, IT WILL BE AWESOME TO LOOK BACK UPON*

You will feel your energy levels rise rapidly and the morning fog clear from your mind. From this positive start you are in a great place to start meditation!