MaXIMIze - Spiritual Health - Meditation

For me, meditation is a practice of quieting the mind by focusing on the breathing. It is also a practice of acknowledging thoughts that stop by as I'm meditating and then letting them go on through rather than stopping and chatting with them a while. There is no judgement, joy, sadness or fear when the thoughts come through as I am meditating, merely a "hello, yes I acknowledge your presence as you go through my mind" and then a refocus on my breathing.

By practicing as little as three to five minutes of meditation, my mind regains clarity from what could be chaos, and is able to more sharply focus on the heart of what matters instead of the "what if," "if only," and other thoughts that breed fear and stagnation rather than growth and movement.

I meditate by either sitting cross-legged with my hands palm-up on my knees or by lying in corpse pose, on my back, feet a little bit apart, arms at my sides, my hands palm-up. In either position, I breathe slowly and purposefully in through my nose, filling my belly and lungs fully. I hold for a beat or two, or four if I am really agitated at the beginning of the meditation session, then exhale through my nose, emptying first my lungs then my belly fully. Inhale, hold, exhale.

After a few breaths like this to clear the mind and body of tension, I sit or lie quietly breathing normally for a few minutes. If thoughts begin to stay around rather than pass through, I bring my attention back to my breath for a few counts.

I find that meditating in the morning before I get ready for the day - work or weekend - helps me deal with any stressors that come up in a much calmer fashion than I once would have.

I also find that meditating prior to going to bed or even taking a nap helps me sleep better, deeper, and longer, and awake more refreshed than trying to sleep with a head full of thoughts clamoring for attention.

So, my challenge to you during this month of focus on spiritual health is to find a few minutes each day to meditate and see what changes occur within you because of it.

Next week, I'll share some other mindful activities and some thoughts from people I turn to for spiritual guidance and inspiration.

Until next time, Namaste!