Weekly health challenge: meditate 5 minutes daily
Each week I will challenge you to do something healthy for the entire week and take note of the effect it has on you. I love to hear your comments…keep them coming!
Imagine a bucket filled with water. Now add some sand into it and stir it around. The water looks all cloudy and agitated. Allow the bucket to sit and be still for awhile and the sand settles to the bottom leaving you with clear water. Clarity.My dear friend Allison Corrigan, a holistic health counselor and mother extraordinaire, told me this wonderful analogy for what meditation does for the mind. Its simplicity struck me.
The constant chatter going on in our minds causes us to miss out on what is going on in our present lives. We tend to either live in the past or in the future in our minds, constantly planning for events that have yet to occur or reliving events long gone by. When we make a habit of investing the time to quiet these thoughts and practice being present, we can think more clearly, be more productive throughout the day, and approach our tasks from a place of inner wisdom and mindfulness.
Living mindfully means living in harmony with yourself and the rest of the world—waking up and paying attention to the present moment. If we are not fully present, we risk watching our life slip on by unnoticed, failing to live up to our full potential. Mindfulness is basically the direct opposite of taking your life for granted. Jon Kabat-Zinn, author of Wherever You Go, There You Are, explains “to cultivate mindfulness, you may have to remember over and over again to be awake and aware”.
Meditation needn’t involve sitting like a Buddha in your living room burning incense and chanting OHM for an hour every morning—it can if you’d like, but let’s be realistic here. Start off small. Commit to five minutes out of your day. Sit quietly, close your eyes, focus on your breathing, and just be present in your body, in the moment. It doesn’t need to be complicated.
I don’t care how busy you are…we can all spare 5 minutes for something that enhances our well being. I find the best time to practice meditation is first thing in the morning upon waking. Otherwise, life tends to get in the way. If you absolutely cannot fathom sitting still for 5 minutes, make it a moving meditation. Take your dog out for a walk and instead of running through your to do list in your mind, reliving an argument with your spouse, or composing your next blog article, clear your mind and focus on your breathing. Thoughts will pop in…that’s normal. Just acknowledge them, release them, and re-focus on your breath and being present.
Once you have mastered the 5 minutes in the morning, add in another 5 minutes right before going to bed. It will help you to get a restful night’s sleep…something all of us multi-tasking, goal oriented, stretched-too-thin people are in dire need of.
An excellent reminder! I’m up for the challenge…
Imagine – turning off for 5 minutes. I’m going to try. Does it count if we meditate in the shower? If you haven’t read the book, Eckart Tolle’s A New Earth is great for mindfulness. I was doing a pretty good job at being mindful after reading his book, but have lately forgotten much of it. Thanks for the reminder
Of course it counts if you meditate in the shower. The “where” is not the point…just the act of clearing your mind and allowing yourself to be quiet and mindful. I too love Eckart Tolle’s book…that’s a good reminder for me to get it back out to re-read. It’s one of those books you have to keep going back to because you get something different out of it each time. Good luck Laura!
good reminder, carol. Being a senior, I do this quite often…. and it sure does help. I empty thoughts I don’t like and move on to pleasent memories….. it is very calming.
uhhhhh 5 minutes when? maybe thursday
Keep up the great work