Soul searching, self-development and meditation
Today’s subjects – soul searching, self-development, and meditation – should be part of your life on a daily basis. But today is a reminder to take a deeper look at how your actions impact your life and the people around you.
Have a look at your current practice what works and what doesn’t – and what needs to change! This is what this symbol is about – it prompts you to look at your practice as a whole. It prompts you to expand and find new ways/topics/methods.
Discover a new method of meditation, revise the way you currently practice and if you are not practicing at all (yet) it may be the encouragement you need to start a simple routine.
Most people prefer to be alone when meditating. So read a good book on this subject or download an app or audiobook. There are many good ones to choose from. If you think you prefer to join a group/class where you can get extra guidance. It does not matter how you achieve deep relaxation. Often simple routines have the best outcomes, as you can do them frequently.
Meditation for Beginners:
For all those new to meditating -try this simple exercise -all you need is 5 minutes of undisturbed rest time. It could be on your bus, at your desk between calls, in the shower and it can be done multiple times over a day, especially when you are very stressed!
Step 1 In the first minute just concentrate on 5 things that you can see. Don’t let your brain engage why this object is here, how did it get here, who it belongs to. Or even did I forget to put this and that on the shopping list. No – just look calmly at 5 objects, people, etc that you can see and stay in the moment. Notice the shape, the colour and stay just focused on these 5 objects
Step 2 The next minute you concentrate on 4 things that you can hear and the same rules apply
Step 3 The next minute you concentrate on 3 things you can touch. It could be your foot in the shoe, the hand on the desk, etc.
Step 4 Now concentrate on 2 things that you can smell. If you can’t smell anything, you may want to start introducing the sense of smell into your world. Place flowers on your desk, at an aromatic candle, etc. or imagine something you like to smell – fresh coffee, roses, a certain perfume – stay in the moment, just concentrate on this sensation.
Step 5 Eat one bite of something or have a sip of tea and concentrate on the taste. Whilst doing so breathe extra, extra deeply in and out – you could now close your eyes if you can. But stay with the sensation of the taste.
Now you should have considerably calmed down. Repeat as often as you need.
Here are some articles that you may find useful: