Just for this Moment!

Bonus April post! Just for this one moment....

I have an idea.... just for one moment.... STOP, pause your mental I-pod, tape or CD (whatever works for you!) .... don't even worry about what it is saying right now. Take one, full, deep, breath.... do it one more time with your eyes closed.... Be here right now..... with me!

Now, relax your shoulders, especially if you are sitting at a computer we often sit with them tensed... push them down and lengthen your neck. Next, soften your eyes a bit. Are you scrunching your face up somewhere? Maybe your forehead? Relax it a bit. Is your jaw clenched? Open it slightly.

Right now, in this moment, what do you really HAVE to do? You HAVE to breathe and your heart HAS to beat. You body and brain take care of both of those, along with a host of other things you don't have to think about, so don't worry too much about them for this moment.

Is there anything else you HAVE to do right at this exact moment? OK, you are reading... possibly sitting. Your hand may be sitting on the mouse or keyboard... or holding a page of paper, depending on how you reading this post.

You have allowed yourself 2-3 minutes to read this post. Attempt for those 2 or 3 minutes not to rush through this... [I'll make it a short one, I promise!] Try to be present in your chair, reading these words.

Is there REALLY anything else you HAVE to do right NOW?

In a while, you will HAVE to eat some food, drink some water, use the rest room..... and later sleep. Your body will let you know when each of those things is necessary... so don't worry about them for this moment either.

Take notice of what is going on around you......

Observe the area where you are sitting. Do you have pictures of your family or friends? Observe the desk or chair where you are sitting. Do you have a calendar with interesting pictures on it? A window with a view of water or trees? How often do you notice each of these things?

Do you hear anything? Music? TV? People talking? A fan, heater or air conditioner running? A dog barking? Children playing.... or in my case fighting? Even if it is loud or there are other people around, just take notice of them for a moment. Try not to judge any of it.

Do you smell anything? Is something cooking? Does the dog need a bath? ; )

What can you feel? Can you feel the chair beneath you? Are your feet on the floor? Can you feel the keys or mouse under your fingers? Have you ever noticed that before?

In this particular moment, this is really all there is "to-do"......

Later, you may have a phone call to make, work you brought home, clothes to fold, e-mail to go through, bills to pay, dinner to make, a tax return (or extension) to finish .... or a dozen or 2 other things on the to-do list, but if you have decided to continue reading this far, congratulate yourself on putting them aside and taking 2-3 minutes for yourself .... and guess what else....... doing a mini-meditation!

Notice how you are feeling.... do you feel a little bit more relaxed? Were you able to pause the mental I-pod momentarily? If you feel a bit more relaxed or enjoyed reading these few paragraphs, this post will remain here, so you can come back any time you like..... and we can do it again! Simply look in the navigation box on the top of the right column for the post, "Just for this Moment!" and take another moment for yourself!

To continue reading next month's post on Feeling Fear: Turn the Lions into House Cats! Please click here.

Here's hoping you keep your spirituality simple!
Penelope

Picture of the Month (Bonus!)

Sunset in Key West, FL, August 2003

November Question of the Month

This month we will revisit Meditation.....

I am curious how meditation is going for anyone who has chosen to begin or expand this practice? Please answer in comments section below. Chances are very good that if you have a question, problem or challenge in meditation, someone else probably has it as well!

My personal experience is that I go through times when I find meditation to be very easy and other times when it is much more of a challenge. Please read November's post below for suggestions on how to improve your beginning meditation process

The poll question of the month is.....

In the last few months, my meditation practice has

• Become easier and more frequent
• Become more difficult and less frequent
• Stayed about the same.

Thank you for your participation!

Meditation 2

Quote of the month:

We can't solve problems
by using the same kind of thinking
we used when we created them.
- Albert Einstein

At the end of last month's post, I said that we would talk about how to make changes next month. Meditation, awareness or mindfulness are such an important part of making changes that it felt important to revisit it again before moving on. Meditation gives insights into change, keep one calmer during change...and provide an important perspective as changes are made.

I want to stress here again, that I am not suggesting you make any specific changes in your life, but if you have been following along each month and identified some areas of your life that are causing you stress and YOU desire to experience your life differently, than these are simply suggestions I have found to be of use.

When we were babies, we were completely caught up in the present moment. We thought we were our bodies. When we felt hunger, we would immediately cry. As a baby we "WERE" our hunger. As we get older, we realize that our hunger is a feeling and we can separate a bit from it before resorting to crying. [...though there are some adults who are still known to become quite cranky when hungry! ;) You know who you are!!!!] As a child, we learned that we could express our feeling of hunger, ask for food and resolve the feeling, hopefully, without a tantrum.

As we grew up, other things became more important to us. Perhaps getting a new bike, hitting a baseball or winning a game. At this stage, we BECAME the bike or the win. Our sense of self was caught up in identifying with the bike, the win, etc. Again, we got older, we became able to separate ourselves emotionally from whatever it was that we wanted and thought (felt) that we HAD to have.

As teens.....the list could be endless.... let's start with, we thought we were: our hair, our clothes, our friends, our car, our boyfriend or girlfriend....any of this sounding familiar to anyone? I want to make a connection to the baby crying when it is hungry and to the teen potentially acting on emotion when it comes to any of the things listed above. Maybe a teenage boy will over-react by hitting someone, if they scratch his new car. It is similar to the baby crying when he is hungry. Even though we try as parents, to teach our children to stop and think before they act, at this point, it is very difficult for a child to see beyond the car, the friends, etc. when making decisions.

Again, as we get older, wiser, more mature, we learn that we actually CAN go on if we don't get the Gloria Vanderbilt jeans or for today's crowd....the Hollister T-shirt! At this phase of life the priorities begin to shift to college, grades, maybe a career.... A few years later maybe a spouse, family, rising in your career, your house, your children, neighborhood, organizations and associations, etc....

The point is that at each phase of life there IS typically something that we identify ourselves with. Even if we are not aware of it at the time. Actually, that is the hallmark of being identified with one of these things...that you are NOT aware of it, at least until after you have moved beyond it. If the suggestion that you may currently be identified with something sounds strange to you at first, go back through the list, back to childhood, and see if you can identify some that you have moved beyond.

These types of things that we identify ourselves with are typically the things that will be most quick to upset us (like the scratch on the car), cause stress in our lives and to which we will react most quickly with emotion rather than reason.

I am not saying that having a nice car, a good job, nice clothing... are (comma) bad things, simply that if one identifies who they are with those things... then that person may often be acting from an emotional position rather than from rational thought. One has to look no further than the headlines to find ample examples. Think back to President Nixon and Watergate for an example of a politician who was very identified with his political position..and what lengths he went to, legal and illegal, to retain that identity. For an example of someone not thinking things through, and acting on emotion, look to another headline......like a politician risking his political career by soliciting a police officer in the men's room of the Minneapolis/St. Paul (MSP) airport. For a final example, remember hearing stories of little league fathers punching the umpire over a bad call. Such stories are numerous in our headlines today.

Here is where meditation comes in...
The advantage of practicing meditation, especially regularly, is that gradually a gap is established between this emotional side of oneself and your essential nature, which is calm, joyful, insightful and rational. Slowly, that gap becomes easier to see. As this happens, one can more simply exercise restraint and detachment in the decision making process and gradually be free of emotional reactions. This allows one to be more FREE to make a choice in a given situation, even if emotions are running high.

My suggestion this month to deepen your meditation or awareness is to try to pause your mental I-pod/tape more consistently during the day, if only for short periods of time. In August, I suggested picking a repetitive activity that you do several times a day and pause the mental I-pod each time you do that activity. Another suggestion would be to do that at the top of every hour. Some people who still wear watches have a watch that will beep on the hour. This could be a reminder. You really do have time to take one full breath, once each hour. If that seems too challenging, try it when you arrive at work or school and when you arrive home. Start with what feels right for you, and like in yoga, just try to do a little bit more each day.

• Try to take one full aware breath in and out each time you do this.
  
• Try for 5 times in one day and then slowly try to increase that each day.
  
• When you pause, see if you can identify any particular thoughts going through your head at the time.
  
• Attempt, just for that one breath, to allow your mind to be free of thought.

Finally, most importantly with meditation or awareness, do NOT feel that you are doing it wrong or that you can't do it. EVERYONE feels that way about meditation...at least in the beginning!!!! EVERYONE! There really is no wrong way to do it.

Two additional quick thoughts about meditation. People tell me that they don’t meditate, because they pray. The difference between prayer and meditation is that prayer is talking (or thinking) and meditation is listening. Second, a friend of mine recently likened meditation to your diet. Not so much being on a diet, but just the actual things you eat. If you eat foods that are high in fat or sugar, you will feel tired and run down. If you eat foods that nourish your body, you will feel energized. Meditation is like the diet of your mind.

I will also briefly share one of my own simply methods that I am sure is not listed in any book of "How to" meditate, but it is what works for me. When I begin, I go through a mental checklist and intentionally think about all the things that might be on my mind....my kids, what I am going to make for dinner, a phone call I need to make, etc.... Then I set those things aside. In my method, I mentally set those things outside of my "head" (or awareness) and give myself permission to spend the next 15 or 20 minutes in "my time". This is what works for me. I'd love to hear what works, or doesn't work, for you!

As always, your feedback as well as any questions you may have or topics you may be interested in for the future you may place in the comments section below. All newsletters will be posted and archived on my blog along with other useful information at:
Simply Spirituality or
http://simplyspirituality.blogspot.com/

To continue reading the next post, Change is in the Air, click here....

Until next month....
Here's hoping you keep your spirituality simple!
Penelope

Picture of the month

Floating flowers, Key West, Florida, May 2000

Meditation

August 2008

Quote of the month:

Every breath we take, every step we make,
can be filled with peace, joy, and serenity.
We need only to be awake, alive in the present moment.

- Thich Nhat Hanh

This first issue, will focus on meditation.....but not so much on the traditional form of sitting and chanting. That has its place, but in order to introduce oneself to the idea of meditation, the first thing is just to become aware of one's thoughts. We all have a "mental CD" going in our heads nearly all of the time.... I used to call it a tape, but that dates me too much, so now it is a CD! : ) [Now it has been brought to my attention that I need to further update to an I-pod! See future posts...!]

The idea of meditation is to first become aware that the CD exists....and then to simply push the pause button on the CD player once in a while. Even if only for a few seconds at first. It is actually quite important NOT to be upset when the CD becomes "un-paused" and the thoughts return, because they will!

Also, do not try to push the thoughts out of your head....as that will only make them more persistent. The traditional description is to envision the thoughts as clouds in the sky and merely observe them, without judgement, as they float by. At this point, just noticing that the CD has come un-paused is sufficient. You may wish to pause again...or repeat it later.

There is ample information available on the benefits of meditation....stress reduction, less anxiety and depression, greater enjoyment and appreciation of life, relaxation, sense of balance in your life, insight, calmness, empathy, and awareness to name a few.

I will suggest a few simple ways to get started....without any complicated procedures or equipment.

1. Right now, become aware of breathing in and out. As you breath in, think "in" and as you breath out, think "out". Repeat.
2. The next time you are waiting in line for something and becoming impatient....use the time to become aware of the "complaining version" of your CD and focus your attention on your breath.
3. Use any sort of repetitive habit or behavior, such as brushing your teeth or picking up your car keys to take a moment to become aware of the CD and press the pause button as you complete that behavior.

Initially, I am not going to suggest any time frame....any amount of time is a start. I will suggest that even 17 focused seconds is enough to shift your vibration, your mood, your energy..... and EVERYONE has 17 seconds!

1. A simple way to focus for 17 seconds is to count your breaths up to 17. You can count "1" on the in breath and "2" on the out breath and so forth.
2. You may want to count one full in and out breath as "1".... you may get all the way to 34 seconds! : )
3. When you get to the end of the "out" breath, take just a moment to notice the space between the out breath and the start of the next "in" breath.
4. Another method would be to use a focusing tool, such as a strand of beads or a rosary to focus your attention more deeply on the breath and less on the counting. Either way, the CD is paused.
5. There is a picture of a lotus bloom at the end of the newsletter, you may wish to focus your attention on the picture while you breath.

That is it for the first issue of Simply Spirituality.....I would like to hear your feedback as well as any questions you may have or topics you may be interested in for the future. You may list them in the comments section below. All posts will be archived on my blog along with other useful information at:

Simply Spirituality or for the next post, please click the following link....

Your Thoughts Create Your Reality

Until next month....

Here's hoping you keep your spirituality simple!
Penelope

Picture of the month.....

Lotus Bloom, Butterfly World, FL, 2002