Long gone is the idea that in order to meditate you need wear a white robe while sitting on top of a mountain for hours or years, chanting om. Today, meditation has become the hottest new wellness activity and it’s only getting hotter! It also has quite a few celebrity fans including Lena Dunham, Giselle, Eva Mendes, Russell Simmons and even Kourtney Kardashian.
The transformation meditation can create in your life is profound. For many people though, meditation is still a bit of a mystery. There are still those who consider meditating to be journaling, a long walk on the beach or any act that creates deep relaxation. While all of these activities can be extremely powerful, they are in fact, not the same as meditating.
So what is meditation?
Meditation is the simple, yet complex, act of sitting in stillness and silence for a dedicated period of time each day. As you focus on your breath you keep your mind as clear of thoughts as possible without exerting too much energy. Thoughts will come and go. When you notice you are thinking, you can gently nudge your attention back to your breath. A morning meditation is a powerful practice to set your intention for what comes next. It is a way to recalibrate your mind, body, and spirit for the day ahead. Meditation can be used to calm the mind and you can use the moments directly following meditation to plant the seed of an intention for a specific purpose or idea. The internal peace and calm that meditating creates makes it an effective tool to create MORE LOVE in every area of your life.
I’ve taught thousands of people all over the world how to create a meditation practice. The positive effects of a dedicated practice hold the power to deeply impact the quality of your daily life. The simple act of present moment awareness that meditation reinforces helps you release the past and your limiting scripts. Learning to be mindfully present in your life allows you to let go of what is not serving you and fill your life with what will.
Want more PEACE, more JOY & MORE LOVE in your life? #MEDITATE @Terri_Cole
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Meditation has become one of the cornerstones of my life, my psychotherapy/coaching practice and an integral part of my winning formula for helping clients overcome a host of issues to create lives they love and love-filled lives!
You can learn about meditation from a book or class. However, the only way to truly experience its effects is by doing it. Below I’ll give you three steps to help you understand exactly how to meditate.
1. Desire & Follow Through
To do anything successfully, you must have the desire to accomplish your goal and the willingness to follow through. Deciding that you want to create a meditation practice is you saying, “YES!” to a calmer, more zen and more loving you. Now it is up to you to do it!
2. Timing
All you need to do is set your phone alarm or an egg timer for ten minutes as soon as you wake up, get your tush on a pillow and before you know it, your meditation is done and you are ready to take on the day. Write down any changes you experience along the way. If you feel better, keep doing it!
3. Make it Juicy
When you add special elements to your meditation it becomes a unique experience to you. I personally create a Zen Den wherever I am meditating by inhaling calming lavender oil, lighting candles and plugging in my twinkle lights. Whether I am at home or on the road I set myself up for success by surrounding myself with crystals, mala beads and whatever else inspires me. This external Zen Den reminds me to tend to my internal Zen Den by meditating. All of these elements help me relax even deeper into a zone where I can tap into my innermost peace and power.
Lastly, to get the most out of meditation, it is important to make your practice an actual routine. Meditation is to your central nervous system what the gym is to your body. And we all know you don’t get the butt of your dreams by going to the gym once, right? The same goes for meditation. I often encourage those who are just starting to meditate, or to those who have fallen off the “zen” wagon, to commit to twenty-one days to really get the routine in place.
Wouldn’t it be so much easier and more fun if you had someone to guide you daily for twenty-one days? And if you could be spending those three weeks with a groovy group of thousands of like-minded souls from all over the world? And wouldn’t it be AMAZING if you could do it all from the comfort of your own couch??
Wouldn’t it be even cooler if the entire experience was FREE??
Ask and you shall receive!
I just happen to have a totally FREE 21-Day More Love Meditation Series starting on Monday, October 5th!
I hope you decide to join me for the MORE LOVE Meditation Series. Say YES to a calmer, more inspired, MORE LOVE filled future!!
As always, take care of you.
Love Love Love,
Terri
Terri Cole is a licensed psychotherapist, transformation coach, and an expert at turning fear into freedom. Sign up for Terri’s weekly Tune Up Tips and follow her on Twitter.
Image courtesy of dallaluna
