Recently I found myself under a fair amount of stress. I was dealing with unexpected circumstances outside of my control. I got focused, took charge of the tasks at hand and used humor to make light of a demanding situation. Despite that, I found myself feeling agitated by my surroundings. I was clearly affected by the situation at hand.
The following day I led a meditation. This was one on groundedness and becoming conscious of the quality of our thoughts. We began with slow deep breathing while allowing our bodies to root into the ground below us. We spent time simply being mindful of our breath while feeling the weight of our bodies become heavier and heavier with each exhalation. We dropped into a state of deep relaxation, taking our time embracing each simple moment.
We began to shift our focus to the quality of our thoughts, savoring each one as if it were a precious gift. We brought our attention to peace and stayed with it, breathing in and breathing out peace. We brought our attention to love, taking time to experience it fully within our minds, our bodies and our spirit. We brought our attention to happiness and so on.
Thereafter, we acknowledged and honored the spirit within us. Circling back to our breath and our state of groundedness, we set our intentions for the day and completed our practice. It wasn’t until the following day that I felt myself getting caught up in the business of life again, with a racing mind to get to all the tasks at hand.
Mediation is a practice and the quality of our lives truly does depend on the quality of our thoughts. Just becoming mindful of our thoughts each moment is a win. The more you practice a behavior, the more it becomes who you are and a state you will naturally resort back too.
There is a quote by Pema Chordon, that says:
“You're the sky and everything else is the weather.”
In other words, whatever is happening in your life, will pass!
One of the greatest benefits of practicing meditation and mindfulness is not just while you are practicing in a peaceful environment, but when you are able to take that practice into the middle of a storm and remain calm and at peace.
With that being said, here are some simple steps to help you do just that!
Breathe, relax and ground yourself.
Become mindful of the moment.
Remember to choose quality thoughts and savor them.
I hope that these simple steps help you when the sky of your life, experiences turbulent weather.