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Articles from CONTINUUM'S: YOUR MEDITATION COACHING SPACEMasochistic Behaviour Masochistic Behaviour“It seems that when some people talk of compassion, they have the notion that it entails a total disregard or even a sacrificing of one’s own interests. This is not the case. In fact, genuine love should first be directed at oneself – if we do not love ourselves, how can we love others?” says His Holiness The Dalai Lama. It’s hard to honour your own existence when you’re in overwhelm. One way you can break its gripping power is to reach out to yourself, and show some tender, loving mercy for those parts in you that might be aching, anxious or upset. It’s one of the best things you can do to reclaim your sense of self, and if not you, who else is going to anyway? Unfortunately, most of us wait until we fall on our own sword, before we even begin to seek help. Masochistic behaviour such as this, reflects a lack of self worth and borders on guilt and martyrdom, because we have lost the ability to feel and respond appropriately, in the mad rush to make something happen or get somewhere. Imagine, defusing tension and worry through purposeful direct action. In our Self-Care Meditation training we suggest the following: Create a place in your mind that you love which brings you pleasurable sensations in your body. Choose a place where you can view all that you love. Stay with this one choice and allow the experience to flood your senses as you bathe your body in what you love. Keep it body based as you allow your intrinsic intelligence to guide you towards how much loving attention you need. Imagine yourself there for two minutes, 20 minutes or longer, and you will become calmer and your options will become clearer. When we meditate, confidence is not a pre-requisite, it’s an outcome. Arian Back to top of page & article menu Ten Ways Towards Self-CareA component of our Workspace Meditation training is the education of
self-care for busy people. Who isn’t busy today stuck inside their head with thoughts and conversations, frantic
in their heart or, busy trying to move forward? Whatever it is for you, it’s worth paying close attention to
your needs; because there’s no time like the present, to go into self-care. Here are ten really useful ways to
help you get more from life. 7. Get some sunlight everyday, somehow, without burning. 15 minutes
daily will help your Vitamin D levels, mood and bones. 10. Let yourself day dream. This one isn’t just for kids. Daydreaming is an instinctive rest mode, the body yearns for it, but being super busy adults, we have lost the art of letting ourselves wander and wonder. Reside in the moment of just being, without stopping yourself. Arian Back to top of page & article menu Taste SensationHere’s something to think about. What makes a fresh salad different from a commercial burger? And what makes lettuce and tomatoes grown in the rich soil of a well cared for home garden, taste different from the salad in your last commercial burger? Is there an actual difference some of you might be asking? Sure thing, when it comes to taste, quality, value, experience, and satisfaction; the real thing can’t be matched. How long has it been since you’ve had the pleasure of being awake to the food you eat? Food that you actually chew, eat and swallow with your own presence in real time? Are you someone who gobbles food down at mealtimes in less than 10 minutes? Is it a chore just to get it over and done with? Or have you eaten so quickly that you have no recall that you ate at all? Medical studies have shown that when we slow down to eat with increased awareness, we encourage essential enzymes that promote the much needed peristaltic action of our digestive system. This helps to break down food in to vital blood, body fluids and energy. Not only do we encourage good economy in preventing constipation, feeling less bloated and controlling excess weight - we’re dilating our senses towards a more pleasurable and sensuous experience that can only be healing. We could all benefit from taking a page from the Slow Food Movement founded in Italy in 1986 to combat fast food, because very few people have what I call a healthy relationship with food. Now what has eating got to do with meditation? Everything! The practice of eating with increased awareness trains you to open your senses to Be Here, to Awaken to the flow of Now! Do you really know what you like and dislike based on the awaken ability to notice and observe? The next time you eat a meal, cultivate your awareness and increase your appreciation for real food to transform your eating experience: Bring your senses to the table. Dive into your senses as you: see, smell, taste, touch and hear. Delight in the presentation of your meal with its colours, textures and shapes. Allow the aromas to waft and linger through your nose and down your throat. Notice your appetite. Are you hungry? Are you in an appreciative mood? When you chew to masticate your food, notice your teeth, the sensations inside of your mouth, the movement of your jaws, the shape of your face. Taste your food as you relish each morsel. Is it salty, sour, sweet, pungent, bitter or something else? Notice the temperature around your lips and inside your mouth, it’s viscosity, the moisture of the food. Become aware of the sensations on your tongue and inside your mouth. Touch and play with your food during preparation and cooking time. Pay attention to the physical sensation of the food held in your fingers or hand: notice its texture, form, firmness, temperature, and so on. Preparing, cooking and serving: listen to the symphony of sounds. During eating, notice with amusement if the sounds are crunching, soft, wet, slurping or something else? Notice the quality of your food. Is it fresh, ripe, bruised or just right. How is your body responding to the food you are eating? Let your relationship with food at mealtime be a sensuous experience. Remember your sensuality is rooted in all your senses. Be thankful, see and feel the grace of nourishment supporting you, your family and for all that you want to do in this life. By practicing a state of awareness during mealtimes, you will eventually be able to remain clear and present.
Get your entire family in on the act as they play with these awareness practices during meal times - make awareness
the highlight of mealtime and watch the engaging and growing connection. Arian Back to top of page & article menu Spacious BreathingHow can you be the keeper of your own peace at this time of the year and not be effected by doubt and uncertainy as you approach the holidays and festive family gatherings? Inappropriate gifts, too much alcohol, in-laws, step families, end of year tiredness or the unethical relative; it can be a testing time as we try to manage our reactions to all kinds of challenges. Years ago when I began Jungian therapy, my analyst requested that I stand with my arms stretched out in front of me, she slowly placed a heavy book in both of my arms for each issue I was carrying in my life at the time. Eventually I stood there trying to hold seven very heavy books (of the old encyclopedia kind) for as long as I could. The weight of it all was unbearable and I eventually collapsed on the floor sobbing. For the first time in my life I was able to have an embodied experience of how much burden I was enduring in my life at that time; it proved to be an enormous breakthrough. In some of my training, when I teach meditation for stress management, I tell the following story of a lecturer with a raised glass asking his audience,
When I was a nun, one of my Chuan Buddhist teachers told the Zen story of when an emotion such as - anger, fear, envy or worry is experienced in its extreme it is similar to a bull that is on high alert and ready to attack and defend, because it feels vulnerable, nervous and threatened. In this instance, it’s vital to give the bull a lot of space; don’t corner it in the small back yard of your mind, instead, give it room to breathe and wander in the space of your vast, open and endless mind - paint the biggest park you can imagine with mountains, rivers, vast blue skies, frogs, birds singing, forests and butterflies; you get the picture. With that in mind, play and explore with the following simple, yet powerful breath work known as Spacious Breathing. This is a practice I do regularly which has its roots in Chi gong, martial arts and bioenergetics body work. Ultimately it is a way of practicing generosity and showing mercy to those parts of ourselves we have not yet come to accept! Do this every day, leading up to the holidays and Christmas - hopefully you can integrate it into your life. Spacious Breathing
Several couples I have coached recently, were both surprised and stunned at the powerful effects spacious breathing had on them; it is my hope that you experience the same results. Arian Back to top of page & article menu The Power of Pausing‘Pause for long enough and you might come to know that you are dehydrated, that you need to stretch because of a nagging back pain, or that you are just plain lonely in a relationship that is going nowhere; no wonder you have been drifting or extending your work hours.’ Imagine pausing in mid sentence during the middle of a very important speech... I intentionally stopped in mid-sentence to prove a point - that the power of ‘the pause’, when done regularly, can significantly change a reaction, and turn it into a response. Admittedly, for some in the audience the silence was palpable, even awkward. This was a business gathering of no-nonsense, hard-nosed movers and shakers who wanted to hear about solutions to the economic downturn. Some people were left wondering; others anticipating and curious about where my pause would lead. Many of you are probably aware that when you deliver a presentation, pausing is a great way to drive home a particular point; a point you want people to really get. Of course, the power of ‘The Pause’ is not my original idea. In 1990, I first saw Yvonne Rand, from Green Gulch Farm Zen Centre in California, completely mesmerize her audience as she stopped in mid-sentence for 30 seconds of complete silence, and more recently, when Paul Wilson spoke at the Meditate ’09 Conference. Breathing to the count of eight breaths was all I needed as I stood there immersed fully and firmly in the here and now. Proclaiming the benefits of pausing has its power, and it needs to be right up there with oxygen, water, food, love and sunlight. When we pause, the duration of its power is entirely dependent on the quality of our attention and imagination. We can pause for a breath or two, meditate for 10-30 minutes, or we can pause for several hours from a task. We can even stretch a pause into a 3 week break away from the demands of clocks, schedules and timelines. How many of you brag about not taking your long service leave or that long overdue holiday? We point score to see who can endure the longest. An increasing number of people in the workplace have shared with me how they go without a lunch break, some persevere without visiting the toilet only to wait until they reach home, others don’t leave the office till night fall. Without the nourishment of well deserved breaks, we’re creating a collective meltdown, a recipe for increased stress, increased medical bills, precious lost time and productivity, and losing sight of what really matters to us. I can't help but think this gives new meaning to the word - self-harm. What we need here is to go into serious damage control. “Pausing is very helpful. It creates a momentary contrast between being completely self-absorbed and being awake and present. You just stop for a few seconds, breathe deeply, and move on – A gap in the middle of doing. Once you start doing it, you begin to prefer it to being caught up in the drama.” Pema Chodron Pausing gives us the opportunity to clearly notice how we may need to get out of our own way, before we can truly move forward. Pause for long enough and you might come to know that you are dehydrated, that you need to stretch because of
nagging back pain, or that you are just plain lonely in a relationship that is going nowhere; no wonder you have
been drifting or extending your work hours. Arian Back to top of page & article menu Cyberspace ReliefMeditation groups say the Cyber Generation is looking inward to counter stress. A recent article in the paper has highlighted the emerging trend of young adults turning to meditation to help slow down their super busy lives in the midst of monumental change. Faced with the competing demands of study, work, and a social life, as well as Facebook, Twitter and blogs - many are exhausted and don’t even know it. Meditation groups are reporting an increasing number of curious young adults signing up for meditation training. As a meditation coach, I have seen a steady rise in cross generational demand from clients in the 16 – 32 age group. Some, when they work with me initially, report continual headaches, poor sleep, increased drug taking and, an overall anxiety they can’t shake off because of the compulsive addiction to be on call 24/7. Reactionary behaviour to mobile phones, iPods and maintaining a dogged presence in the cyberworld, leaves no time to recover; for many it’s a non-negotiable pressure to remain connected. But at what price? “Young people are much more stressed out than people 20, 30 years ago, we have a fast paced and alienating culture”, says Rebecca, a meditation retreat leader who also works as a psychotherapist in America. One young woman who learnt a tremendous amount from her meditation training said, “It was just meditate, eat, sleep.’’ Kestrel Slocombe, 19, is a student who spends much of her time rushing to class, worrying about a novel she’s writing, and painstakingly planning her days, sometimes weeks in advance. “It was almost like being a child”, she said of her meditation training. “You didn’t have to put together a puzzle of a complicated day.’’ The benefits of meditation, supported by scientific research, might attract younger populations, according to
Sara Lazar, a neuroscientist at the Massachusetts General Hospital who conducts meditation research. The results showed that for most participants, the portion of the brain that responds to fear, anger, and stress - the amygdala - became smaller. In animals, the amygdala has been shown to get larger in stressful situations, Lazar said. So, if you think that the speed of your life is non-negotiable, please think again. There is relief available, particularly in the Internet age. Switching off and focusing inward is crucial for overall health and happiness. Indulge in a much needed break from the world of communication and feel the difference. Try playing with some of the following strategies:
Oh, and I am happy to report that most of my young clients who cited constant headaches, poor sleep, drug taking and high anxiety, dramatically reduced their tension, because they made meditation truly matter in their lives. Stress need not rule, as you learn to shut out the world and turn up the volume of silence and relief, thus building up your resilience and personal power. Arian Back to top of page & article menu Inner PeaceWhen I first started meditating at the confused age of 18, I assumed inner peace could only be had when I was in nature or spending time at the ocean. When a friend who was a psychiatric nurse, showed me skills to slow down my thinking, I was pretty impressed at the time because I learnt something very powerful, that wherever I put my focus, that’s where the energy was. Years later, the same principle still applies, wherever I choose to put my focus is what I attract. Attraction is magnetic and compelling, what we focus on, we experience; it’s an unstoppable force. If we take the premise that we were born to live and flow, in alignment and balance with the universe of life and, that our inherent existence is to pursue happiness for self and other, then why do we focus and give so much power to it’s opposite? One of the major principles in meditation is that we always have a focus to meditate on. It helps to redirect
our thinking mind, without it, we would sit there and think perpetual thoughts, thus spending our precious time in
an unnecessary head trip. Now when you focus on a negative experience for a length of time, what kind of affect do you think it will have on you? Who hasn’t been effected by arguing with a loved one, a work colleague or a friend? The experience churns away inside and if we’re honest, we feel hurt, perhaps even disappointed. The repercussions on our nervous system, mood and behaviour take effect immediately. In other words, carrying a negative experience around, will attract just that, a negative outcome. The quality of our life, our very being is compromised; because we intentionally focused on a negative experience by giving it our total undivided attention! A scenario like this hardly sets up the conditions for inner peace. Each one of you reading this meditates on something - stress, anxiety or worry. As a former Buddhist Nun, I have always enjoyed the following story. An older monk and younger monk are walking alongside a river returning home to their monastery - suddenly, they hear the cry of a woman. The older monk stops to ask the woman, “What’s wrong?” The woman replies, “The bridge has collapsed and I can’t return home.” “Would you like me to carry you across the river?” asks the older monk. “It would help me so much if you did”, replies the nun. So the older monk picks up the woman, he crosses the river and sets her down on the other side. She thanks him and the monks say goodbye to her. Four hours pass, and as the monks continue on their way home, the younger monk is looking very alarmed. “What’s wrong?” asks the older monk. The younger monk cries, “I can’t believe what you did, you touched a woman, you’ve broken your vows, you’ve disgraced our order!” The older monk replies, “Yes, I did touch a woman, I picked her up and I crossed the river and sat her down. That was four hours ago. You’ve been carrying her all day long.” What exactly are you carrying that is no longer useful? Consider the following, the next time you’re with loved ones, notice where your focus is; is your attention loving? Are you really looking into their eyes and giving them your full undivided attention? Only last week a client who is a mother of two young children said, “Meditation has made me focus on what matters, it’s not about how clean the house is or what others think of me; it’s being focused and present for my kids and, that’s what they’ll remember!” Arian September 2009 Back to top of page & article menu Small Gateways into CalmWhat are the things you do when you’re tired? None of these efforts restore energy, most in fact – do the opposite. For those who are exhausted and burned out, it’s no mystery that getting to bed a little earlier would help. Recent studies from Stanford University School of Medicine have shown that by doing just that, we promote the human growth hormone that is vital for: • Conversion of body fat to muscle mass “The sleep system really does work like a bank, we can keep going for a long time on borrowed energy, but at some point, every hour lost needs to be paid back,” says William Dement, M.D, PhD, who heads the sleep medicine division at Stanford. And for any woman reading this, didn’t your grandmother tell you that a good night’s sleep does wonders for your complexion? Cutting-edge scientific research now proves that relaxation through meditation is rest deeper than sleep; but it’s not a replacement for sleep; just another gateway into profound rest, enjoyment and physical renewal in the shortest amount of time. As a meditation coach I believe the quality of attention you invest in yourself is far more significant than the quantity. Creating small gateways of calm for ourselves during the day, is a must for sanity! It always astounds me when some people declare, that they don’t have time to take a deep breath; but they find the time to multi-task with their BlackBerrys, phone calls, computers and meetings. Or they find the time to buy a new pair of shoes, make a hair appointment and iron their favourite shirt. Your to-do list should have as a priority – deep breathing regularly, in bold! Sure, being busy makes you feel important, effective and useful. But you can become a slave to your ever growing to-do lists and before you know it, you’re held captive by your own over-scheduled life. Needless to say, if you don’t have time to take a deep breath, you probably don’t make the time to look at the sky, hear the birds sing or notice the rain cleansing the earth; you’re just inconvenienced because it will make your clothes and hair wet! Are you actually too busy to live? Relaxing, being calm or chilling out regularly, does not demand a lot of time. All that your tired body asks of you, is that you PAUSE and re-claim the moment that is waiting for you now. Tune in and reside in your awareness to the present moment. Most of you are very good at this when you allow it to happen; giving in to the flow of your tasks and certain pleasures, without having to think about it too much – driving, preparing a meal, gardening, listening to music, eating your favourite food or work. For example, when you drive your car, you increase your peripheral awareness because driving demands that you be alert on so many levels, so your sensorial pathways expand in to being in the here and now. An open state of spontaneous awareness induces a flow on effect; particularly when you are driving in nature or out on the open road; as your thoughts are contained in an increasing spaciousness. So give yourself some well deserved space. Instead of moaning about how jam-packed your life is, seize the
opportunity when it arises. Don’t rush to fill in every gap with another task or duty. Beauty, calm, meaning and inspiration await you, in between the spaces and gaps of your task orientated and over-scheduled life! The next time you find yourself waiting - on the phone, or for your next appointment, or meeting, at the traffic lights, waiting to purchase groceries, waiting in line, on the toilet, under the shower: • Take 3 deep breaths Arian Back to top of page & article menu Meditation is Selfish … Right?Last year I returned to the USA to inspire my meditation training with my mentors and friends, Dr Lorin Roche and Camille Maurine at Esalen Institute in Big Sur. As a daily practice we would move to the instinctual power of our bodily rhythms and ride the power of our breath, it was utterly electric! One of the many songs we seriously moved to was ‘You get what you give’ by the New Radicals. Now this song has been around since 1998, but it forced me to wake up to its blasting chorus firing away in my brain - ‘You get what you give!’ Since then, I’ve paid close attention to the needs of clients who express their conflict around being selfish when they meditate. Does it strike you how odd and loaded our associations are, when we think we’re being selfish? For women, it’s a double edged sword, one because we give so much as the primary nurturers, even when we’re running on empty and two, we’re particularly very good at standing in our own way, when it comes to self-care. The guilt, fear, even terror, and as one female client expressed, “I’ve deleted the word from my vocabulary, yet it creeps into the conversations I have with myself.” Sometimes, we secretly yearn to escape, to get away from it all, even if it means having a cup of tea somewhere, quietly, for ten minutes. Inevitably, an internal voice will arise, “You’re undeserving of this time.” “You’ve got better things to do.” Sound familiar? Guilt pervades and suddenly we have a knot churning away in our stomach because we believe we’re doing something wrong. On occasion, I will experience guilt, when I find myself meditating in the evening, rather than spending time with my husband Alan, who has been working all day, too. The self-talk can present a rational, all too convincing position, as to why I shouldn’t be doing, what I love doing – meditating. Claiming and honouring the right to rest with a resounding ‘YES’ benefits everyone. The investment means we are more available to each other; because we have rested, reflected and restored ourselves. As a meditation coach, I hear from desperate clients, “I would love to meditate, but it seems so selfish.” From all appearances, meditation looks like you’re doing very little; you’re just sitting there with your eyes closed as if asleep, but you’re resting with relaxed alertness, whilst awake and conscious. Meditation is a very healthy behaviour; it looks like an invisible behaviour, but be assured, from the inside, you’re experiencing on some level: • Rest deeper than sleep How much of your precious time is spent meditating on negative thoughts and emotions that reduce your mood and
behaviour to an all time low? I wonder whether that would that be up there with being selfish? According to Dr
Craig Hassed from the Department of General Practice at Monash University - When you integrate meditation into your life, you are learning to work with healthy thresholds. To know how you want to be treated, spoken to, touched and even made love to, they’re all healthy boundaries. Each time you meditate you set boundaries in place, that spell out a need for your body’s sweet intelligence to do its miraculous healing work. You allow the experience for quiet pleasures and simple joys to set in, in both your inner and outer life. You are creating and increasing your skill set, that inevitably expand into the wider world. Now really, what’s selfish about that? Arian Back to top of page & article menu Workshop with Meditation Pioneer Jason Siff & Other CommentsIn the last weekend of May, I participated in a meditation training with American meditation pioneer Jason Siff. A former Buddhist monk, who studied the sutras/cannons of Southern Buddhism – Theravada, Jason is part of a growing trend where we are seeing courageous and curious, long time meditators moving away from traditional meditation and developing a meditation style that is better suited to the western mind. The heart of Jason’s work is asking, "What is going on in your meditation practice?" Largely the commentary that
accompanies most meditation instruction does not reflect the reality of what you may be experiencing in and during
meditation, in fact - it may leave you confused, believing you have failed. Jason’s work has close parallels to my own mentors Dr Lorin Roche and Camille Maurine and, although admittedly, I find their work a lot more permissive, flowing and sensuous, Jason also, asks, that we practice with softer intentions, don’t be forceful and let it happen. Far too many people meditate, with an all too rigid, tight and military like attitude; we include our work ethic; a default mode sets in and we kill off any basic instinct or sense of questioning, “What is truly right, for me?” The essence here is that meditation is largely based on your daring to trust yourself - to let it happen, don’t exclude anything, include everything and let your experience lead. The value in his work lies in what he calls 'Recollective Awareness', recollecting what happens during your meditation sitting. It has taken Jason several years to language the 'Recollective Awareness' process. It reminds me of how I would recollect my dreams in Jungian analysis, the language was always rich and engaging. I am of the belief that in meditation, there is always a call to attend to, what matters. This is great news, because as a former Buddhist nun, who appreciates some aspects of Buddhist psychology, I am reminded of the doctrine of non- attachment to – thoughts, feelings, emotions, memory, friendships, places –traditionally it's a no-go-zone because it leads to the second noble truth – delusion, suffering and the causes of suffering. On the contrary, the usefulness of appropriate attachment can lead to increased relatedness and connectedness; something the world desperately needs more of. Over the years I have found that some long term meditators experience extreme withdrawal from the world at
large, could this have anything to do with detaching too effectively from their emotions, feelings and even
negative thoughts? I was asked by a client who is a doctor recently, can regular meditation lead to narcissism? Arian Back to top of page & article menu Meditation and KidsKids, don’t you just love them! Watch any child in action who is absorbed in what they’re doing and their attention is compelling. Most kids get lost in the magic of the moment. But despite their care-free nature, kids can react to stress in alarming ways just as adults do. Even kids need to develop skills to relieve stress. Increasing medical research on meditation for children has shown to improve memory, academic performance, IQ and improve emotional and behavioural problems. According to Gary Kaplan M.D. PH.D, neurologist, New York University School of Medicine and a committee member of Stress Free Schools in the USA, “Kids need to meditate for a few minutes twice a day, it reduces stress and allows them to be more creative and dynamic.” So do you encourage your child to meditate? Lucy is seven years of age and a client of mine. She worries about peer group pressure and her growing identity
at school. Consequently, Lucy’s grades and social confidence began to slide. Like most young girls, I discovered that Lucy adored fairies. Just like a superhero, one particular fairy doll of Lucy’s became the ‘worry fairy’. Lucy would visualise the worry fairy in front of her or beside her. The empowering fairy absorbed all of Lucy’s worries, anxieties and concerns. The fairy never gave them back! She learnt to do this regularly for 5 minutes before her evening meal or going to bed. If we can teach our children that stress is a normal part of everyday life and that there are ways to deal positively with stress, then we are teaching them the gift of resilience and flexibility. Recall the times when you were a child and when you thought it was the end of the world because of a situation you magnified ten fold; the potential devastation can be reduced significantly. If we become aware as parents or care takers and take positive action, we’re giving them a great head start in life. Well known film maker David Lynch recently organised a concert in New York for the David Lynch Foundation Program. David’s program has taught over 60,000 high risk kids in low income areas around the world, to find peace, reduce their blood pressure, overcome stress and violence and, promote wellness and success through meditation. The program is called the Quiet Time Program for schools. It’s just one example of the power of meditation in the 21st century. Back to my adorable young client Lucy. She’s been one of my best teachers. How? Because even a child as young as seven can intentionally meditate her way to health and inner peace. In just a few minutes of qualitative time, Lucy cleansers, clears and restores her energy, enabling her to function the next day, as the bright shiny star she is meant to be. A very promising pilot study by one of the leading research centres engaged in the testing of children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, ADHD, is the Mindful Awareness Research Centre at University of California, Los Angeles. Children between the ages of 11 and 14 with ADHD after 3 months of twice daily meditation sessions for 10 minutes each, found it easier to focus their attention in the classroom, resist impulses that could be disruptive, reduce stress and anxiety and even make the transition from school to home easier. Sadly it is my belief that children are used as scapegoats for ADHD. Addressing the epidemic of our turbo driven lives reflects too easily on children; we are an ADHD culture. TIPS TO HELP YOUR CHILDREN BE THEIR BEST IN LIFE 1. Hug your kids, tell them you love them, then sit together and playfully breathe in and breathe out deeply, for 10 breaths 2. Get them to sit and close their eyes as you take them through a visualisation where you recall any of the
following: 3. Create a ‘worry figure’ that is empowering to them. Get them to visualise this friendly figure in front of them. This figure could be a fairy, superhero, animal totem, guardian, protector, angel, gatekeeper and so on. Teach them that this ‘worry figure’ can absorb all worries, anxieties and concerns and, never give them back! 4. Lie on your backs and gaze at the open sky or night stars, get lost in its mesmerizing power 5. Get your kids to say the following mantras as they breathe:
Make up your own empowering words, have fun and get creative together as a family. Arian Back to top of page & article menu Let your Breath Come to your RescueMeditation is just a word we use to slow down from the world and devote some quality time to ourselves. It can be achieved with regular micro breaks during the day using Spot Meditations 1-3 minutes and/or longer meditations of 10 minutes and more. Doing this regularly, we can learn to appreciate and accept the full human spectrum of who we are. Stress doesn’t have to rule our life, we can take control and begin to see a way out. With anything we want to achieve in life, it requires an intention, a focus and that we pay close attention. Once we get clear about this, guess what? We now have the tools to meditate. Take a stress test right now. Make a fist and squeeze reasonably tight for 10 seconds. Notice what happens to
your breathing. Are you actually breathing? Notice the tension in your body. Most people stop breathing going about
their daily tasks and duties. The solution is to get connected and return to the flow of life. Let your breath come to your rescue, it’s your greatest ally! Why not do it now! Take 3 full deep breaths. With each out-breath - expel for as long as you can, you’re getting rid of old stale air and directing your body towards a more expansive, spacious, clutter free and lighter self. Do this 3 times or for as long as you like. Play with doing this regularly during the day. Develop a rhythm that feels right for you. Give yourself the devotion and attention you deserve. Watch and feel your mood and behaviour lift. For further support go to our on-line store for our Spot Meditations and more … Arian Back to top of page & article menu
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