Day 24. The meditation solution

Meditate to release stress and develop inner peace

SEVEN

Meditation is to the mind, what exercise is to the body. (I ripped that one from the book and isn't it a beauty)

I guess i probably don't need to say anymore, cause that just about sums up meditation. But I'm gonna.

As part of my choosing to live more consciously, meditation is a must, so rather than meditating over a few glasses of wine, i should be meditating on the beautiful daybreak i see from my apartment.

Now i am not going all ashram on you, but i do need to invest in practices that will support the journey i have been taking over the past 24 days and it's integral to becoming alcohol free, as it helps keep us present.  I have been doing my gratitude practice, but in the book they give a few other ones to try.  To be honest, i did used to find meditation a bit mumbo jumbo, but when i did my first ever yoga class, i left feeling like i had just smoked a giant reefer following the meditation, so i'm totally onboard with this kind of natural high.

So what did we cover in the meditation solution? Heaps!  Our theme of course - meditation, where we were introduced to meditation 101 and shown why meditation is used by people from all walks of life and how it helps to overcome "happiness deficiency".

We are now a week out of finishing and the focus is on mind, body, spirit, relationships and how best to move forward after we finish. We have been asked to check in and see if there's been a shift in our thinking - which for me has been huge. We debunk the myths around meditation and learn how it can make us happier, healthier, more productive, less stressed and more creative.  I feel all of these things already, so i guess i am going to the next level. (just like super mario) but better.  For people who have been really heavy drinkers, it can take up to 90 days for the natural levels of our serotonin and dopamine to return to normal, so meditation can help with this and keep the happy juice flowing. And i guess one of the big things is that we all have so much chatter in our head - and for many it can be negative self talk, so meditation is a great way to start to release the clutter and make way for peaceful living.  Meditation helps to bring us to the present moment and allow us to be more conscious.  Now that's exactly what i signed up for this year.

Let's take a moment to sit in zen and look at my action items from today, cause i don't think i need to spruik on about the benefits of this great practice any more.

Action 1. Practice breathing
So we have been given a special breathing technique by a Dr Weils and it's called the 4-7-8 technique. We can do it twice a day to use as meditation and if you have any cravings (i do not intend to use this with easter coming up).  So here goes.....please try this at home

Place the tip of your tongue against the ridge of tissue just behind your upper front teeth and keep it there through the entire exercise. You will be exhaling through your mouth around your tongue; try pursing your lips slightly if this seems awkward and do the following breathing technique. 

Exhale completely through your mouth, making a whoosh sound.Close your mouth and inhale quietly through your nose to a mental count of four.
Hold your breath for a count of seven.
Exhale completely through your mouth, making a whoosh sound to a count of eight.
This is one breath. Now inhale again and repeat the cycle three more times for a total of four breaths.

That's it, easy as breathing in and out!

Action 2. Listen and practice the guided meditations

These are ones from the program that i have been using and we are encouraged to finish our meditation by focussing on 5 or more things to be grateful for.

https://www.the30daysolution.com/day24/

https://youtu.be/KKUp5raZiX4

https://youtu.be/A7ejfy1aOsI

Action 3. Listen to meditation variations
Begin to incorporate other meditations into our daily life.

And guess what on a scale of 1 - 10, i am feeling a 10, I can shift the goal post if i feel like it and raise it up, so i am sticking with a 10 today.
I am still having some sleep deprivation due to being up late blogging, but i don't feel crap in the morning as having no alcohol is making such a difference to my energy levels
I am feeling amazing
was told that my skin is glowing and my eyes are sparkling - they said that would happen....so why wouldn't i want to do something that makes me feel truly better about myself on the inside and the outside.