Finding time to meditate

Last weekend I went to my first ever meditation retreat in the mountains with Paul Wilson and some of his friends and felllow meditators.

The surroundings were just right.  The air smelt wonderful, at night and early morning it was various types of eucalypt, the sounds of the birds, the frogs at night,  the running water in the creek, the night sky full of stars…………………

On Saturday I sat on the bank of a creek, opposite a small waterfull.   It was so meditative that I later I tried to record it to post on here so you could all experience it.   My camera is very basic and the sound turned out to be very unwaterfull-like………………….  I’ll just post a pic and you can imagine what it sounds like

During the weekend one of the things we discussed was finding time and a place to meditate.  Paul suggested that we don’t get too precious about it and take advantage of small periods of time, even just a few minutes, sometimes is the most unlikely place [- I did suggest the toilet cubicle at work . 

Since last weekend I have found myself noticing opportunities for small periods of meditation. This morning was a good example.  I went for my usual walk and was going to go to the supermarket on the way home.  The trouble is that the only supermarket here doesn’t open until 8am and I was not far from there when I noticed that I had another 15 minutes to go.  I was walking through a park so, instead of doing what I would normally do and keep walking, I sat on a bench, closed my eyes and did a  small meditation. 

I wonder, what opportunities can you find to practice meditation or even just mindfullness?  Maybe start with something simple like waiting for the kettle to boil….

I’d love to hear how you go with this one

Related articles

• Meditation Is….. (medititilation.wordpress.com)
• Peaceful moments (aboundingwellness.wordpress.com)

How to get what YOU want out of your day

How you start the day can impact on how the rest of the day turns out.   I set my day up by going for a walk along the beach and having coffee with friends most days.  That way I get to have exercise, socialise a bit, watch the sun come up and sometimes see dolphins and the odd whale.  Now, it can’t get much better than that   After those types of mornings I feel I can deal with anything, also knowing that I can do it again the next day.   It is something I choose to do, to think and to feel.

When my children were very young I used to get up early, before they did so I could have breakfast and read the newspaper in peace.   The purpose of that was to have my timeout BEFORE the day started.   

At a seminar I attended many months ago,  the main speaker was an international businessman who said that he set up his day by asking himself a series of questions as soon as he woke up.   Here they are:

• What am I grateful for?
• Who do I love?
• Why am I so happy?
• What am I committed to?
• How committed am I?
• What is my intention?
• What is my wish?
• Why am I here?

Now I get that it would take a while to remember all these questions to ask yourself every day so maybe you’d like to pick just one or two to start with.   

Or, make a list of your own questions.

I have a couple of questions I ask, especially when I have to attend a workplace workshop or something I am not looking forward to –  “I wonder what it will be like?” and “What can I take away from this?  If there is something you do not want to do or take part in, ask yourself about your intention.  Or what you are committed to.

Sometimes no matter what you do things can appear to be getting out of control as the day progresses (or regresses).   In that case, ask some of these questions at those times if they are appropriate to the situation.  If yesterday was awful, ask “What can I do differently today?”.  The reality is that your day depends on your thoughts and your responses.

“The universe is change; our life is what our thoughts make it.”  Marcus Aurelius

What are you going to ask yourself tomorrow?   I’d love to hear your ideas.

Related articles

• Authentic Happiness (hollyworton.com)

Want to have a “wonder”ful life? Trust your imagination

I came across this “wonder”ful talk by Janet Echelman on TED and would like to share it with you

“Your imagination is your preview of life’s coming attractions.” Albert Einstein