Make 2020 Deliberate!

What does 2020 mean to you?  Make sure you are clear with your thoughts on what you want 2020 to be for you. Make sure you are clear with the direction you want your future to go. The time for manifesting is now. It's a new year for a new you. We have all heard this phrase before, it is not a new concept, there is always a chance to start over. It is never too late to venture down a new path, choose a new route, or be involved with different people that bring you up versus bring you down.  Our free time is very limited, be sure that you are spending time with people who want to spend their time with you. We have less time to spend doing the things we love. Spending time with those we love, and those we know love us, and want the best for us. That's not everyone, so be sure to choose wisely.  2020 is a new year. Make it count!

A new year is a time to rethink decisions.  I always begin a new year very deliberate, very consciously.  Unfortunately, a lot of us go through the motions and it becomes very routine. We need to live deliberately. We need to live with passion. We need to experience every moment, in order to make those moments count. Be deliberate in your thoughts, be deliberate in your actions… be deliberate in how you want to remember the experience, and how people will remember you.

“20/20” - use the play on words... how is your vision? Not your literal vision, although still important, but I am referring to the vision you have towards your future, towards the plans that you've made along the way that you still haven't completed. How clear have you been? How deliberate have you been? How clear is that vision you have for yourself and the life you want to be living? If your thoughts are cloudy, so will be the results.  There is always time to tweak where we are. Always time to move a little to the left or move a little to the right or sometimes we need to do a complete 180 degrees!

Sometimes people will tell me they are afraid to make a decision fearing it is the wrong decision.  I tell them that life is full of wrong decisions, that's how we grow!  There is always times when we accidentally take the wrong road, that's how we find new destinations. If we didn't occasionally make a wrong turn, we wouldn't be who we are today. If it seems as though those turns led us to be someone who we do not want to be, change your direction.  You know the difference. We all know the difference.  If we take enough time to get quiet, really quiet, and truly look at the choices we have in front of us, deep down in our subconscious, our higher selves, our better version of our current selves will guide us.  They always will, and if you listen, they always do.

You have seen these people who listen.  Sometimes you call them lucky, or think they are more fortunate that us.  I say any one of us can live the life they were meant to, by just getting quiet enough to listen to the right directions.  Get quiet, think deep and get to that place where you know which way to turn.  How will you rewrite your story in 2020? 

Have yourselves a spectacular year!  Make it count!  😊

Be Well,  Mary-Anne

Thank your Angels!

You may see posts of mine "11:11 - Thank your Angels".  First, angels come in all shapes and sizes and second, what better time than the Thanksgiving Holiday to give thanks.

Thanksgiving is my absolute favorite holiday and it unfortunately gets pushed aside since it does not warrant much fan fare.  No costumes to buy for trick or treating, no naughty or nice list, just simple conversations over great food and drink as well as a little reflection with family and friends on what you are grateful for.

What folks don't realize is, if they maintain what some refer to as, the "attitude of gratitude" they can increase their level of happiness.  I know, right?  Sounds crazy simple...  but it's true.  I have found that if you keep a gratitude journal and write in it often - which keeps you focusing on the positive versus the negative, you will subsequently attract more positive energy into your life versus negative.  Remember:  positive attracts positive, and...  visa versa. 

Now, the gratitude journal does not need to be anything expensive or fancy, it can be simple.  You choose.  Just make it something you will enjoy picking up to write in, often.  More often than not, we overlook the small things in life that we should be grateful for.  We move so quickly through our days, that we pass by the simple pleasures life has to offer or we glaze over life's true gifts.  Green lights on our way to work; missing a traffic jam; the rain holding off until you finish loading (and unloading) the groceries you just purchased;  a friend calling you the moment you are thinking of them, or the moment you needed them most.  The sun peaking through the clouds after days of rain or the flowers peaking through what you imagine will be the last dusting of snow.

Both Louise Hay and Dr. Wayne Dyer contributed to "Being grateful for every moment" on the Heal Your Life Blog.

 

Louise Hay - Heal Your Life  

"Gratitude increases your abundance".  Now that is a concept I can get behind.  What have you got to lose, right?

I hope your Thanksgiving is filled with kindness and moments of gratitude for you and the ones you love.  Enjoy the holiday.  Be thankful, be grateful...

Be Well...

Mary-Anne

Guided Meditation #1 - Quiet Your Mind

You have your three basic steps down.  What were they again?  The 'where'...  the 'how'...  and the 'why'...  Now that you have that in place, what was the other important aspect of the last post?  Right...  The 'breath' and that the breath will always help you to refocus in the meditation if there are outside noises that distract you while practicing. 

Keep in mind while you read the meditation, there will be three ...'s (...) sprinkled within the meditation, this is when you will give a count of three before reading the next set of words.  The idea is to take your time reading.  Nice...  and slow...

Now that you have got the breathing down.  We will begin to clear the mind one thought at a time.  Close your eyes, continue to breathe...  in...  and out...  in...  and out...  I want you to picture yourself in a room...  A quiet room, small, quaint, comfortable...  In your minds eye, as you look around the room, you realize the items in the room are beginning to slowly fade away...  one by one, other chairs... pictures on the wall... tables... lamps...  windows... doorways...  keep one window or one doorway (you will use this later)  all the rest, fade ...to a soft white.  The room is just you...  Just you, and the window (or door - for the sake of this exercise we will say window).  Keep breathing...  in peace and calm... out stress and anxiety...

You, in the room, this soft, white room...  with one window...  breathing in peace...  and breathing out stress...  a thought comes into your mind...  (one mistake people make is to try to block the thought...  I say thoughts will happen, thoughts are ok...)  acknowledge the thought...  In your minds eye, I want you to acknowledge the thought, in your white room.  I want you to get up from your chair and walk over to the window...  while thinking the thought... I want you to imagine writing the thought on a piece of paper... and placing it right outside the window... ( maybe there is a window box) for later...  

If you acknowledge the thoughts as they come in, and remove them from the forefront of your mind, they are less apt to come back during the meditation.  If you choose (to try) to ignore them, they come back, again, and again...  louder and more bothersome each time.  Acknowledge them, and set them aside for after your meditation is complete...  this way here your subconscious realizes you are not ignoring, not pushing aside, you acknowledge and set time aside for them later.  This time, right now, is for you, and you alone...

Once the thought is placed outside the window, walk slowly back to your chair, and sit down...  Back to your breath, in - peace and calm...  out - stress and anxiety...

Stay in this place, this peaceful place for as long as you like...  continue to walk your thoughts out of the room, in a safe spot (your window box) until you are ready to come back from your perfect, peaceful place and address them.  

Sometimes, your entire time will be walking thoughts out of the room.  That is ok, for the next time, you may spend only 90% of your time walking thoughts out of the room and then 10% will be completely quiet.  To have even 5 minutes of your mind completely quiet is very healing.  This is where you can hear, feel, or see messages, answers to questions that you have had.  When we are able to get quiet enough to listen is when we find the answers we seek.  You continue this practice until you have more quiet time than thought handling.  These meditations can be as short or as long as you like.

Keep practicing.  Enjoy your quiet time.  More to come.

Be Well,

Mary-Anne

Guided Meditation Prep - Keep this for future meditations.

I told you in the last post to stay tuned as I would share a full guided imagery meditation for you to try.  Which I will.  First however, I want you to have a foundation for each upcoming meditation.  So, be sure to save this page for all future meditations.

To quiet the mind is not always easy to do, therefore, I will walk you through how to prepare yourself to clear the mind of unnecessary clutter.  

First:  Choose the where.  I would like you to choose a quiet and dimly lit place to practice.  A comfortable chair, maybe light a candle, maybe even play soft music.  I never use music with words, only instrumentals, as it is much less distracting for meditation.*  Maybe you will choose to sit outside in nature.  Wherever you choose, just have a space that will be your go-to place for your very own quiet time.  

Second:  Choose the how.  I realize that I have mother's of young children reading this thinking...  how am I going to get quiet time, that's impossible.  I realize that although it may be harder to accomplish for those with smaller children or even someone taking care of a parent in the home, it is certainly not impossible.  There is always a way to take hold of even just thirty minutes; trust me, it will be well worth it, and better for all involved.  I need you to tell your family you need a little quiet time.  Maybe take a bath (I love meditating in water).  Someplace you can be quiet where no one will bother you.  Or maybe you need to choose a time when you know you will have the house to yourself.  Or maybe now is a good time to take a friend up on that babysitting offer.  It is going to be important for you to have at least thirty minutes set aside, so, think of how you can accomplish this for your next steps.  It is ok if your family is home, as long as they will give you this thirty minute window.

Third:  Choose the why.  I want you to think to of what your goal will be.  What you would like the meditation to help you achieve.  Maybe you are looking to lower your blood pressure.  Maybe you want to reduce the levels of stress in your life.  Maybe you need to reduce the amount of anxiety you feel at work, at home, or with certain individuals.  Maybe you want to get better at focusing on projects you have started but have yet to finish.  Be sure to choose the why, as we will measure how much meditation in fact helps you to fulfill those goals.

Once you have the three basic steps down for the prep work remember, every meditation will always begin with the breath...  this will look familiar to you...  breathing in peace and calm...  breathing out stress and anxiety.  You remember.

Again...  breathing in calm... and breathing out anxiety.  I want you to always be able to come back to your breathing.  It will become natural and rhythmic.  If your family is home, you may still hear them, that is ok.  Focusing on your breath will allow you to regain focus within the meditation.  If there are noises around you attempting to distract, always come back to the breath.  In - peace and calm, out - stress and anxiety.  You can always choose another 'something positive' or a different 'something negative', but for the purpose of this exercise, we will go with the aforementioned.

Breathe...  in peace...  out stress...  Breathe - in peace...  out stress...  repeat.  Remember, this alone has it's own benefits.

Now, you have the place, the time and the reason as well as you know that each meditation will begin with the breath...  I think you are ready!

Stay tuned for more...

Be Well,

Mary-Anne

*  If you go on Amazon and search Reiki music you will get a myriad of choices that have music, no words, very reasonably priced.  

A little meditation goes a long way.

I touched on a quick and simple meditation technique in a previous post.  Breathe in Peace.  Breathe out Anxiety.  Who tried it?  When did you find it most useful?  Before a big meeting?  Before going home to the kids?  Before having a tough conversation with someone?



Meditation is a very easy tool for you to use in many situations.  When I used to talk about meditation to my students, no one thought they had enough time to meditate.  There are different forms of meditation, some of which you can spend more time with, but I also have a very busy lifestyle and I am sensitive to my own as well as other's free time.

With that said, the types of meditation I am going to share with you are quick and easy.  In the last post I combined a couple of versions - A breathing technique along with some guided imagery, both I find very beneficial.  Meditations do not have to be lengthy to be effective.  Here, I will separate the two I combined.

First:

Breathing Meditation - The 4 - 7 - 8  Technique  (Medical News Today)

You breathe in for a count of 4.
Hold for a count of 7.
Exhale for a count of 8.

Yes, it's that easy.  I add in my own twist with the - Breathe in 'insert positive here', breathe out 'insert negative here' version.  ie...  Breathe in comfort and ease for a count of 4.  Hold for a count of 7 - while you are holding, imagine any pain or discomfort you are having within your body, and then, picture the breath wrapping around the pain or discomfort and as you exhale for a count of 8 - breathing out the pain and/or discomfort you had felt, fully and completely.  Repeat until the pain or discomfort subsides - at least three times.  Again, you can use any positive emotion or thing and then any negative emotion or thing.  Simple, yet effective. 

Second:

Visualization Meditation - Guided Imagery  (Psychology Today)

If you have an imagination, you can do this.  If I describe a beautiful large red rose, in full bloom, extremely fragrant, so much so that it truly sends your senses reeling...  and you are able to visualize and almost smell the rose...  you've got this!  ;)

Write down some of your favorite things, add some allot of adjectives to describe these things.  String them all together to tell a story and then be sure you read them back to yourself slowly, pausing after each statement to allow the visualization to sink in.  I want you to be fully present in the very moments you are describing.  Yes, you can read your own meditation and still benefit.  Slowly read them out loud in a quiet space.  You do not need much time, or space.  Happy imagining.

Stay tuned for a full guided imagery for you to try.

Be Well,
Mary-Anne

Breathe in Peace. Breathe out Anxiety.

Just reading that makes you feel better, doesn't it?  Be honest...  you inhaled and then exhaled as you read it, almost with intent.  ;)  See how easy that was?

OK, here's the skinny - this pure intent, positive result thing I've been referring to is something you can use all the time, any time, any place.  Remember how I told you to do something intentional this weekend?  Well...  I hope you will include some quality relaxation for yourself.

I will give you a quick example to maximize relaxation...



It's a beautiful morning, you step outside, it's still early, there is a mist over the field, sun is shining, a slight breeze is blowing softly through your hair...  you decide to take a deep breath, tilt your face towards the sun you feel the warmth of the sun on your face, your shoulders, your arms...  yet the mist lends a cool feel to the air.

You take another deep breath, breathing in peace and calm and breathing out stress and anxiety...  Recognizing the beauty of the morning, truly connecting with it, you continue your breathing, rhythmically, in... and out...  You concentrate on breathing in something positive and breathing out anything negative.  Maybe it is stress and anxiety, maybe it is anger or grief you want to breathe out.  Maybe it is peace and calm maybe it is happiness or focus you want to breathe in.  You choose, but do it intentionally.

A simple exercise of breathing in something you want at your core, and breathing out anything that no longer serves you.  Remember...  In positive, Out negative.  Again...  Again...  Even if just for five minutes this is a great exercise to either begin your day with or change your current mood or perception.  Enjoy!

Let me know how you choose to use your new exercise!!  ;)

Be Well,
Mary-Anne

It's the weekend!

How will you choose to relax?  We work a 9-5 week and then...  it's the weekend!  Ahhhhhh.........

Photo by Kasuma from Pexels

On the weekend, actually, any of the days that mean the weekend for you, we need to be sure we are spending our time wisely.  We work hard.  We work long hours and even longer days.  When it comes to our time off, we need to be sure we are recharging our batteries.  Now, I understand there may be chores to do, and that's fine, that's life.  However, we also need to be sure we have our own time, to do our own thing.  What does that mean for you?

A beautiful autumn weekend, maybe a drive.  Spending time with family?  Friends?  Or maybe you are looking forward to some much needed, quiet time alone.  Maybe to meditate, maybe to read?  Maybe you will go for a long walk?  What about photography?  Painting?

I challenge you to choose something, one thing that recharges you, to do this weekend.  I want you to enjoy being present in the moment with whatever you choose.  Not rushing through it, not being distracted, but being present in the moment, every moment.  If you would care to share...  please do!

Be Well,
Mary-Anne