Relax!!

Daily meditation... To a lot of people this may seem like a complicated practice to commit to. Not to mention there are so many different ways to do it. How do you choose which method? How can you commit?

Here's the secret... Just relax!

All you have to do is sit quietly and relax. Have a space that you can just be for a moment. For me, I love to be in nature. When it's nice outside I take 5-20 and just sit outside. Sometimes it's on my porch. Sometimes it's in a park. If it's cold I enjoy sitting by a window in the sun.

You could focus on your breath. You could repeat a mantra. You could chant. These are all great tools but all you have to do is just be still, be quiet and did I mention relax? Making your commitment even to 5 minutes a day is beneficial and it's not complicated.



Here are some benefits to a regular meditation/relax practice:

-boosts immune system
-improves relationships (to self and others)
-improves self acceptance
-pain relief
-improves confidence
-reduces stress and anxiety
-improves concentration
-improves feeling of connection

When I first started meditating I felt like I needed to do it for a half hour to an hour everyday to see benefits. So, I would start, then quickly fall off the wagon. If your not used to it, sitting still can be a daunting task. On top of it I felt like something miraculous was suppose to happen and because it wasn't I'd give up. However the miracle is the connection to the present.

Let me repeat that.... 
The miracle is the connection to the present.

Over time I started to realize I didn't need to have an epiphany each time I sat down nor did I need a lot of time. It wasn't about full on transformation or any of the tools I used to mediate. It was simply the consistent act of "just being" each day that benefited my well being. Today I can meditate anywhere. One of my favorite things to do when I'm running around during my day is to go somewhere in nature even if just for 5-10 minutes to just sit and close my eyes. I listen to the sounds of nature. I feel the sun on my skin. I smell the air. I feel my heart beat. Life is so beautiful. When we are busy it's easy to forget the beauty that surround us but if you stop and relax, just once a day, you will reconnect to it's source.

I recently found this in the book 365 Tao Meditations that I thought was such a wonderful reminder to relax and why...

So what are you waiting for? Relax.