My 15 Program and girls weekend escape

This weekend I was down the coast on a well deserved 'Girls weekend'.

 

Early on Saturday morning us long-term girlfriends escaped family, commitments and routines, armed with latte and muffins in the car, and headed off merrily down the highway to find the ocean!  Once in sight of that blue endless Australian coast we found a winery on the peninsula.  Lunch.  Wine.  Loads of laughter.  Escape.

Next morning my Day 28 email from the 'My 15 Minutes' program arrived.  I had woken with the local bird community and meditated for my usual 20minutes totally enthralled by the deep silence of rural coastal life on an early Sunday morning; and then I read my task for the day.

Day 28 - Where to Next?

"A change is as good as a holiday, but a holiday is also good!

And you can make a great start on planning your next one in 15minutes or less, particularly if you dash through the 'to do' list below without over thinking!"

A thoroughly enjoyable and easy challenge, funnily timed for actually being away on one of those quickly arranged escapes - and with a group of girlfriends that have embraced countless holidays and weekend escapes together. 

We are always discussing future 'when' and 'where' opportunities, and I could easily roll off a list of a dozen different islands, countries and rural hideaways that we have discussed and dreamed about over the years. 

My dream for 2014 is Bali (for a big milestone birthday) and India (or a long planned and longed for journey of the heart and spirit) and our own Australian coast for any/every weekend we can cobble together this coming Summer.

It is with immense gratitude and love that I know my friends would join me - in a second.

LAST OPPORTUNITY TO JOIN MY 15 MINUTES

 

Registrations in the current round of My 15 Minutes will close this Friday 4th October at midnight. 

 

Make big changes in your life in baby steps between now and Christmas - for $97.

 

"Audrey and Emma really understand that feeling of overwhelm and being swamped by the little things, and sometimes the big things, and that ever present feeling that you'll never catch up no matter how hard you try. It doesn't matter what went wrong, or why, but My 15 Minutes will take you on a journey to spend 15 minutes each day, making small changes to help get back on top of your game."

 

"I'm participating in a brilliant personal development program called My 15 Minutes. I am really loving it — it's helping me rise above that suffocating feeling, get stuff done and it's great fun too."

Meditation + Kids + School Holidays

You may have you read my Snowdome metaphore (a way to view the human mind) - if not you can read it HERE - and today I read this totally BRILLIANT post on yogadork.com about a MEDITATION JAR.

Originally posted on Jugglingwithkids.com as the Mind Jar, it is described as:

“A Mind Jar is a meditation tool to use whenever a child feels stressed overwhelmed or upset.  Imagine the glitter as your thoughts.  When you shake the jar, imagine your head full of whirling thoughts, then watch them slowly settle while you calm down”.

 

So .. if you have children (or are secretly one yourself) why not make a Meditation Jar these school holidays.

 

Supplies:

~ Baby food Jar (small-ish jar)

~ Glitter Glue

~ Food Colouring

~ Warm Water

 

Directions:

Mix about 1 tablespoon of glitter glue with 1 cup of warm water (depending on the size of the jar) - you can also add food colouring if your kids like a particular colour. The warm water helps dissolve the glue, you might also try heating the water in the microwave (using a safe cup) for 30-60 seconds.  When the water is warm the glitter will fall quickly but once the water cools down it will take a lot longer.

 

You might also add some additional glitter, small objects like shells or jewels which will sink at different times or even float - enriching the metaphor of the mind settling.  I reader of the original blog suggested using shells to represent particular issues that the child might be worrying about.

 

As YogaDork suggested .. a little holiday Craftasana.

Is it time to learn meditation?

OCTOBER MEDITATION CLASSES

Have you always wondered about meditation? 

What all the fuss is about? 

Is it something for you?

Meditation is quite simple to learn and once you have an understanding of the 'how' and 'why', and some of the key principles of meditation .. then the next step is to DO IT

Join us as we DO IT at one of our upcoming classes

EXPLORING MEDITATION (6week course : 6.30-8pm)

Mon 21 Oct : Brighton

Wed 23 Oct : Black Rock

SUNDAY MEDITATION SERIES

6, 13, 20 & 27 Oct (6-7pm) : Hampton

 

QUIET MIND MEDITATION E-COURSE

*next course starts 1 November

MEDITATION WORKSHOPS

A Taste of Meditation: introduction to meditation and guided

practice so you leave with a feeling of ease and calmness

Wed 9 Oct - Black Rock (6.30-8pm)

Meditative Exercises: simple, brief and powerful meditative

exercises to counteract stress & tension in the moment

Wed 16 Oct - Black Rock (6.3-8pm)

 

Lunchtime Enlightenment

 

Our current Facebook series .. a little Lunchtime Enlightenment

 

LIKE US and can share in the magic!

 

(and if you have any lunchtime meditation tips please share in Comments below)

Lunchtime Enlightenment

 

Just sitting quietly yesterday .. I had a little 'ah-ha' moment

and thought why not a lunchtime meditation tip for my friends on Facebook

 

LIKE US

 on Facebook and you too can share in our 

 

Lunchtime Enlightenment Tips!

Search Inside Yourself

I have recently been re-reading the book Search Inside Yourself by Chade-Meng Tan.  The book is based on the meditation course that Meng designed and introduced to Google (very successfully!). 

It is a really interesting book that gives a different perspective on meditation - from an engineers point of view (think .. analytical, proven and process driven) and focuses on the benefits of meditation for developing and strengthening emotional intelligence which can lead to improved work performance and leadership.

In the chapter titled Riding Your Emotions Like a Horse, Meng introduces us to a practice called the Siberian North Railroad for dealing with those times when our 'buttons are being pushed'. The practice has five steps:

1.STOP: once you notice that you have been triggered just stop. Pausing at the onset is a powerful and important skill, a momentary pause in life before acting or reacting.

2.BREATHE: by focusing our mind on our breath we reinforce that pause, and by taking a conscious breath, especially a deep slow one, we have the power to calm the body and mind.

3.NOTICE: notice where you feel the tensions and bring your awareness back into your body. What do you feel? Where do you feel it? We are learning to apply mindfulness by experiencing it moment-to-moment without judgement. If you are angry be interested in where you experience anger in your body.

4.REFLECT: where is the emotion coming from? Is there a story behind it? Trying not to judge whether the emotion is right or wrong, just noticing what may be 'behind' the reaction you are experiencing.

5.RESPOND: Consider a positive outcome driven response. You may not actually have to do it - but image what the kindest, most positive action could be to take. Visualising what would be the best and most positive response can be empowering and change the way you feel about the whole event.

In our seated meditation practice we might also take some of these steps onto the cushion. 

If you find a particularly 'loud' thought or emotion keeps distracting you or calling for your attention, you may choose to just 'sit' with that thought or emotion for a moment - just stop, breathe, notice and reflect - and then return to your practice.

SiBerian North RailRoad

Stop + Breathe + Notice + Reflect +  Respond

FAVOURITE BOOKS

I have recently started a list of my favourite meditation books .. all of which are available on Amazon (which is where I buy my books) .. you can find my Favourite Reading List HERE.

Search Inside Yourself: The Unexpected Path to Achieving Success, Happiness (and World Peace)

books to nourish and inspire

Way back in 2011, I was lucky enough to finally meet up with Sarah McLean with whom I had had a long distance email/blog relationship.  Sarah lives in startlingly beautiful Arizona, and is the Founder of the McLean Meditation Institute and when she told me she was planning a trip to Australia, I was thrilled to help in organising a special Everyday Meditation Workshop one evening at the Langham Hotel (Melbourne).

The workshop was a huge success

Sarah talked about her journey and experiences .. her work with Deepak Chopra and her time cooking in a Zen centre, she also guided us through the practice of Primordial Sound Meditation which utilises both breath awareness and silent mantra.  She also shared a big secret with us .. that she was working on her first book.

That book Soul-Centered: Transform Your Life in 8 Weeks with Meditation  .. was released in 2012 and earlier this year I participated in a fantastic Facebook GROUP called The Soul Centered Group that had 137 members sharing a 'Chapter per week' journey through the book. 

Soul-Centered: Transform Your Life in 8 Weeks with Meditation

*I am recommending the books that I love, not just any book. And to help you find these books and read additional online reviews I have become an Affiliate with Amazon - so you can find the exact book at the click of a button. I have been a member of Amazon for about ten years and purchase all of my books through them, having them shipped to Australia at very little cost (sometimes no cost) and I have never had any problem with delivery.  I am confident in recommending this service.*

Rock-a-bye

Last Sunday we had our first Sunday Meditation Series .. with a focus for the month on

 

mindfulness of breath & body

 

A picture perfect Spring afternoon cast a beautiful stream of sunlight into the studio and it just seemed like the perfect way to bookend the weekend, and prepare for the week ahead.

 

In this course we are exploring Mindfulness "the cultivation of clear, stable and non-judgmental awareness" using our Breath and Body as our focus or anchor.  We are learning to gently hold our focus on our breath and body to allow all to settle and for stillness to unfold. 

 

With practice we discover that there is a place within that is always calm and peaceful.  That these are natural aspects of the mind that we can strengthen and develop .. so that in time we can remain clear and stable without struggling and our mind and body feel naturally content.

 

We started our first class with some meditative exercises to reconnect and anchor ourselves to our body.

 

The one exercise that I always receive great response to is the Rocking Exercise.  In this exercise we are drawing our awareness into the body and experiencing the body floating in space.  We observe 'holding' and 'letting go' within the body and when we stop and still, we find a beautiful point of balance which supports us in sitting a little longer. 

 

This exercise also helps circulate blood and energy through the pelvis, gently loosening the hips and lower back ... and I believe subconsciously associates with being rocked as a baby .. gently and securely rocked in the arms of love.

 

Rocking Exercise

 

1. Settle first into your posture and seat.  There is no rush.

2. Close your eyes.

3. Start by gently rocking your torso from side to side, this movement might be quite slow and short to start but as you rest into the movement you will find a natural rhythm will unfold. 

4. Explore with interest the constantly changing sensations of your body moving in space .. notice flow or holding, tightness or ease. 

5. Allow enough time for a rhythm to establish, a sense of ease with the movement.

6. We then start to shorten the rocking, until it is almost un-noticeable just an internal shifting, touching the edge of movement. 

7. Until we find a natural point of balance.  When it feels 'right' to stop and settle.

8. And here we can be still.

 

You may then continue with your personal meditation practice, or just rest for a few moments before returning to your day and your next task.

 

A beautiful and simple meditative exercise that settles the body .. strengthening the mind~body connection and encouraging a healthier flow of energy through the body, and finding that point of balance.

 

Give it a go .. and let me know how it went.