Brilliant music and fantastic pictures. This video brings you into a state of peace like nature does on earth. Watch this as a meditation.

Posted: July 25th, 2008 under Meditation, Videos.
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I can say, by experience, when the word “meditation” is mentioned people automatically picture a person sitting down cross legged, straight backed, thumb to finger and spending hours in this position. Most wouldn’t give it a try because of the perceived time it would “waste”. Meditation doesn’t need to be the aforementioned, it can be done anywhere anytime. It can take seconds to do a meditation. The breath is the main focus on most meditations which is easy and free.

In humans, breathing, circulation and thoughts all occur naturally. We need to breath air and circulate blood out of necessity but thoughts can be a different matter altogether. The mind, when left to take charge, can make your world a very dysfunctional place. Most people actually dream their life away. eg What if? this, what if? that, if only.. this, if only… that.
So where to start? All you require is a moment in time. Read this next paragraph, then try it.

Close your eyes and take a deep breath and concentrate only on that breath, be that breath, feel how it goes in , feel how it expands the diaphragm and chest, feel how it expels out through the nose.

That’s a meditation. No long procedure, that is all. In this breath meditation something happens to your thoughts that may be foreign to you especially if it’s the first time you have performed one. The thinking paused for a brief moment . That is the essence of meditation, to stop the mind from playing it’s constant movie over in your head. To be in the now. If you do this meditation during your day at work or daily routine, you will soon become a little more aware of the beauty of the present moment. Create some space between you and your thoughts.

 Meditation needn’t be a chore, it can be what you do everyday.

Posted: May 29th, 2008 under Meditation.
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Everyday I see Joggers, Walkers, Cyclists, Dog Walkers using the little Ipod (mp3) player to accompany them for the duration of their exercise. What is the attachment with this noise ? Is the music needed ?

A friend of mine told me a true story about the time he was jogging through a pristine rainforest . He ran  up behind a walker on the track, a young 20 something girl, with an Ipod blaring in her ears. He could hear the song clearly so it must have been deafening for her. She had no clue he was trying to pass and was unconscious of the environment around her. She was startled when he touched her arm so he could pass by. Walking in a natural setting like this would have been a perfect time to be alive,  “pristine mind time” you could say. She chose however, as many others do, to numb the senses.

The majority have mental noise ( thoughts) and for many it is so bad that they are unable to be alone and be in silence because of this. The Ipod substitutes as a distraction from these thoughts with another noise, an external noise. This may work to an extent but doesn’t lead to inner calm. The noise that these devices can produce is a loud external one, which is a major stress trigger in the first place. We may turn it down or change the music but the closer we get back to nature and silence, the better.

When we set out on these activities i.e. the run, walk, ride or whatever our chosen Ipod time may be, is the perfect point in which the  present moment can be a part of our everyday life. It is already there, we need to allow ourselves to be in it, amidst the mental noise.

Put the earplugs of the Ipod in if you feel more comfortable but don’t touch the on switch. Spend the time listening, feeling, seeing, smelling and being. Feel your breath as you move, the surface or seat below you, the muscles of your legs. See all the colours of the trees, the cars, the sky, the lights. Smell the air, the flowers, the trees, the sea breeze, the exhaust fumes. Hear the cars, the planes, the trains, the birds, the ocean, the breeze, your breath, your footsteps.

There is so much to experience in the present moment, try not to give it all up for an Ipod .

Posted: May 24th, 2008 under Meditation.
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