Wholeness Health and YOU!

Becoming “Soul-Centered”: Week 7 – Receptivity: Look for What Matters

Over the past several weeks I’ve really enjoyed revisiting this book, completing the activities and exercises again, and reestablishing a healthy meditation habit. I look forward to it each and every day. And I’ve noticed a huge change in how I look at the world – and the people in it – and how my thoughts, behaviors, and actions now come from a calmer, more peaceful place inside of me. I hope that meditation has become an important part of your day – and life – and that you can feel the transformation for yourself.

This week is a very special one for me. It’s Week 7. The week that truly changed my life. It’s all about how our focus changes how we see things, asking ourselves what it is we truly want, and expressing gratitude. I can’t tell you how important this chapter is. It’s not easy, but essential. Can’t skip this one!

In this chapter, Sarah talks about how our focus can affect our experiences, reminding us that “what you look for is what you get”. For example, when my husband and I were looking for a new car for me, I started paying attention to all the different cars on the road. I noticed a few that I really liked and suddenly that’s all I saw! Similarly, if we focus on the negative, then guess what? That’s what we’ll see. However, if we look for the good, we will find it! It never ceases to amaze me how powerful our minds are, and when we can shift what we focus on, it can be life-changing. Or, at the very least, mood-changing. But changing our focus is just the beginning and ties into figuring out what we want and showing gratitude . . .

Sarah says that “life always meets your desires”. When I read this book for the first time, I didn’t realize how true that was until I practiced this week’s Self-Inquiry: “What is my heart’s desire?” (Nor did I realize how little I knew about what I really wanted in my life!) The most difficult part of this exercise, for me, is letting go of control. We’re supposed to ask ourselves the question, then wait. Quietly. The purpose is to let the answers come to you naturally. Not to invent something to want. Not to plan. Not to figure out how or when. We’re supposed to let the universe figure that out. (Soooo much easier said than done!) But the purpose of asking this very pointed question is to “plant the seed” as Sarah calls it. Then you tend to it with your attention, make choices based on your internal compass, and let it grow. One problem that Sarah warns us about, though, is becoming attached to the desire. She says that when we hang on too tightly to it, and things don’t turn out exactly as we had hoped, that’s when we suffer. We want to control everything, but some things are out of our control and can affect the outcome. It’s frustrating. So her advice is to ask the question, sit quietly, listen, and then let it go. Don’t put any more effort into the inquiry. The answer will reveal itself to you. I call it ‘putting it on the back burner and letting it simmer’. Eventually, whatever it is will let you know when it’s ready. Then you can serve it up. In other words, we need to do the exercise. Ask the question, then go about our day. The answer will come. It may not be exactly as we thought it would be, but if we’re willing to receive the information and go with it (in whatever direction that may be), we’ll achieve what we truly desire. It’s what led me to health coaching and switching careers. I wasn’t sure how to get out of my other career, but I persisted in my inquiry and meditation until one day, I found a program that aligned with my ideas and values, and earned my certification. One thing led to another and suddenly I was presented with an opportunity that I couldn’t pass up. Now I’m so much happier and fulfilled, working with wonderful people, and doing what I love.

The other essential part of this week is expressing gratitude. Being grateful is easy to do when things are going well. It’s a whole other animal when we’re stressed out and we have the weight of the world on our shoulders. Sarah admits that some days will be easy, other days will be incredibly challenging, but expressing even the tiniest bit of gratitude for something, or someone, can turn the tide for us. For me, being genuine about it is key. I once tried to keep a gratitude journal and, while I started out well, I struggled on the really bad days and it felt forced. I’m not ok with that. That’s not how I want to be. Now, I express my gratitude at random times, whenever it strikes me and it feels so much better. More genuine. More me. By shifting my focus, it helps to improve my mood. No journal needed.

Well, thank you for allowing me to dive into this one. And for reading it all the way through. 🙂 I hope that you embrace this week’s lessons and exercises and discover something new about yourself and your true desires. I also hope that you can find some rays of hope and happiness in everything around you. No matter how small.

Peace.

Next, the final chapter: Becoming “Soul-Centered”: Week 8 – Nourishment: Continue the Transformation

The information and exercises listed above are from Sarah McLean’s book “Soul-Centered: Transform Your Life in 8 Weeks with Meditation”. I have done my best to accurately quote Sarah as well as to adequately paraphrase and express my own thoughts regarding the information in her book.

The information provided on this website is intended for educational purposes only and is, in no way, a substitute for professional medical advice. ALWAYS talk with your doctor about conditions, medications, and concerns you have about your health and work together to determine the best course of action for you.

Becoming “Soul-Centered”: Week 6 – Authenticity: Communicate Honestly

Wow! We’re 5 weeks in and things are really starting to roll! I absolutely love my mantra meditations and being able to go inward and just . . . be. I think having a mantra helps me block out the craziness and help my mind focus on one thing. I hope you’re enjoying your meditations and are really beginning to see and feel the difference they make! Now we’re going to work on including the rest of the world . . .

Week 6 really resonated with me and my journey of self-discovery, particularly paying attention to intuition, that inner ‘voice’ or ‘gut feeling’ that gives us what Sarah calls the “yum and yuck” factor. We can either use it to guide our choices – or ignore it and sometimes suffer the consequences. I’ve experienced first-hand how ignoring it can affect a life. It was the sinking feeling I got when I accepted a job because it was full-time, the money was needed to help put my kids through college, and everyone around me thought it was a good idea. The moment I accepted the job, I felt nauseated, my chest constricted, my heart pounded, and I could hardly breathe. I convinced myself that it had to do with the fact that I just hadn’t been in my own classroom for many years, not that it was the wrong decision. I then spent the next 6 years dreading going to work each and every day, dealing with anxiety, panic attacks, sleep deprivation, and cracking teeth due to stress. Once I made the decision to leave and start a new career, I vowed never to allow myself to be put in that position again – that I would listen to my heart – and I couldn’t be happier.

Sarah also talks about actively listening and being present when others are sharing their thoughts and feelings with us. That doesn’t mean that we’re just letting them go on and on, it means that we’re giving them our undivided attention and creating a safe, comfortable, and nonjudgmental space to express themselves which makes them feel important and heard. When we’re with others and texting, on the computer, or doing something else while they’re talking, we’re not really listening and therefore letting them know (unconsciously) that they’re not worthy of our time. And that, my friend, is one of the worst things we can do to the people we love. We want to be heard, don’t we? Valued? Then we must do the same for them. The “Listening with Love” exercise this week teaches us to recognize habits and behaviors that impede our ability to actively listen to someone and redirect our minds to the present moment. In other words, put the phone down or stop doing what you’re doing, take a deep breath, and give that person your full focus, love, and attention. They will appreciate it – and you.

I hope that you’ll take these lessons to heart and open yourselves up to true connection, honesty, and happiness – not just within yourselves, but with others. Continue to find the true you, follow your ‘gut’, and be mindful in the presence of your loved ones so that you can build a soul-centered and happy life.

I wish you peace and fulfillment.

Coming up next: Becoming “Soul-Centered”: Week 7 – Receptivity: Look for What Matters

Becoming “Soul-Centered”: Week 5 – Intimacy: Connect to Your Soul

Welcome to Week 5! Now we’re on a roll! Over the past four weeks I’ve reacquainted myself with some of the activities I haven’t done in a really long time and while a few of them come back easily, some are much more difficult, such as the Loving Your Body or Affirming Your Perfection activities. Admittedly, I still have some work to do when it comes to accepting myself “as-is” and counteracting some negative self-talk. I’m working on it, though . . .

This week’s lesson is all about connecting to our souls. Finding that quiet, inner space that allows us to find, and be, who we truly are. It’s also about beginning to look at and experience life from a different perspective – from our souls rather than our egos. Our ego is so caught up in external elements and dependent on self-image as well as what others think of us. It can be rather judgmental too. Yet when we live a soul-centered life, we’re confident and secure, free from the anxiety and stress of worrying about how others see us, and we’re able to engage in what is called ‘mudita’ – the true joy we feel regarding someone else’s happiness and success instead of comparing ourselves to them. And when we feel ‘mudita’, the world is a much brighter, happier place.

In order to find our true selves this week, we’ll do a Self-Inquiry during which time we must ask ourselves “Who am I?” This sounds so simple, but it really isn’t. And I’ll admit that when I first asked myself this question I became frustrated because I didn’t know the answer and nothing really came to mind, which kind of made me wonder what I was really doing with my life. The most difficult part of this question is just listening and waiting. Sarah says “the most important part of this exercise is to ask the question, not answer it.” Well that’s much easier said than done, that’s for sure. But what I finally realized is that when I begin to question my thoughts and really ask “Who am I?” it gets the ball rolling, so to speak. It hangs out in the background, even when I’ve moved on to other things until one day it becomes clearer to me. It can come during meditation or at some random time and it fills me with such calm and peace. I encourage you to keep asking. And keep listening.

Finally, during Week 5, we’re introduced to my favorite type of meditation: the Mantra Meditation. This is my main form of meditation and I have several mantras that I use depending on my intention and how I’m feeling at the time. ‘Mantra’ is a Sanskrit word that can mean “instrument for the mind”. It’s interesting because mantras can have meaning for your meditation, certainly, but they are also incredibly effective at giving your mind something to do instead of thinking. There’s something very comforting in repeating the sounds of a mantra and my mind is instantly calmed so that I can fall deeply into my meditation. Here, Sarah offers the mantra ham sa, which sounds like ‘hum sah’. I also like the mantra so ham and I use it most often. Whichever mantra you use, the purpose is to calm your mind so that you can reach something called ‘the gap’ between thoughts. It’s that quiet moment when you stop thinking and feel your soul. It’s an amazing feeling and I sincerely hope that you get to experience it at least once this week. It’s what got me hooked on meditation and keeps me coming back.

Until next week, please continue to meditate and do the activities that you enjoy most. Find that time just for yourself. Explore. My wish is that you find peace and happiness in your journey to your soul.

Up next: Becoming “Soul-Centered”: Week 6 – Authenticity: Communicate Honestly

Becoming “Soul-Centered”: Week 4 – Compassion: Love Yourself

Welcome back! I hope that you’re enjoying your new meditation practice and beginning to notice some positive changes in your life. With three weeks under our belts, we’re getting better at being present and aware, recognizing and resolving stress, and learning to experience things as if for the first time. Even if you aren’t seeing significant changes yet, I hope that you’ll stick with it. It’ll happen.

Week 4 focuses on an important, yet more difficult, practice: loving yourself. For many of us, this is a completely foreign concept. We’ve been raised to swallow our feelings, put everyone else higher on our priority list (as we slide further down), and even been led to believe that self-care is a selfish act. Self-esteem and self-worth are dependent on external factors. We expect so much of ourselves and treat ourselves poorly when things don’t work out as planned. Body image is a constant source of stress. And how many of us engage in negative self-talk? All of these things are detrimental to our well-being, and we know it, but how do we stop the cycle?

Science tells us that meditation actually changes the physical structure of our brains and that it helps provide clarity and awareness while promoting compassion toward ourselves as well as others. In fact, Sarah mentions the fact that “the areas of the brain related to empathy and compassion are more active in those who meditate than in those who don’t”. That, to me, means that meditating makes us nicer people. I like that. I think the world needs more nice people. Sarah goes on to talk about how compassion toward ourselves is just as important as compassion toward others and it has a positive effect on multiple aspects of our lives. I firmly believe that everything is connected – mind, body, and spirit – and when we’re in the right headspace, everything else kind of falls in line. We’re happier, healthier, kinder, and things (even the bad stuff) are doable. Compassion is also a great motivator, certainly better than negativity, for weight loss and helps reduce stress that can lead to illness.

One section in particular caught my attention: “Don’t believe everything you think”. We can sometimes be bogged down by our negative thoughts and Sarah encourages us to question those thoughts instead of blindly following along or believing them. She suggests that we ask these questions in order to really figure out how things would be different based on the answers:

Who would I be if I didn’t believe that thought?
How would I live my life without the thought?

This is one of the parts of this book that changed my life. I started dissecting how things were going and, when I realized I wasn’t happy, I asked myself these questions and spent a lot of time meditating on them. It provided me with some much-needed clarity and actually helped me make the decision to change careers.

The Loving Kindness Meditation is one that I go to every so often when I’m feeling sorry for myself and my negative self-talk gets to be annoying. This is a particularly grounding meditation that reminds me to have compassion for myself, but also to turn my compassion and empathy outward to those I hold dear and to those I don’t even know. It’s also helped me to come to terms with some people in my life that I find difficult to understand, interact with, or I feel have treated me unfairly. I’ve become more forgiving as a result and I’m grateful for that. It has helped resolve some of my feelings and oftentimes I can recall how I felt during the meditation and apply it to the situation at hand, therefore approaching it in a different, more calm, manner. I really hope you’ll try this one this week and that it helps you find peace.

It is my sincere hope that you’re enjoying this book and putting some of the exercises into practice in your daily life. Positive self-talk is difficult to learn, but can impact your life in ways you couldn’t have imagined. Practicing loving kindness could very well change a relationship you have with someone – and I hope that it does. Above all, I hope that you develop a practice of self-compassion that helps you become more at peace with yourself, your body, your life. You deserve it!

Next week: Becoming “Soul-Centered”: Week 5 – Intimacy: Connect to Your Soul

Becoming “Soul-Centered”: Week 3 – Freedom: Begin With a Beginner’s Mind

Now that you’ve practiced meditating for two weeks, I hope that you’re better able to identify your stress triggers and choose an appropriate method to find your center again. Being able to do this means that you’re becoming more self-aware and mindful of the present moment. That’s a good thing . . .

Now we’ll move on to Week 3. And I’ll be the first to admit that this is one of the most difficult weeks for me. It focuses on letting go of expectations, judgments, and labels – which is really hard for me to do because I’m such a nerd and I love learning new things! I’m the kind of person who, when I see or experience something new, wants to know more about it. This week’s lesson is all about letting go of that habit and experiencing everything as if it were the first time. Aack! Seriously??? Forgive me for a moment while I take a long, slow, deep breath . . .

In Week 3, Sarah focuses on the difference between knowing about something and what she calls “direct experience”. She emphasizes that our minds tend to label and categorize things which can lead to judgments about them. Being a “know-it-all”, having expectations, and repressing our feelings because they’re not what we “should” feel are just as detrimental to directly experiencing something. She says that by doing these things we’re actually creating a disconnect, which prevents us from the true experience.

Sarah goes on to distinguish the two ways that our brains work: the “default network” and the “direct experience network”. The way she describes the first one reminds me of what I call the ‘working brain’. It’s the brain I use when I’m managing my day-to-day activities, planning my week, doing my job, thinking about my next crochet project, etc., etc. All kinds of thoughts ricochet through my brain. The “direct experience” part of the brain is when you are fully engrossed in whatever you’re doing, observing, or experiencing without thinking about anything else, creating a story in your head about it, labeling, or judging it. You’re just . . . being. Taking it all in. This is the brain I use while running, going for a walk, or doing just about anything by myself. I just soak in all that surrounds me and revel in it. And I love every moment of it.

So this week Sarah highlights a few activities to practice having a “beginner’s mind”. She suggests going to your favorite restaurant and letting the chef decide what to make for you, having a day when you say yes to things you might normally say no to, and to watch a movie you know nothing about (without violence, please) and simply experience it without picking it apart. Another activity is called “delectable eating” which you can do with others or by yourself. (It’s really kind of fun, actually!) Finally, she suggests “walking without labels” which is probably my favorite simply because I love being outside and walking without feeling the need to chatter the whole time.

In addition to the exercises for practicing the “beginner’s mind”, we’ll continue to do the “sitting meditation” in order to develop our new meditation habit. I wish you the best of luck this week. Please be on the lookout for the mid-week check-in – I’d LOVE to hear about your experiences with the “beginner’s mind” exercises! I hope that you enjoy this week and can begin to truly experience your life in a whole new way!

Coming up next week: Becoming “Soul-Centered”: Week 4 – Compassion: Love Yourself

“Soul-Centered” – Week 2 Check-In

Hello there! It’s time for a check-in to see how Week 2 is going. My hope is that you’re beginning to make meditation a daily practice and that you’re noticing some positive changes. I also hope that you’ll share some of your experiences thus far. Please check out the questions below, feel free to answer some, or ask your own questions.

How are you feeling this week?
What are your thoughts on the Sitting Meditation? What do you notice during meditation? How about afterward?
Have you tried any of the Peacefinder exercises? Which one(s)? What did you notice before, during, and after the exercise(s)?
What do you think of Long, Slow, Deep Breathing? How does it help you during or after your meditation?
How are you able to stay consistent with scheduling your meditation times? What is working well for you? Any challenges? How did you overcome them?

I hope that you’re starting to feel more centered with each meditation and that it is becoming a positive experience for you. Please feel free to comment or ask questions. (Comments are not made public until approved. If you’d rather keep it private you may state that in your comment or message me separately.)

I hope you have a fantastic week!

Becoming “Soul-Centered”: Week 2 – Peace: Less Stress

Week 1 is in the books! Congratulations! Hopefully you were able to start to create a healthy meditation habit and gain a little present moment awareness. It’s amazing what happens when you slow down a bit and concentrate on one thing at a time!

This week, the focus is on finding peace and reducing stress. We deal with stress all the time, from running late and encountering a traffic jam to trying to meet a deadline to participating in a sport or activity. It’s just a part of life. Some stress is good. Too much stress is not. The problem with stress, though, is that we don’t really pay attention to how it’s affecting us until there’s a cataclysmic event that shakes us up. My own wake-up call came in the form of an SVT event that gave me a ride in an ambulance and an overnight hospital stay, complete with blood tests, an echocardiogram, and a stress test. (By the way, SVT stands for supraventricular tachycardia. Basically, it’s kind of a short-circuit of the heart, causing it to race for no reason. Kinda scary if you don’t understand what’s happening!) Anyway, Sarah says that buildup of stress causes us to think, feel, and act in all kinds of ways – and the effects on our bodies and brains can cause negative consequences in our lives as well. She has the perfect analogy: “stress accumulates like dust settling on a glass table. You don’t notice it until it is thick and you have to do something about it!”

Sarah goes on to explain all kinds of causes of stress as well as their effects. Not only do we suffer physical problems like insomnia, grinding our teeth, recurring illnesses, and heart palpitations, but also emotional issues like anxiety attacks, moodiness, trouble focusing, and feeling completely overwhelmed. These responses then cause us to act in ways that don’t really align with our true nature. We might withdraw from friends and family, act out impulsively, engage in excess fill-in-the-blank-with-a-vice-or-addiction, or harm ourselves in some way.

This week is dedicated to finding ways to help us recognize our triggers and deal with them so that we can navigate back to our center. Sarah outlines two types of exercises to help us do that: Peacefinder Exercises and Long, Slow, Deep Breathing. Peacefinders can be done any time, anywhere. They’re meant to provide us with a moment of space to experience, process, and deal with a stressful situation. The 30-second body scan is a favorite of mine, as is the slow down. Sometimes I just need to take a deep breath and not say or do anything for a moment so that I can concentrate on the task at hand and proceed calmly. And I’ve discovered that, in the middle of a discussion, it kind of forces the others involved to pause for a moment too. Long, slow, deep breathing is something I do at the beginning of each meditation session. It allows me a moment to settle in and set my intention.

In Week 2, Sarah introduces us to the Sitting Meditation, outlining tips and tricks for success and reminding us to keep an open mind, to be kind to ourselves, and to stay the course. This week we’ll practice the Sitting Meditation twice a day for about 15 minutes each time. She recommends doing it first thing in the morning, then again between work and dinner. I don’t know about you, but my work schedule doesn’t allow me to meditate at the same times every single day, however I use a planner and physically write “meditate” at the times each day that I will dedicate to the practice. It just helps me hold myself accountable. I encourage you to find a method that works for you and your schedule.

So then, here we go! Please read “Week 2 – Peace: Less Stress”, practice the Sitting Meditation, and experiment with different kinds of peacefinder exercises to find some that work for you. And remember those 5 Essentials outlined in the introduction. I still look at that sticky note to remind myself to let go of expectations, let it happen, don’t get discouraged when I have thoughts, be kind to myself, and just keep at it! I hope you’ll enjoy this week’s practice. Let me know how it’s going for you!

Next week: Becoming “Soul-Centered”: Week 3 – Freedom: Begin With a Beginner’s Mind

“Soul-Centered” – Week 1 Check-In

Howdy and good morning! I just wanted to do a quick check-in to see how you’re doing with Week 1. I hope you’ll take a look at the questions below, maybe pick a few, and share your experiences so far. Feel free to ask some questions of your own. I’ll do my best to help!

How are you feeling?
What changes have you noticed before, during, and after the exercises?
Which practice works better for you: Breath Awareness or Body Awareness? Why?What do you notice?
Have you tried the additional exercises? Which? How did it go?
Have you been able to establish a practice that works with your schedule? What do you do to accomplish that? Any tips or tricks you’d like to share?
How have you become more aware of the present moment? How does it make you feel?

I hope that you’re beginning to develop a steady practice of meditation and getting a glimpse of the impact it can have on your life and well-being. Please feel free to comment or ask questions. (Comments are not made public until approved. If you’d rather keep it private you may state that in your comment or message me separately.)

I hope you have a wonderful rest of your week!

Becoming “Soul-Centered”: Week 1 – Awareness: Be Here Now

So here we are. Week 1. The focus this week is ‘awareness’ and the seemingly lost art of living in the present moment. How many times have we missed out on something that was going on or weren’t engaged in the moment because we were brooding about something in the past or feeling anxious about what might happen in the future? Have you, or someone you know, ever been in the presence of something awesome or doing something fun and, instead of enjoying it, wondered what you/they were going to do next? Or tomorrow?

This week Sarah talks about being mindful, which she defines as “being engaged in and fully attentive to what you are doing and experiencing in each and every moment, while also being aware of your emotions, thoughts, and judgments.” When our minds are focused on something else, it diminishes our experience, prevents us from connecting with others, and can cause us great stress. However, right now is truly when things are actually happening. Right now is the only moment that really matters. Right now is when we connect to our true selves and our emotions. Sarah says that “the present moment is the only time you can access creativity, make choices, take action, set intentions, reminisce, and make plans.”

In order to practice mindfulness and become more aware of, well, everything, Sarah outlines some exercises that will help us live in the here and now – no matter what it is we’re doing. From washing your hands to driving your car to waiting in line, we are encouraged to pay attention to everything that’s going on around us as well as within us.

She also introduces us to our first mediation exercises: Breath Awareness and Body Awareness. Breath Awareness, done in the morning, teaches us to focus on our breath as we meditate. I’ll admit, this one is difficult for me. My mind tends to wander when I do this exercise, but I just keep refocusing myself on the task at hand and maintain my efforts until the end. The Body Awareness exercise is an awesome one, especially at bed time. It’s amazing to think about how much stress our bodies hold onto throughout the day. This exercise helps us slow down, focus on each part of the body, and gently release the built-up tension from our minds and bodies. These activities have three very specific intentions. Sarah says that they train us in “1) attending to the present moment, 2) easily turning your attention inward to your inner realm, and 3) focusing clearly on one thing at a time.”

With that, let’s begin our meditation journey together. Please read “Week 1 – Awareness: Be Here Now” and begin your meditations tomorrow. Follow along and make sure to do all the exercises and meditations Sarah describes in the chapter. You’ll be glad you did! And I’d love to know how it’s going for you, so please feel free to reach out to me or comment on your thoughts and feelings as the week progresses! I hope you enjoy it all! Cheers to living mindfully!!!

Coming up next, Becoming “Soul-Centered”: Week 2 – Peace: Less Stress

Becoming “Soul-Centered”: The Basics

Happy Sunday! I love that it’s October 1st and I’m outside enjoying this beautiful weather! I hope you’re having a great day so far. I also hope you were able to find Sarah McLean’s book and that you’ll be joining me on this journey to becoming ‘soul-centered’! So here’s my plan: today we’ll go over some of the basics of meditation that Sarah outlines in her book, address a few of the myths surrounding it, then set our course for adventure.

Whether you’re a meditation newbie or have an established practice, I think it’s always a good idea to start with, and revisit, the basics and Sarah has 5 “essentials” to help us be successful. I’ve actually written these on a sticky note and put it in plain view to remind myself that this is a process and to set aside the right-or-wrong dichotomy that I sometimes cling to like a security blanket. They are:

It’s Okay to Have Thoughts Whew! I’m glad because there are days when I feel that attempting to control my brain is like being a game show contestant frantically trying to catch all the cash swirling about the booth. Sarah says that you can’t stop thinking; it’s kinda what your brain is designed to do. Instead, meditation is a way to calm things down upstairs, relax your body, and begin to discover and enjoy the silence between thoughts.
Don’t Try Too Hard Guilty! On more than one occasion. I’ve even given up, then gone back to it later. Sarah says we can’t force it to happen; it’ll come naturally with more practice. I think of all the times I’ve tried so hard to remember something and failed, then it popped into my brain at some random time later. She does say, however, that the one thing we must do is make time for meditation. That’s where we need to put in the effort.
Let Go of Expectations Sarah calls it the “beginner’s mind” and encourages us to embrace it every time we meditate. “Expect nothing,” she says. We’ll experience all kinds of things during meditation, but the trick is to go into each session without expectations. I have to remind myself of that all the time because sometimes I’ll have a wonderful session and want to repeat it – then I feel flustered if it doesn’t happen.
Be Kind to Yourself Easier said than done, I know. We tend to be very hard on ourselves. We cut others some slack, yet somehow that doesn’t translate well when it comes to giving ourselves a bit of grace. Sarah nails it on the head when she says, “Being tough on yourself does not help change your behavior; it’s simply a bad habit.” Maybe that needs to go on a sticky note somewhere . . .
Stick with It This advice is twofold; it has short- and long-term applications. If we’ve dedicated 15 minutes, then by golly, we need to finish the session, even if we feel restless or frustrated. (In these cases I think we need to remember #4.) And we all know that it takes a while to make something a habit, so we need to keep going with the program in order to benefit from it.

Meditation has grown wildly in popularity over the years, but there still can be certain misconceptions about it that I think are worth discussing. When I was a teacher, a friend and I created a meditation club, offering students a quiet place to go a couple of days per week and practice strategies to battle anxiety, stress, and anything else they were dealing with in their lives. During our first meeting, we asked them what came to mind when they thought of “meditation” and then discussed them, hoping to calm their fears and dispel some of the myths. Here’s some of what they had to say . . .

I can’t sit like a pretzel. My legs don’t do that. Neither do mine! At least not without pain. I prefer to sit in an upright, comfortable chair or on my zafu – a meditation pillow. Sometimes I sit cross-legged and sometimes I don’t. Depends on my mood, the day, or how my body is feeling. Do what’s comfortable for you.
I can’t clear my mind. Something always pops up. Yeah, those darn thoughts. But guess what? You don’t have to clear your mind. In fact, you can’t! Read #1 on Sarah’s list above . . .
I don’t have time to sit around for an hour. Ok. Then don’t. You don’t need that much time to reap the benefits of meditation. Even just a few minutes will help you calm down and find your center. I will say, though, that I’ve gotten lost in the silence and meditated for much longer than I’d intended – and it felt good.
Aren’t you just using it as a way to not deal with your problems? I’ll admit, it is a nice bit of uninterrupted time all to myself when I can set things aside, but by practicing regularly we learn how to deal with situations, people, and problems in a calmer, more positive and productive way rather than always reacting.
It’s too hard. I don’t think I’m doing it right. I’m just going to go ahead and refer you to #2 on Sarah’s list above. And while I’m at it, also #3 . . .
Do you have to believe in God? Nope. While meditation can be a very spiritual experience, you don’t have to practice any religion at all to enjoy it.
Doesn’t it take a long time before you start to feel better? Again, nope. If you really commit to your practice and follow #5 on Sarah’s list, you’ll feel the results in a short period of time. Plus, the longer you stick with it the more you’ll notice the changes in yourself.

At the end of the introduction, Sarah poses three questions that we should ask ourselves. What is my intention? How do I want to live my life? and How do I want my life to transform? Over the course of this week, please consider those questions and feel free to offer up your thoughts. I’d love to know what you think! And I’d love it if you joined me in reading Sarah’s book and diving into the practice of meditation. Each of the next eight weeks will be dedicated to a chapter of the book. I’m going to read, practice, and write about them and ask you for your input. Are you ready?

Coming up: Becoming “Soul-Centered”: Week 1 – Awareness: Be Here Now

The “5 essentials” of meditation, as listed above are from Sarah McLean’s book “Soul-Centered: Transform Your Life in 8 Weeks with Meditation”. I have done my best to accurately quote Sarah as well as to adequately paraphrase and express my own thoughts regarding the information in her book.

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this: