5 minute meditation | the blog for ForesightYourCtPsychic

5 Minute Meditation- Foresight Says “Relax”….

Posted in Alternative Health, Life Improvement, Living in a Magickal Universe, meditation, Metaphysical Basics, self improvement, tagged 5 minute meditation, Foresight, Relaxation, relaxing deep breathing, whole body relaxation on October 20, 2011| 1 Comment »

Because we live in a busy, busy, multitasking, “six impossible things before breakfast” kind of world, we tend to build up a lot of tension; and many times, that tension can settle in our muscles and joints.

The jaw. The neck. The shoulders. The back. Any part that’s a part of you can get tense and tight and painful because you’re stressed.

And meditation, even for 5 minutes, can help with that.

Pick a time when you’ll be free from interruptions for a few minutes. (Hide in the bathroom, or in your car is you need to.)

Put yourself in a comfortable position, sitting or lying, with your arms and legs uncrossed (so they won’t go to sleep).

Close your eyes.

Start by doing some relaxing deep breathing .

As you feel your body start to relax, begin to gently look at the different parts of your body, starting with your toes and working your way upwards.

Where are you holding your tension? Your neck? Your back?

When you find a part of your body that’s tense, stop there and breath. Picture yourself breathing light into that part of the body – light that fills it, heals it and lets it relax.

Be aware of that part of you as it relaxes. See how good it feels? That’s how it’s supposed to feel. Make a note of this feeling, so that, the next time it starts to get tense, you’ll be aware of it, and know you need to do some more relaxation

Once that part of your body relaxes, move on to the rest of it.

And, when your time is up and your body is relaxed, open your eyes.

This is a very simple but effective technique. You can do your whole body, or, if you’ve only got a minute or two, you can focus on the parts of your body where you know you tend to carry your tension.

Either way, it’s good for your head and good for your body as well. (Tense muscles are more vulnerable to injury).

So, go ahead. Relax!

Catherine

Foresight

10/20/11

5 Minute Meditation – A Part of Every Day

Posted in Alternative Health, meditation, self improvement, tagged 5 minute meditation, Alternative Health, focus, Foresight, making other parts of your daily routine part of your meditation practice?...., meditation on October 13, 2011| 2 Comments »

We’ve been talking about 5 minute meditation – about ways to include little bits of meditation as part of your normal day. We’ve looked at such things as breathing, relaxation, fire, eating, waiting, standing online, and listening.

But have you thought about making other parts of your daily routine part of your meditation practice?….

By now, you’ve probably noticed that one of the most key points in meditation is focusing your attention on a single thought or experience. The act of focus helps us to relax, calms the monkey mind, and brings us to our centers and the peace that we can find there.

And we can certainly find a focus in any regular practice or activity.

Whether you’re doing the dishes, or paying the bills, or cleaning the bathroom, almost any basic repetitive activity has the potential to also be an exercise in presence, relaxation and meditation.

You breath deeply. You relax. You focus totally on what you’re doing, being present with it. And you let the acts that fill your day become a meditation.

A 5 minute meditation.

There are no limits to meditation. The only question is what are you going to bring your peace and presence to today?…..

Catherine

Foresight

10/13/11

5 Minute Meditation – the Sound of Silence

Posted in meditation, tagged 5 minute meditation, Foresight, meditation, the Sound of Silence on October 6, 2011| 1 Comment »

Talked a bit about sound in the last 5 Minute Meditation post. Let’s go further on that

When you’ve got 5 minutes, settle yourself in a comfortable position, sitting, reclining or lying down. If you’re running on too little sleep, sitting is usually better, as you may drop off if you’re lying down (and while, if you need the sleep, I’m happy for you to get it, that means that you miss the meditation part)

To start, close your eyes and take a deep breath. Hold it for a moment, then breath out, feeling tension and stress leave your body with the breath. Repeat at a leisurely pace until you’re feeling calm and centered.

Once you’re feeling a bit more calm, centered and focused, keep your eyes shut and start to listen to what you hear around you.

What do you hear?

Do you hear the sounds of people around you, or vehicles passing by? The sounds of nature, or the enviromental sounds of your surroundings, like the humming of lights, or the gurgle of water in pipes in the wall? The sounds of your heart beating or your own breathing?

What do you hear?

We tend to screen out a lot of the sounds around us, unless its a sound that’s important. We can use these sounds as ways to focus and go inwards, and find our center.

Don’t make this into a test or a challenge. Just relax, and focus on the sounds around you.

Can you tell what you’re hearing?
Once you do, can you start to play with this?
Can you focus on one sound to the exclusion of others?
Can you shift your focus from one sound to another?
Can you hear the silence that lies between the sounds and connects them?

Spend a little time with the sounds and the silence that lies between. And, when you’re ready, take a deep breath, return your focus to your body and open your eyes again…

When you’ve got a moment, spend it with the sound and the silence, and renew your spirit.

Catherine

Foresight

10/6/11

5 Minute Meditation – a Room of Your Own

Posted in Food for the Spirit, Life Improvement, Living in a Magickal Universe, meditation, Metaphysical Basics, tagged 5 minute meditation, Foresight, free, Gaiam on September 28, 2011| 1 Comment »

Sight and sound are two other ways that we can tap into the inner stillness of meditation.

And here’s a wonderful way to do that.

Click this link to visit the Gaiam Life Meditation rooms – 6 free environments to help you move your mind into peace and center easily and quickly.

Turn on your sound, pick a room and enjoy

Catherine

Foresight

9/28/11

5 Minute Meditation – I Walk the Line

Posted in Alternative Health, Life Improvement, Living in a Magickal Universe, meditation, Metaphysical Basics, personal growth, Spirituality, tagged 5 minute meditation, Foresight, meditate while standing in line, presence in the now, walking meditation, whole body relaxation on September 15, 2011| 1 Comment »

In the last post on 5 minute meditation, we talked about a way to incorporate meditation into your day while waiting. We did a whole body relaxation that can be done while waiting for a meeting, a doctor’s appointment or a car repair.

Now, let’s look at a different kind of meditation while waiting.

Let’s meditate while standing in line….

Everyone stands in line. At the grocery, at the post office, at a store or restaurant or amusement park. Standing in line is one of the biggest time wasters in every one’s life.

Unless you meditate while you do it.

We’re going be doing a miniature version of a walking meditation, while we’re standing in line.

Start by broadening your stance slightly, improving your base of support and balance. You can close your eyes if it seems safe to do so, otherwise you can do this meditation with your eyes open.

Take a deep breath, breathing out any tension or anxiety, as we did in the last meditation. (If it’s been a tough day, take as many deep breaths as you feel the need for.)

Briefly do a whole body run through – a quick version of the body relaxation we did last time. When you find tension in your body, stop and breath to relax it.

Bring your attention to your feet. Pay close attention to the contact your feet have with the ground – how your body pushes downwards against the earth, and the earth pushes up against your feet.

Sway gently back and forth. Focus on how the pressure and other sensations shift as different parts of your feet take more or less weight.

When the line permits, take one step forwards, but do it as s-l-o-w-l-y as you can without the people in line behind you throwing things at you.

Slowly lift one foot and swing it forwards through the air. Place your heel down, paying close attention to how that feels, then s-l-ow-l-y roll your weight onto your heel, over your arch, and onto the ball of the foot.

Then repeat, stepping s-l-o-w-l-y onto the other foot.

As you move onto the other foot, focus on how your first foot pushes off with your toes s-l-o-w-l-y.

And then repeat the process with the next step.

The process of presence in the now – of doing a simple action slowly and focusing totally on it can help to still the mind and relax the body.

And you’re doing it all while everyone else is wasting their time standing in line.

Clever you….

Catherine

Foresight

9/15/11

5 Minute Meditation – Meditation While You Wait

Posted in Life Improvement, Living in a Magickal Universe, meditation, self improvement, tagged 5 minute meditation, Catherine, Foresight, health benefits from meditation, meditate while waiting for a meeting or appointment, Meditation While You Wait on September 6, 2011| 1 Comment »

In our last post on 5 minute meditation, we talked about the practice of presence, and how being totally present and focused on something you’re eating can turn a meal or a snack into a small but perfect meditation.

And incorporate meditation into your busy day (with all of the associated health benefits…)

Groovy, right 🙂 ? …

Well, let’s look at another simple way to incorporate meditation into something you do everyday.

Let’s meditate while waiting for a meeting or appointment…

The next time you find yourself waiting for something, take the chance to meditate. ..

Take a deep breath in, and hold it for a moment, and then breathe out fully, releasing any stress or negativity with the breath.

If you’re feeling stressed because you have some place to go, do what you can to relax and accept that what you are waiting for will only happen fast as it happens and no faster. That holding onto stress won’t change that. It’ll only make you feel lousy. So, take another deep breath and breathe out as much of that stress as you are ready to let go of.

Mentally, go through each part of your body in turn, looking for parts that are tense or tight, such as neck, jaw or back.

When you find a part of your body that is tense, stop and take a deep breath. Relax that part of your body as you breathe out, and then take another deep breath, picturing that part of your body being filled with protective and healing light.

When you’ve gone through and relaxed any tight parts of your body, it can be helpful to move your body or even to wiggle to move muscles out of cramped positions.

Take one more deep breath, and feel yourself calm, centered and at peace.

This is not always as simple as it sounds – but the more you practice, the better you’ll get at it.

When you’re waiting, you’re present. And it’s much better to be present with peace than frustration.

Catherine

Foresight

9/6/11

5 Minute Meditation – A Meditation Snack

Posted in Alternative Health, Life Improvement, Living in a Magickal Universe, meditation, Metaphysical Basics, personal growth, self improvement, tagged 5 minute meditation, being totally present with what you're doing at the moment., Catherine, food meditation, Foresight, meditation, Meditation Snack, mindfulness snack, Monkey Mind on August 11, 2011| 3 Comments »

In modern society, we’re constantly on the run.

Move, move, move!

Multitask, multitask, multitask!

As a consequence, we get a whole lot of stuff done – but we also lose the ability to simply be present with what we’re doing at the moment. If you’re juggling chain saws, you have to constantly be thinking three steps ahead or bad things will happen…

Maybe so, maybe no. But, we’re always thinking too fast and too far, and that can just wear you out.

On form of meditation is simply that of being totally present with what you’re doing at the moment. Putting plans, and multitasking, and thinking ahead aside for just a little while and really being there in the moment with what you’re doing, whether chanting, or exercising, or playing with your child.

The act of presence helps to still the chatter of the monkey mind, and build an inner calm, which is very pleasant, relaxing, and healing.

and one time to do it is while eating.

Chose a time and place for your eating meditation where you won’t be interrupted. ( Hide out in your car if you need to.) Turn off phones, and position yourself where folks won’t come by every few seconds wanting to chat or for you to find their lost sneaker.

Chose an item of food to focus on. An orange or apple is traditional, but you can do this with any type of food, even a cookie or a Big Mac.

Put aside any worries, planning, or thinking about the next three things on your to-do list. This is just a little meditation, and all of those things will be there when you get back.

Start by focusing on the food you are holding in your hand.

What does it feel like?

Is it heavy or light? How heavy?
What is texture?
Is it hard, or soft? If soft, try “squishing” it a bit, to see what that feels like.

Look at your food. Turn it over, so you can look at it from all sides.What does it look like?

What color is it?
Is it a solid color or variations?
Look closely enough at it that you would be able to identify it from out of others of its type

How about sound? Is your food

Crispy like a chip?
Crunchy like good french bread?
Thumpable, like melon?

Bring your food up to your nose now, and smell it. Is the smell

Sweet?
Tangy?
Rich?
Bland?

Now finally, it’s time to taste. Take a small nibble of your food and hold it in your mouth for a moment, really focusing on the flavor and how it feels on your tongue. Then start to chew, and notice how the experience changes for you.

The more deeply you focus on your food, the more that you tune into the sensory experiences your food has to give you, the more your mind will calm and your stress will lessen. Not only is meditation in general good for your health, but a food mindfulness meditation like this one can also help develop better eating habits, which can help with indigestion and being overweight.

Spend as little or as much time being present with your food as you like.

If distracting thoughts come up, your planning mind starts to try to play through and the monkey mind begins to chatter, you’ve got tools from earlier posts (5 Minute Meditation – Back from the Monkey Mind, Part 1 and Part 2) to deal with this.

So, enjoy your mindfulness snack.

And have a better day

More mindfulness on the way

Catherine

PS Remember to catch me tonight live on Cauldron of Knowledge on http://www.LiveParanormal.com at 8 p.m, speaking on Energetic Grounding.

Foresight

8/11/11

5 Minute Meditation – Being Present

Posted in Life Improvement, Living in a Magickal Universe, meditation, Metaphysical Basics, personal growth, Spirituality, tagged 5 minute meditation, being present in the moment., Foresight, meditation, specific practice on August 4, 2011| 2 Comments »

Meditation, whether for 5 minutes or for longer, is about focusing on something and letting everything else go for awhile. We do this to take a break from multi-tasking, to still the “monkey mind’s chattering” and to still the mind.

Sometimes, meditation is about following a specific practice, like the breathing meditation previously noted.

Sometimes its not.

Sometimes, it’s about being wholely, totally present at what you’re currently doing. Not thinking about what’s for dinner, or what you want to do on the weekend. But be totally present and focused on what you’re doing, whether it’s scrubbing a bath tub, doing and exercise, or tickling a child.

It’s about being present in the moment.

And I’ve got some moments coming up for you…

Catherine

Foresight

8/4/11