Today I am suggesting that you do something. It’s free, it takes 15 minutes a day and can be done in your own home, lasts just 21 days, and may change your life. What is it? The Chopra Centre’s 21 Day Meditation Challenge, starting 5th November.
I was persuaded to sign up for the last Challenge, which had the theme of love, and it made a big impact on me. Every day for 21 days, you receive an email with a link to a guided meditation. I was sceptical at first, as I don’t really get on with too much guidance and visualisation when meditating, but I was pleasantly surprised. Each meditation begins with a gentle talk and some guidance about how to meditate. All very simple. Some of the meditations are led by Deepak himself and the others by individuals who work at the Centre. Then there is a period of meditation with beautiful music in the background, and no talking. As the leader says, “I’ll watch the time”. My experience was of feeling safe and cared for, able to really let go because I knew I would be told, ever so gently, when the time was up.
For the first few days, I thought it was all a bit too simple, too short and perhaps wasn’t having any effect. I was wrong. I started to find that, in these meditations, I would let go more, go more deeply into what they call the “gap between thoughts” and this place felt really joyful. I was already a regular meditator but I found that, after the 21 days, I felt more confident in my own practice and more able to let go of thoughts and be still.
The theme of the upcoming challenge is “abundance”. I have already signed up and I am excited to find out how the theme will be addressed and also to have the opportunity to experience more of these amazing meditations.
If you already meditate, then I urge you to give this a try as it may deepen your practice, as it did for me. If you don’t, this might be the ideal opportunity for you to make a start. Three weeks isn’t long, but if you do something every day for 21 days, you have a good chance of making it into a long term habit. And I’m sure I don’t need to detail the physical, mental and spiritual benefits of meditation; it’s good for you in every way! Please let me know if you are signing up – it’s great to do things together!
Sounds good! I just may sign up for this one, too.
This sounds awesome. I will definitely be signing up. I am not a big meditator unless it is a guided meditation or something. The next person who tells me to count my breaths is seriously going to get slapped. Obviously, I need this challenge, haha. :-)
Haha good luck with it!
Great idea!
Good idea. Just signed up too. I like a bit of meditation!
Wonderful!
Mindfulness Meditation is a type of Buddhist Meditation that essentially inovlves focusing your mind on the present moment; to be mindful is to be aware of your thoughts and actions in the present moment. Practicing Mindfulness Meditation: Find a quiet and comfortable place. Sit in a chair or on a cusion on the floor with your head, neck and back straight but not stiff. Put aside all thoughts of the past and the future and stay in the present moment. Become aware of your breathing, focusing on the sensation of air moving in and out of your body as you breathe. Feel your belly rise and fall, the air enter your nostrils and leave your mouth. Pay attention to the way each breath changes and is different. Watch every thought come and go, whether it be a worry, fear, anxiety or hope. In mindfulness meditation one is an observer’ of thoughts that arise in the mind during meditation. These thoughts are neither analyzed nor harshly judged but are recognized as they simply are: thoughts and feelings. They are not to be selfishly clinged to, for selfish clinging causes suffering. We use the breath as an anchor. What does this mean? When a thought/feeling arises in the mind, we observe it-making a mental note of it, then return to the breath. This practice of mindfulness meditation requires patience and through daily practice patience is cultivated and wisdom is gained. Remember not to be hard on yourself when your thoughts wander; be gentle with the mind, and simply return to the breath. * Henepola Gunaratana-in his book Mindfulness in Plain English’ covers what meditation is, what it isn’t, attitude, the practice, what to do with your body, what to do with your mind, structuring your meditation, set-up exercises, dealing with problems, dealing with distractions, sati or mindfulness, mindfulness vs. concentration and mindfulness in everyday life .Metta to all.