For many people, there can be a feeling of not having “enough time”, particularly when our lives quickly become busy with work, family and social commitments and the year can already feel like it begins to run away. So how do we not fall into the old habits of getting caught up into feeling rushed, busy or anxious and rather remain steady and present with each day?

Our suggestion at Yoga & Healing is to offer yourself a program throughout February where you gift yourself a full stop moment every day  – around 10 minutes – that is set aside just for you.

By committing to this time you are offering yourself the space between you and what it is that you need to attend to. With this offering you are valuing yourself saying “I am worth this moment”. One suggestion that we would like to offer this month is practicing and exploring the Gentle Breath Meditation daily.

The Gentle Breath Meditation is a simple meditation technique. It provides the space for the body and the being to completely rest and rebalance. When we incorporate a stop moment into our day, we have the opportunity to feel a different way of being that is gentle and connected which feels lovely and can be vastly different from the usual busyness that may be your normal. Once you have this reference point in your body you can then take this connection into the rest of your day as well as into your sleep, all of which support a deepening of your daily sense of health and wellbeing. The meditation practise can be done sitting in a chair or lying down.

If you are someone who finds it difficult to find 10 minutes in your day here are some suggestions;

• Set your alarm a little earlier
• Put yourself to bed a little earlier
• During your lunch break (even if it means going to the bathroom or closing the office door for those 10 minutes so you will not be disturbed!)

Even the busiest of busiest person can “find” 10 minutes in a day to dedicate to themselves if they so choose. In the end, it really comes down to how much we value ourselves and our depth of realization and acceptance of the fact that our quality of being in everything we do does matter as it affects each and everyone of us.

In the beginning there may be some restlessness and agitation all of which can contribute to finding excuses to not gift yourself with this full stop moment. This disharmony though, is not the result of the practice but has been there in your body all along and the meditation is offering you this awareness. This is supportive and important to remember and not a reason to give up.

This month we encourage you to explore developing a deeper commitment to yourself through the daily program. Feel and enjoy the accumulative effect that it has and which can be taken into the following months of the year.

Download the audio of the Gentle Breath Meditation here. You may like to put it onto your phone so that you have it handy for when you choose to practice. You may also like to read one of our past blogs How to Meditate.

The only way to make change in our lives is to responsibly and lovingly take the necessary steps towards the desired change. Committing to a program is a simple and efficient way to support a desired change become a new normal.

Alexandra Plane and Donna Nolan offer Yoga/Yoga Therapy, Meditation, Esoteric therapies and Massage at their clinic in Balmain, Balgowlah (Northern Beaches) and Cammeray. Contact us for enquiries or bookings.

The post Double New Beginning – Gifting yourself a full stop moment each day appeared first on Yoga & Healing | Therapies Massage Exercise Corporate Wellbeing | Sydney, Balmain & Northern Rivers.

Choose a time of the day when you can sit or lie comfortably without being disrupted. Begin with bringing your awareness to your breath. Start to focus on feeling your breath through your nostrils.

Feel the quality of how you are breathing and then begin to focus on making your inhale gentle.  Feel the breath come in through the nostrils, feel the temperature of the breath and continue to follow it into your body. Repeat this and continue for several minutes until you establish a connection of your mind being with your breath. Once you have established the inhale then turn your attention to the exhale. As you breathe out, make the choice to do so gently and ensure that the quality of how you let the breath out of your body, that it too, is gentle.

Continue with a focus on both the inhale and exhale and the quality of the breath. Once you practise this for some time being present with your breath and you feel the connection of being with yourself, then when you get up from your formal meditation practise and head into your day, choose to maintain this quality of connection that you have established with your body via the meditation. When you complete your formal meditation practise, continue to feel your body as you go into your next activity holding your connection in what it is that you next do.

The development of the mind being with the body is called conscious presence.

Once conscious presence is developed and practised throughout your day, the racy thoughts of the mind start to slow down. That part of your mind that is always thinking of the next thing to do, or that tantalises you and causes suffering, those thoughts begin to lessen. Of course, this takes time and practice, but the more this is practiced, the mind stabilises and becomes more clear.

Try it – and see how it feels for you in your body. Here is a link to free instructional audio download library of the Gentle Breath Meditation.

You may also be interested in reading our blog What is Meditation?

The post How to Meditate appeared first on Yoga & Healing | Therapies Massage Exercise Corporate Wellbeing | Sydney, Balmain & Northern Rivers.