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Quiet Half Hour
Just for today, I will have a quiet half hour all by myself, and relax. During this half hour, sometime, I will try to get a better perspective of my life.
In this day and age, quiet can be challenging. The average person has approximately 60,000 thoughts every single day. That’s about a thought a minute every hour of every day we are awake… assuming we sleep the recommended eight hours.
Noise is all around. America is a land of chaos for many people. Each day our minds are constantly overwhelmed: by television, radio, newspapers, billboards, sound pollution from car horns, clattering dishes, loud conversations, and blaring pop music. Mentally, each day we relate at home and at work. Even during our leisure time we are shackled to work through our Blackberry, iPhone, and wifi computers that keep us to be connected to the office. Our schedules are busy. Multi-tasking is mandatory for many people. Because our minds are always on the go… always filled with chaos… remember… it’s 60,000 thoughts every single day… it is critical to find quiet time each day.
“That’s impossible,” you say.
Many people are consumed with obligations at home and work. Then, there’s socializing… chores… Before we know it, weeks have passed without any time to quiet our mind or even exercise. Without quiet time our stress levels increase… We find ourselves running in circles striving to maintain every obligation. In the process we neglect our need for spiritual healing and peace.
Silence is key. It is essential to create some time we can be surrounded by silence each day. When we quiet our minds, our bodies relax.
Quieting our minds reduces stress and may lower our blood pressure and heart rate.
Quieting our minds improves our attention and memory, pain subsides and feel-good brain chemicals, endorphins… are released.
Quieting our minds allows them to become calm and clear.
Quieting our minds allows our minds to tap into creativity and joy because it allows the right side of our mind space… space so it can be heard.
One way I like to think of our mind… is, it’s like our car… it pretty much runs on its own, but we do need to do our part to keep it running smoothly… like check-ups and occasional repairs: but when I think of our mind, I think of the gasoline we put in our car… if we put the wrong gasoline in… it may still run for a while… but it won’t run well… and if we run out of gas? Well, we all know the answer to that
So, though we’re talking about quieting our minds… it’s really important we understand the connection of our minds and our thoughts… and how those connections between our thoughts and minds provide clues to how we can clean out some of our garbage and live more holistically balanced?
Like many things in life… in order for the connection between our thoughts and mind to be healthy we need to look at… how open is the connection? When we don’t take time each day to quiet our minds, our minds become jumbled with a zillion thoughts crashing into each other.
What are we doing about clearing up our mind’s chaotic thinking? Are we slowing the speed of our incessant thoughts? releasing negative emotions? And, clearing our minds? Now, in many ways, this is easier said than done. Yet, it is really simple… The trick is we have to be willing to take the steps, or actions, necessary for this to happen.
Quieting our minds so they achieve a healthier focus makes it possible for us to enjoy what life has to offer… each moment of each day of our lives.
Quieting our minds, we shift those zillion colliding thoughts from “high gear” to “focused gear”. We all have intense thoughts and worrisome emotions; but quieting our outer and inner turmoil is possible with practice.
There are many ways to learn to quiet the mind. Solitude works. Journal Writing works. Meditation works.
Meditation is my favorite. When we set aside quiet time each and every day and meditate… we slow down those 60,000 thoughts… Quiet time allows us to connect with our inner selves… with our spirits.
There are many forms of meditation. Research shows that meditation helps speed the process of forgiveness. (I have always believed forgiveness is achieved through meditation because when we meditate we connect to our spirit… which is Love… true agape Love.) Also, meditation reduces those 60,000 thoughts going on in our heads. For those who have not meditated consistently or long-term; meditation slows and, if we meditate consistently will stop persistent negative emotions. Meditation carries many other benefits as well, so it’s definitely worth trying.
Meditation is very deep relaxation, but different than sleep. During meditation, our mind is more focused and in a deeper state of rest than while sleeping. Therefore, meditation calms the mind, relaxes the body, and refocuses energy in a positive way. While meditation is not a replacement for sleep, it is a great way to reduce the amount of sleep needed for proper health.
Breath Watching Meditation?
Breath watching is exactly what it says: watching and being aware of your breathing during meditation.
Suggestions for successful breath watching:
Sit in a comfortable room free of distractions.
Sit in a comfortable position either in a chair or on the floor.
Close your eyes and begin taking slow deep breaths through your nose and exhale through your mouth.?
As you breathe be aware of how your breath travels in your nose and through out your body.?
Keep all of your attention on your breath.
Stay focused on your breath for 20 to 30 minutes.
Empty Mind Meditation
This meditation requires patience and focus. Empty mind meditation requires you are to “empty” all of your thoughts from your mind and allow your mind to rest.
To do this you must:?
Find a quiet room?…
Sit still in the cross-legged position?…
Allow your thoughts to travel out of your body and into the atmosphere
Simple Mantra Meditation
With Mantra Meditation you focus your mind on a sound… either a tone or short phrase. This can be a phrase repeated over and over or it can be a tone made by you… another person… or timed recording. Most of the time when practicing you will use a phrase and repeat it over and over… like “love”
Walking Meditation
As you practice this meditation, move your body and focus on how your body moves. You can perform this meditation walking down the street, pacing in your office, or on a run. Walking is a great stress reliever in itself, as it helps you blow off steam and releases endorphins.
Taking a walk when stressed allows you to remove yourself from a stressful situation and provides new perspective so you can return in a new frame of mind. As your mind tries to wander, concentrate on the movement that your body parts are making in order for you to move. Simple… yet effective…
Bonus… If you need to lose weight… and, if you really get into the WALKING MEDITATION you could cover the 10,000 steps recommended for healthy adults… lose weight and quiet your mind.
PRAYER
If you really focus on the “other person” aspect of prayer… prayer can work as well as any meditation.
Remember the old adage:
“If you’re going to worry don’t pray… and if you Pray, Don’t worry!
Whatever form of meditation you choose, make sure that it’s something that suits your needs and helps you find “your” inner peace.
Remember cluttered minds keep us from achieving our potential.
So, Just for today, I will have a quiet half hour all by myself, and relax. During this half hour, sometime, I will try to get a better perspective of my life.
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Intuitive Counselor, Transformational Coach, Guided Imagery Expert
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