Hey,
It's Doug here.
Here in the UK,
Gyms go back next week,
And we are all getting ready for it.
Some of us feel like lockdown has inhibited our training,
Or maybe we're just sick of Dean Burpies in the living room while our partner tries to watch Love Island.
Whatever the reason,
The gyms are likely to be packed by this time next week.
This is largely due to what is known as the Fresh Start Effect.
We are far more likely to make changes when there is a landmark event to signify it.
For instance,
Those approaching a new decade,
Like 29,
39,
49,
Are 48% more likely to run a marathon than those who are just having a normal birthday.
People who have a near-death experience report a similar dedication to changing the way they do things,
Especially when their actions may have caused the incident in the first place.
We just seem to be better at making changes if we feel there is something significant happening.
I think it's safe to say coming out of lockdown definitely qualifies.
But maybe we should look bigger than just changing our physical or fitness goals.
So how do we do it?
Well,
First off,
We have to know where we are if we're planning on going anywhere.
As it happens,
This is exactly how we start our meditations.
So after that rather long preamble,
Let's get into this.
Get yourself in a comfortable seat,
Whatever that means to you,
Sitting on a cushion,
A pillow,
On a chair,
A sofa,
Or even on your bed.
Just try to sit up nice and tall.
Have the shoulders relaxed and coming down the back.
Have that lovely space between your ears and your shoulders.
You should look dignified here,
But also relaxed.
Each inhale,
Sit up even taller.
And each exhale,
Keeping that length,
Try to relax into that position.
Good job.
Bringing awareness now to our breathing,
Breathing in and out through the nostrils.
And just try to feel how each breath feels.
Becoming fully aware of what the breath feels like.
Now our first challenge is to just think about the breath.
As always,
This can be a lot harder than at first it sounds.
You can think about how the breath feels,
Where you notice it,
How it feels in those different places,
Maybe even the differences between the inhale and the exhale.
But just contain your thought to just the breath.
Now invariably,
At some point you're going to start to think about something else.
And that's totally natural.
Quite often how our meditation gets derailed is when our thoughts about how we failed to meditate end up getting in the way of our meditation.
A big part of the fresh start effect is that we let go of our past self.
We realize the last moment is gone and it's never coming back.
The rationale is that the fresh start effect works so well because we see the past self as someone totally different.
The significant effect lets us let go of the past and feel liberated to start again.
No longer tethered to the old ways,
The old habits.
So try to keep that in mind.
Dwelling on how we failed only seems to keep us weighed down to the past.
So if you've thought about something else instead of your breath in that time,
That's okay.
Let that go and just come back to the challenge at hand,
Thinking about the breath.
Now this is a rather simple example of what we do in life,
But it's a great starting point.
Simply thinking about the breath,
Feeling the breath,
And also practicing this art of letting go of every time we get it wrong.
Not being ignorant or denying that we've done something else,
But acknowledging it,
Just not letting it take over our thoughts.
Let's go a little bit further than just our sitting and breathing now.
I want you to think about more generally where you are in life.
Your career,
Your relationships,
Anything like that,
More broad,
Often helps by starting to think about the things we are happy with.
So right now,
Bring to mind all the things you are happy with in your life.
For some of us that's easy,
For some of us that's a little bit harder,
That's okay.
You have this beautiful time,
Quiet,
Breathing,
With space to think.
As you start to think about those things that you are happy with,
First and foremost,
Thank yourself for each one of these things in your life.
Thanking yourself and realizing how it was your previous actions in life that brought these things to you,
At least in part.
So thank yourself for bringing those things to your life.
Thank the past you.
You may also become aware of anyone that's helped you on the way,
Even if it's just chance.
Maybe it's a deity.
Maybe it's a deity.
But bring gratitude to those things that have brought you joy in your life.
You can continue to go through this process.
Think about where you are in your life and what you are happy with.
Thank yourself for what you've done that's brought those things to you.
And thank everything else that has played a part in bringing those things to you.
You can carry on on your own.
But it's quite natural at this point that thoughts of things we're not so happy with start to come into our mind.
And this is when we revert back to the lessons we learned from our breathing,
The lessons we learned about fresh start.
Instead of dwelling on these things,
We acknowledge them.
We acknowledge that they were actions in our past that were not ideal.
This may seem unusual,
But first we thank ourselves for the lessons they've taught us.
And then,
Having acknowledged them and thanked them,
We let them go.
Like cutting an anchor loose from a boat.
Practice this now.
Whenever a thought comes into your mind about something you're not happy with in your life,
Acknowledge it.
Look at it.
See it for what it is.
And then see the good in it.
See the lesson it can teach you.
Be grateful for that lesson.
And then let it go.
Don't allow the shame or the hurt of the past to infiltrate you.
Rather see it as something we no longer need.
Once you've acknowledged it,
Once you've taken the lesson from it,
It's served its purpose.
You can let it go.
Don't let that anchor drag you down.
Let's change gears a little bit here.
Instead of thinking about your past,
Let's think about your future.
What would improve your life?
What are some of the habits or changes you feel like you could make in your life that would help?
The type of thing in the future you would give you a high five for doing.
Now,
If you can't think of something straight away,
That's totally natural.
But again,
This is our moment.
In this quiet time with space to think.
Let those ideas and let those thoughts come to you.
Really search for what in your heart you know would help.
Now once you have some of these ideas of habits or changes you would like to make,
No matter how small or big,
Imagine yourself living,
Having implemented these changes.
What does that future you look like?
How do they walk?
How do they talk?
How do they feel?
Really live as this new person,
Having already made those changes.
See how your life could be different.
Begin to realize that this person is attainable.
See yourself even now beginning to transform.
Having shed your past self skin and starting to develop into this new beautiful transformed figure.
Maybe by only the smallest step right now,
But a step in the right direction.
Realizing that future person is starting to emerge.
Now you're welcome to wait until the restrictions lift to implement your fresh start.
There's another great option here.
Once again,
Remember how each breath was a chance to restart your meditation.
Well your next breath could be the fresh start you need to do anything.
The transformation could start right now.
You begin to open your eyes now.
You can now start to see this world as a new opportunity.
An opportunity to start again.
With the chance to fulfill your potential.
It's never too late to start again.
Now remember the other lesson.
If you feel like you've gone astray,
Instead of dwelling on that mistake or slight hiccup,
Acknowledge it,
Learn from it.
Then use that next breath as your fresh start and become who you want to be.
Now.
Namaste.
