Hello,
Unique learner.
Great you are here and that you are taking this time for yourself.
This practice is all about those precious minutes before you start.
Whether you are about to start to work,
Write that paper or book,
Study for that exam.
It is beneficial if you can take a breather so that we start smoothly.
No distractions but an alternating nostril breathing technique to relax our mind and body.
Reduce anxiety and promote overall wellbeing.
If you have troubles with breathing exercises,
I suggest you take this practice easy,
On your own pace and do what feels comfortable for you.
There is no perfect meditation,
But by taking this time for yourself,
You are already winning.
Before we dive into the meditation,
I would like to share my experience with practicing meditation and hoping I would work,
Write or study more efficiently and peacefully.
It is not just my meditation practice,
Rather more things needed to be in place.
Unfortunately there is no golden rule,
No magic pill or clicking my heels three times like Dorothy in a wizard of Oz and I hope I can start focusing immediately and do the work perfectly.
Whether it is a process of getting to take on healthy everyday habits and exercises such as improving your sleep habits or writing a gratitude journal or something simple like no distractions.
For me a big game changer was blocking notifications on my phone,
Emails popping in and social media time.
Yes,
Distractions before and while some working.
It seems so simple and obvious,
But it is difficult.
However receiving notifications with or without sounds on your mobile phone or even inbox can distract us immensely and perhaps lose track of time,
Like woah how did I end up googling what sounds a baby alpaca like at 2am.
In another meditation I talk about time management techniques and how focusing on one task does the job.
So therefore I invite you to close off all sounds,
Notifications,
Disturbances and find yourself a quiet place to sit with a straight spine.
This is your time.
Wiggle your fingers and feet if you need to and place your hands loosely in your lap.
Now close your eyes if you haven't done that already.
We are going to do a quick alternating nostril breathing technique.
If you feel dizzy or light headed you should stop immediately.
We are going to balance ourselves through this breathing technique or pranayama which may help to relax our mind and body,
Reduce anxiety and promote overall well being.
The yogis say that breathing through the right nostril is to kick start our energy,
Alertness and our left nostril is for sensitivity and calmness.
Now take a long slow deep breath in through your nose.
Hold it for a couple of seconds and then slowly exhale through your mouth and make sure you empty your lungs completely.
You can lean forward a bit if this helps.
Sit back and place your right thumb on your right nostril and breathe in through your left nostril.
Hold it again on the top and breathe out slowly and longer than the inhale through the mouth.
Completely emptying your lungs by leaning forward a bit if that helps.
Come back again and place your left thumb on your left nostril.
Breathe in and when you breathe out through your mouth make sure it is longer than the inhale and empty your lungs completely.
And once more,
Place your right thumb on your right nostril,
Breathe in through your left nostril,
Hold it again on the top and breathe out slowly and longer than the inhale through the mouth.
Completely emptying your lungs by leaning forward a bit.
Come back again and place your left thumb on your left nostril,
Breathe in and when you breathe out through your mouth make sure it is longer than the inhale and empty your lungs completely.
Sit with a straight spine.
How do you feel?
Continue to breathe slowly and gently through your nose in and out of your mouth as you bring your awareness to the top of your head.
Just sense or imagine this feeling of relaxation beginning to spread down from the top of your scalp.
Let's focus on your nose.
Does it feel different?
Keep breathing on your own pace through the nose and out through the mouth.
And focus on the muscles of your forehead.
Are you looking angry right now or smiling?
Try to relax these muscles,
Allow your cheeks and jaw to soften and let go of all tension.
Now focus on your neck and shoulders.
Are you starting with a tight neck already?
Breathe through it,
It will be fine.
Try to focus on your arms,
Your chest and your stomach.
Do you feel tightness?
Are some parts closed off?
Keep breathing in through the nose and out through the mouth.
Are you feeling any emotions like anxiety or calmness?
Or both?
That's okay.
Now focus on your lower body,
Go deeper,
Your legs,
Feet and toes.
Now try to focus on your entire body.
Are there still some parts stuck?
Breathe through it,
It's okay,
It is what it is.
Now ask yourself,
What is my intention for today?
What improvements can I make that will make my work easier today?
Can I be realistic and ask myself whose standards are these?
Can I make an honoring promise to myself that I will try and do my best?
That doesn't mean you have to succeed in everything perfectly,
Like finish that chapter or win an Oscar.
No,
It means can I celebrate little achievements I make in a day?
How amazing is that?
In one practice you've thought about distractions,
Did a breathing exercise,
A quick body scan,
And answered inquiry questions.
Well done!
Please thank yourself for this time invested in yourself.
And now open your eyes.
