Meditations for Organizing Your Life
Using these meditations for organizing your life will prove to be powerful tools in transforming your life from the inside out.
"Through focused attention and visualization,
you can engage your mind and heart in creating the life you want."
The specific mediations listed below will help with your organizing journey because they are down-to-earth and practical. Most of the mediations are written by Madonna Gauding, the author of The Meditation Bible which is a true gem, full of 140 meditations for every purpose in your life.
Enjoy!
Asking for Help
If you are having difficulties that you can't resolve on your own, yet you can't seem to ask for help, this meditation is for you.
Clean Sweep
When you have to house-clean anyway, you can make good use of your time with this meditation.
Compassionate Consumption
Try this analytical meditation any time you are feeling your buying and spending are out of control.
Do The Dishes
How can dish-washing be a meditation? The Zen tradition encourages you to perform every action with total one-pointed awareness and attention.
Evening Meditation
This is a great meditation to do before you go to sleep to add closure to your day.
Glass Half-Full
If you are preoccupied with wanting things you don't have.
Media Monitor
If you feel you are taking in too much information and are not discriminating enough about what you watch, listen to or read, then try this meditation.
Morning Meditation
This is a great meditation to begin your day when on the go, or even at home.
One Thing at a Time
Do this meditation when you are feeling stress as a result of multitasking at work or at home.
Procrastination
Try this meditation to help you break your procrastination habit.
Habits
If you have bad habits that affect your mental, emotional, physical or spiritual health, this mediation will help you let go of them and start anew.
Shopping
Try this mediation when you are obsessed with buying things that you think will make you happy.
Spirit House
Try this meditation if you want to transform your living space to reflect the fact that you are a spiritual being.
Take the Next Step
Try this meditation when you want to know what steps to take to realize your dream.
Walking Solution
If you have been meditating on a problem and no solution arises, try this walking meditation.
What Are You Thinking
Noting the content of your thoughts when you meditate on your breath will help you to discover patterns in your thinking and be more mindful of your thought processes.
Workaholism
Try this meditation if you are questioning your fast-paced lifestyle.
Asking For Help Meditation
created by Madonna Gauding
If you have a problem, you may find it difficult to ask for help. You may feel you would rather die than expose your problem to anyone. This meditation helps you overcome shame to get the help you need.
There are more resources for getting help with psychological, spiritual, health, financial problems than ever before. And more people are making use of them. For example, the stigma once attached to seeing a psychotherapist has all but disappeared. But for a variety of reasons--such as pride, denial and fear--you may find it difficult to get the help you need.
Benefits
- Helps you get the assistance you need.
- Reduces shame.
- Gives support and encouragement.
When
If you are having difficulties that you can't resolve on your own, yet you can't seem to ask for help, this meditation is for you.
Preparation
Admit that you need help in solving your problem.
Practice
- Sit on a cushion or chair in your meditation space. Breathe deeply for a few minutes. Visualize your higher power in front of you. If you don't believe in a higher power, imagine the wisdom aspect of yourself seated before you.
- Talk to your higher power about the difficulties you are having. If you are struggling with an addiction, tell him or her about it. If you need help to deal with your anger, talk about that. Whatever it is, feel free to tell him or her everything. Visualize your higher power listening to you compassionately and without judgment.
- Tell your higher power why you have difficulty asking for help. Admit that you need help to overcome your problems and ask for their help in making that phone call or getting that appointment. Imagine him or her being very happy that you have finally let to, admitted your problem and have the wisdom to know that you can't deal with it on your own. Imagine your higher power promising to be with you all the way.
- End your meditation by committing yourself and your higher power to getting help. Realize that this is a sign of your courage and intelligence.
Clean Sweep Meditation
created by Madonna Gauding
Sweep the floor when you want a clean house. Transform it into a moving meditation for clearing negative thinking, emotions and states of mind.
Sweeping is one of the more satisfying house-cleaning activities. It is physical and you can see the results immediately. There is something wonderful about cleaning all that dust and dirt out of the way. Vacuum if you must, but this meditation is best done with a good old-fashioned broom.
Benefits
- Transforms ordinary house-cleaning into spiritual practice.
- Provides powerful visualization for clearing negativity.
- Strengthens spiritual resolve.
When
When you have to house-clean anyway, you can make good use of your time with this meditation.
Preparation
Think of any past negativity you would like to purify or any mental debris you would like to clear.
Practice
- Pick up your broom and stand in the area you plan to sweep. It can be inside or outside your house. Kitchen or garage floors work nicely and your path or front step would be fine as well.
- Examine the floor for dust or dirt. It may be quite noticeable or quite subtle. See that noticeable or subtle dust or dirt as negativity residing in your own mind and heart. Imagine that as you sweep, the negativity will be swept away with the dirt. If you have been unkind to your partner or if you have hurt a friend, see the dirt as these past actions.
- Start sweeping. Focus only on the dirt, the broom and the floor. As you sweep, see and feel your negativity leaving your mind and heart. You can sweep away your potential to commit negative acts in the future and your doubts and your fears in the present. Get creative and sweep away whatever is bothering you.
- End your meditation by sweeping the dirt into a bin and throwing it away. See your negativity going with it.
Compassionate Consumption Meditation
created by Madonna Gauding
It is important to be aware of what we buy and what resources we consume for the quality of our own lives, for the rest of the planet and for the welfare of future generations.
This meditation is an analytical meditation, one in which you meditate on a topic and try to bring any realizations you have into your daily life. It is not meant to make you feel guilty, and there are no "shoulds" to be inferred from the practice below. Simply becoming more conscious of your interconnectedness with all others will help you to make more compassionate choices regarding all aspects of your consumption.
Benefits
- Reminds us of the interconnectedness of all beings and things.
- Provides an antidote to mindless consumption.
- Promotes purchase of less toxic products for the benefit of the planet.
When
Try this analytical meditation any time you are feeling your buying and spending are out of control.
Preparation
Roughly write down how you have spent your money over the last six months, including energy resources such as fuel for your car.
Practice
- Sit on your own, on a cushion or a chair. Visualize yourself as connected to all other living beings, to the sky about, the Earth below, the rocks, water, trees and plants. Try to strengthen this feeling of interdependence and connectedness.
- Imagine that everything you consume has an effect on every other being on Earth. Visualize filling up the tank in your car. Think of the people who drilled the oil, those who refined it into fuel for your car. Remind yourself that it is a limited resource and that car exhaust pollutes the air.
- Think of all the people involved in growing, shipping and packaging the food you eat. Think about the pesticides and fertilizers that may have been used to grow it and how that affects our planet.
- Think of the inexpensive t-shirt you are wearing and reflect that it may have been made by people in a third-world country working long hours for very little pay.
- Bring this consciousness of the effect your consumption has on the planet to your everyday life, and try to make more compassionate decisions regarding what you buy.
Do The Dishes Meditation
created by Madonna Gauding
How can dish-washing be a meditation? The Zen tradition encourages you to perform every action with total one-pointed awareness and attention.
You may have some difficulty paying such close and undivided attention to washing your dishes at first. You may feel bored because you are accustomed to using dishwashing time to think about other things, or listen to the radio in the background. If you can transcend your initial boredom, you will reap the joys of mindfulness.
Benefits
- Helps you focus and concentrate on what you are doing.
- Transforms ordinary chores into a spiritual practice.
- Teaches everyday mindfulness.
When
Practice after any meal, when it is time to wash the dishes.
Preparation
Create dirty dishes by having a nice meal. Clear the table and scrape off the leftover food. Fill your kitchen sink with warm soapy water. Get your scrubbers or dishcloths ready. Roll up your sleeves.
Practice
- Send everyone out of the kitchen so you can do the dishes alone.
- Slowing pick up your first dish and begin washing it. Focus exclusively on the dish and the sink. If thoughts intervene, return your focus to what you are doing. When the dish is clean, slowly and mindfully place it in the dish drainer. Pick up your next dish and continue the same manner.
- Your mind may stray, but try to stay in the present and the task at hand. Notice the movement of the water, the soap suds and the comforting warmth of the water on your hands as you rinse a plate. Notice the dishes, the glasses and pots. Approach the experience as if it is the very first time you have ever washed the dishes.
- Even though it will take much longer than usual, wash every item in this manner. Although exaggerated, try to bring this level of awareness and deliberate attention to everything you do. Keep your mind present and engaged. Notice if you feel more relaxed and peaceful approaching your life in this way.
Evening Meditation
created by Paula Carino (Yoga to Go)
This meditation is best done before you sleep.
Preparation
Take a few deep, slow breathes and begin the meditation.
Practice
- Breathe in and out, slowly and deeply, feeling the calm night air and the comfort and safety of your bed. (Pause for 30 seconds)
- As you inhale, breathe in peace and relaxation. (Pause for 30 seconds)
- As you exhale, release tension and worry. (Pause for 30 seconds)
- Again, breate in peace and relaxation. (Pause for 30 seconds)
- And exhale tension and worry. (Pause for 30 seconds)
- Let go of whatever happened today . (Pause for 30 seconds)
- Feel yourself releasing events of the day. (Pause for 30 seconds)
- See yourself blissfully falling into a deep, refreshing sleep. (Pause for 30 seconds)
- Bring your awareness back to your breath. . (Pause for 30 seconds)
- Continue to observe your breath as you slip into a peaceful sleep.
Glass Half-Full Meditation
created by Madonna Gauding
It is easy to take what you have for granted and be chronically dissatisfied. Focusing on what blessings you have can transform your mind and your life.
It is easy to get caught up in the feeling of chronic sense of lack, encouraged by a culture that says you never have enough and are never good enough. You may find yourself fixated on that new car, a better relationship, new towels or a different place to live as the key to making you a happier person. But you may have noticed seeing your glass half-empty all the time makes for a miserable life. Always looking into the future means you aren't really present in the life you have right now. By meditating on gratitude on a daily basis, you will reduce your dissatisfaction and increase your contentment with the life you have. Happiness you will discover, is ultimately a state of mind.
Benefits
- Provides antidote to chronic dissatisfaction.
- Increases your awareness of your blessings.
- Helps you stay in the present moment.
When
If you are preoccupied with wanting things you don't have.
Preparation
Write down everything you want that you don't have. Then write down ten things you are grateful for.
Practice
- Find time to be alone in a place where you will not be disturbed. Sit in a way that makes you comfortable. After doing the preliminary exercise above, read over the ten things that you have listed.
- Generate a sincere sense of gratitude for each item on your list. If you are grateful for your health, feel thankful for your good fortune. If you have a car, no matter what condition, be sincerely grateful to have transportation. If you have a partner, think of their wonderful qualities and be grateful that they are a part of your life.
- After you have gone through your list, sit quietly and thank yourself, God, the universe, or whomever or whatever you choose, for the gifts you have been given. Resolve on a daily basis, to be mindful and grateful for the blessings you have.
Life Is Short Meditation
created by Madonna Gauding
Your life actually goes by in the blink of an eye. Ask any person in their eighties or nineties, and they will almost always tell you to make the best of your time.
This may sound morbid, but it is actually about helping you live fully. If you talk to someone who has recovered from a life-threatening illness, they will often tell you how grateful they are to have had the disease, as it "woke them up" to the preciousness of life. They may begin to do things they always wanted to do but never got around to. They may quit their job and find another, or end a relationship that ended in spirit a long time ago. Meditating on the fact that you may die at any time, not just in old age, will help you set your priorities and act on them.
Benefits
- Wakes you up to the reality of your death.
- Helps you set priorities.
- Encourages you to live life to the fullest.
When
Meditate on the shortness of life if you are feeling emotionally stuck and uninspired.
Preparation
Read obituaries in your local paper for today. This may sound unappealing but it is very helpful to do this once in a while.
Practice
- Sit on a cushion or chair in a quiet place where you can be alone.
- Note your age and how many years you think you can expect to live. Now imagine how you would feel if you knew you were going to die in about two years from now. What would you do differently with your life?
- Now think about how precious your life is. Who would you want to tell that you loved them? What would you want to do with your remaining time? Would you want to get closer to your family or your friends? Would you quit your job and travel?
- After about ten minutes, write down everything you imagined you would do. Make doing these things a priority in your life today.
Media Monitor Meditation
created by Madonna Gauding
If you watch TV, listen to the radio, go to movies, read newspapers and book, surf the Internet or play computer games, you are absorbing a great deal of information. Learn to be mindful of what you take in.
The content of what you take in, your motivation for watching or listening and the amount you take in, all have an enormous effect on you. Is your media intake helping or harming you? It is important to examine all three aspects of your media intake, and make clear decisions about how much and what you will allow in your life.
Benefits
- Reduces stress from information-overload.
- Retrieves lost time from media addiction.
- Helps you become mindful of what you take in.
When
If you feel you are taking in too much information and are not discriminating enough about what you watch, listen to or read, then try this meditation.
Preparation
For two or three days, keep track of how much tie you spend watching TV, surfing the internet or engaging with other forms of media. Note the content of what you what you take in. How much is violent or disturbing in nature?
Practice
- Sit on a chair or cushion in a quiet room away from others. Call to mind some images from any media you have read, viewed or listened to over the past few days.
- Note how this material makes you feel, what emotions are stirred and how your body is reacting. Is your heart beating faster or are any of your muscles tensing up?
- Ask yourself if the material you took in is positive and helpful in nature or does it provoke negative emotion as such as fear or anger. For instance, if you watched a story about a murder on the evening news, what effect did this have on you? If you watched a documentary on birds, how did that effect you?
- Now ask yourself why you allowed that media into your life? Were you looking for information? Were you trying to understand a news event? Were you bored and looking for excitement? Were you trying to avoid intimacy or run away from problems?
- After you have answered these questions for yourself, end your meditation. Try to have some consciousness in the future about your media intake. Make a clear decision about what is good for you and what is not.
Morning Meditation
created by Paula Carino (Yoga to Go)
This meditation prepares you for your busy day ahead and is easy to do when you are traveling or at home.
Preparation
Take a few deep, slow breathes and begin the meditation.
Practice
- Breathe in and out, slowly and deeply, feeling the refreshing morning air. (Pause for 30 seconds)
- As you inhale, breathe in energy and confidence. (Pause for 30 seconds)
- As you exhale, release tension and fatigue. (Pause for 30 seconds)
- Again, breate in energy and confidence. (Pause for 30 seconds)
- And exhale tension and fatigue. (Pause for 30 seconds)
- Today's a new day, a chance to start again. (Pause for 30 seconds)
- Feel yourself releasing the past, releasing yesterday. (Pause for 30 seconds)
- Visualize the activities of your day ahead. (Pause for 30 seconds)
- See yourself joyfully, completeing all your tasks. (Pause for 30 seconds)
- See all your interactions with people as harmonious. You are pure peace, interacting with pure peace. (Pause for 30 seconds)
- During the day, you will remember yourself as pure peace. (Pause for 30 seconds)
- Bring your awareness back to your breath. (Pause for 30 seconds)
- Allow your body to move freely and start your new day. (Pause for 30 seconds)
One Thing at a Time Meditation
created by Madonna Gauding
Time-management specialists encourage multitasking, but in the long run it is stressful and inefficient. Learn to focus on one task at a time and give it all your loving attention.
Underlying multi-tasking there is often a competitive and aggressive motivation. In other words, if you get more done in less time, it means you are smarter, more competent and more successful. You may get more done but you never really focus on anything. The quality of your work and your life suffers. Try this meditation to get in touch with the negative effects of multitasking and the positive benefits of working on one thing at a time.
Benefits
- Provides a more relaxed way to work.
- Helps you stay in the present moment.
- Prevents mistakes and accidents.
When
Do this meditation when you are feeling stress as a result of multitasking at work or at home.
Preparation
If you usually do more than one thing at a time, ask yourself why you do that.
Practice
- Pick any task, such as typing or cooking, then do something else as well. Cook dinner and watch TV at the same time. If you are at work, file your documents while making a business call. Write down how you feel and how you performed your task.
- Do the same tasks over again, only this time concentrate on one task only. Cook mindfully and give your full attention to your business call. Write down how you feel and how you performed your tasks.
- Later, sit on a cushion or chair and recall how you felt while multitasking. Try to recreate mentally how you feel when frantically typing to do many things at once. Stay with your feelings for a few minutes. Then recall how you felt when you devoted your total attention to a single task and stay with this feeling for a few minutes.
- If you felt better focusing on one thing at a time, continue to approach all your tasks in this way. You may notice, over time, that your work will be more precise and well done, and you will feel more relaxed, centered and in control of your life.
Procrastination Meditation
created by Madonna Gauding
You cannot manifest your dreams if you have a habit of procrastination. Procrastination is simply a bad habit you can overcome with a little effort.
It is important to understand why you procrastinate. You could be procrastinating out of fear or because what you plan to do is not in line with what you truly want. You could have a habit of not doing something if you are not in the mood or if you are feeling overwhelmed. This meditation will help you understand why you are procrastinating and imagine how your life would be if you didn't.
Benefits
- Exposes the fear behind procrastination.
- Supports you in breaking the procrastination habit.
- Helps you develop positive discipline.
When
Try this meditation to help you break your procrastination habit.
Preparation
Write down three reasons why you procrastinate in order to make yourself conscious of why you put off doing what you have to do.
Practice
- Sit on a cushion or chair in your meditation space. Read the three reasons why you procrastinate. For example, you may have written that you are afraid of failing or you are so disorganized that you are overwhelmed all the time. Or you may wait until the last minute to complete a project because you need the pressure to get you going. Try to think about the real reasons why you procrastinate rather than you excuses.
- Consider each of the three reasons you procrastinate. They may be relieving your stress in the short term, but in the long term, they are undermining you.
- Now visualize and feel what it would be like if you didn't hesitate before starting a task. Imagine what you could accomplish in your life if you were not a procrastinator. See your productivity and creativity soar. Feel the sense of accomplishment you would have if you worked hard every day and met your deadlines and responsibilities with ease and competence.
- Commit to being aware of the reasons why you procrastinate and work to overcome them.
Purifying Fire Meditation
created by Madonna Gauding
If you have bad habits that affect your mental, emotional, physical or spiritual health, this mediation will help you let go of them and start anew.
Benefits
- Helps you identify how you are harming yourself.
- Encourages you to let go of shame or guilt.
- Supports you in efforts to care for yourself.
When
Healing is not just for physical illness. Try this if you are struggling with negative habits.
Preparation
Locate a place where you can safely build a fire-in a fire place or outside, perhaps in a barbecue. Write down any negative habits you have had in the past or have presently. Take your time and be as thorough as possible. Then write down any feelings you have about your negative habits. Include any shame or regret.
Practice
- Build a fire in your fireplace or barbecue. Sit on a meditation cushion or a chair nearby. Read your list. Review everything and feel your shame and regret.
- Visualize your higher power in any form you like. Express your regret for indulging in negative habits and ask for help in living your life in a more positive and constructive way. Feel your higher power's love and acceptance of you as you are.
- Now place our list into the fire and watch it burn. As your list burns, visualize your negative habits leaving you. Let go of any shame by mentally giving it to the fire to be purified. Commit to living a more positive life.
Shopping Meditation
created by Madonna Gauding
Yes, it is possible to meditate while shopping. It is a good place to become mindful of what you project onto objects.
It is easy to assume that external objects are a key to our lasting happiness since that is what advertising tells us constantly. "Buy this car and feel incredibly powerful!" "Wear this suit and become a company director overnight!" We're all susceptible to this kind of pitch because we're all hurting inside in some way, and want to believe that something outside ourselves will take away the pain. But it is time to investigate the issue for ourselves.
Benefits
- Demonstrates that acquiring things does not bring happiness.
- Promotes mindfulness of motivations for consumption.
- Cuts down addiction to shopping and buying.
When
Try this mediation when you are obsessed with buying things that you think will make you happy.
Preparation
Go to a shopping center alone without money or credit card. This visit is for meditation only.
Practice
- As you walk down the rows of shops notice the things that you would like to have. Ask yourself why you want that dress, jacket or car. Do you think it will make you feel better about yourself, perhaps more sexy or attractive? If you buy that jacket and wear it, what do you think it will say to others about you? What qualities and powers are you projecting on to the jacket?
- Recall the last thing you really had to have and bought. How do you feel about the item now? Did it deliver all that you hoped it would? Even though you were once obsessed with having it, is it now buried in your closet, forgotten?
- Contemplate the fact that all external things and experiences are, by their nature, ephemeral, unreliable and subject to change and decay. They can never give you real happiness or heal your feeling of inferiority, loneliness or powerlessness.
- Begin to assess everything you want to buy in this way. Be sure to enjoy your possessions for what they are, but don't project onto them more than they can deliver.
Spirit House Meditation
created by Madonna Gauding
Your home, whether it is a house or a rented apartment, can be a special place for reflection, meditation, ritual and ceremony. This meditation will help you create a living space that is a sacred sanctuary for your soul.
You may want your home or apartment to be warm, nurturing, beautiful and sacred. Instead, it may be an uninviting and chaotic dumping place for yourself and your possessions. Transform it by meditating on how you would change it.
Benefits
- Helps you create a nurturing living space.
- Encourages you to honor your spirit.
- Helps you create sacred space.
When
Try this meditation if you want to transform your living space to reflect the fact that you are a spiritual being.
Preparation
Walk through your living space, visiting each room. Assess how each room makes you feel-physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually.
Practice
- After surveying your home, sit down on a cushion or chair in your meditation space. Close your eyes and breathe deeply for a few minutes.
- If you are not happy with how your home looks or feels, imagine it the way you would like it to be. If you have created a small sacred space for meditation, consider how you can make your entire home sacred. How can you decorate and arrange your home to reflect your desire for comfort, serenity, warmth or whatever else you need? How can your space honor your spirit? How can you create a home for your soul?
- Imagine that you are in your spirit house; how would it look and feel? How does it nourish your soul? What would you have to do to transform your current living space? Does it require painting, rearranging the furniture and lighting, or cleaning?
- Repeat this meditation daily for a week before making any changes in your environment. When you begin to make changes, go slowly and engage your body, mind and spirit.
Take the Next Step Meditation
created by Madonna Gauding
Manifesting your dreams requires having a plan and performing a series of actions. This meditation will help you know the next step to take on your journey.
Your dreams manifest through your actions. You perform a series of mental, physical or spiritual tasks, which eventually create the reality you desire. In the beginning, the road to your dreams may seem daunting. This meditation will help you know how to proceed.
Benefits
- Helps you keep on track.
- Encourages thoughtful decision-making.
- Helps you to know the next step.
When
Try this meditation when you want to know what steps to take to realize your dream.
Preparation
You will need a large sheet of paper and marking pens.
Practice
- Find a place indoors where you can be alone and undisturbed. Sit at a table with your drawing materials in front of you.
- Close your eyes and visualize a dream you would like to make a reality. For example, if you want to start a vegetarian restaurant, see yourself in your restaurant greeting your guests.
- Draw a circle in the middle of your paper and write your dream in the center of it. Now begin to brainstorm all the tasks you have to complete in order to realize your dream. Draw lines running from the center to other circles, each with a separate task and connect "sub-tasks" to those tasks. For example, if you need training, make that one task. Connected to that task you may have "sub-tasks" of getting a student loan and finding a good training school. Another task may be to visit the best vegetarian restaurants in the country.
- Fill your paper with every task you can think of that will help you manifest your dream. When you are finished you will have an organic form that looks like a flower or a snowflake. Now begin to prioritize the tasks in a sequence that makes sense to you.
- Close your eyes again and visualize yourself going through all the steps in sequence, eventually arriving at the same visualization you had before your brainstorming process.
Walking Solution Meditation
created by Madonna Gauding
Difficult problems sometimes benefit from you taking a good long walk to help sort things out in your mind. This meditation will help you sort out your problems while walking.
Physical movement is energizing. Walking helps move stagnant energy, promotes better circulation, loosens stiff joints and encourages creative thinking. If you have a problem to sort out, try taking a long walk to focus your mind and expand your options.
Benefits
- Promotes movement to help solve problems.
- Helps you sort out how you feel.
- Helps you organize the issues.
When
If you have been meditating on a problem and no solution arises, try this walking meditation.
Preparation
Dress appropriately and wear comfortable shoes. Bring water if you think you will need it. Decide on a route that will take about an hour to complete.
Practice
- Begin your walk by focusing on your breath for about five minutes to calm your mind and settle into your walk.
- Bring to mind the problem that you can't seem to solve. Visualize that each step you take is bringing you closer to a solution. Then focus on your dilemma. For example, if you are not sure whether you should go back to college, imagine for a five or ten minute stretch that you have made the decision to go back to school. See how that feels to your body and mind.
- For the next five or ten minutes, switch to making the decisions not to return to college. Notice how that feels to your body and mind.
- Now for the rest of your walk, invite an unknown third solution to arise. For example, another solution, besides going or not going to college, may be getting on-the-job training or an apprenticeship. Open yourself to a creative surprise.
What Are You Thinking Meditation
created by Madonna Gauding
Noting the content of your thoughts when you meditate on your breath will help you to discover patterns in your thinking and be more mindful of your thought processes.
Benefits
- Helps you be mindful of your thinking patterns.
- Provides insight on worries and concerns.
- Helps identify and change negative thought patterns.
When
Try this variation on breath meditation for ten minutes, morning and evening.
Preparation
Find a quiet place at home where you will be undisturbed. Before you begin, ask yourself if there is any pattern to your thinking, or do you have recurring thoughts. Do you worry about money?
Practice
- Sit cross-legged on a cushion with your bottom slightly raised. If you can't sit cross-legged, sit on a chair. Keep your back straight, your shoulders level and relaxed and your chin parallel to the floor. Lower your eyes and focus about three feet in front of you. Rest your hands gently on your knees.
- Breathe normally through your nose, using your abdomen rather than your chest. Check your posture and relax any part of your body that is tense.
- Begin counting your breath and when you reach ten, begin again. When thoughts intervene, note the content. For instance, if you thought about money problems, silently note "worrying about money" and return to counting your breath.
- Meditate for about ten minutes. At the end of your session write down which thoughts emerged. Do this for one week and notice any recurring patterns. Notice if your thinking about something or someone changes.
Workaholism Meditation
created by Madonna Gauding
What used to be called "workaholism" is fast becoming the norm for white collar workers. Long hours and taking work home is expected if you want to compete in the corporate world. This meditation helps you find a better alternative.
If you are a professional you may be earning an impressive salary. But if you look closer, you may be working 80 hours a week, eating out every night because you are too exhausted to cook and getting your clothes dry-cleaned because you have no time to run the washing machine. You may be expected to spend your time entertaining business contacts and have to travel at the drop of a hat. What is wrong with this picture?
Benefits
- Challenges the prevailing work ethic.
- Promotes a balanced life.
- Helps you stop using work to avoid intimacy.
When
Try this meditation if you are questioning your fast-paced lifestyle.
Preparation
Write down your typical schedule for a week.
Practice
- Sit on a cushion or chair in your meditation space. Meditate by watching your breath for five minutes.
- Look over your schedule. How much time did you spend with your loved ones or friends? Did you get eight hours' sleep a night? When did you relax and play during the week? Did you eat well and exercise? Did you tent o your spiritual life? Are you using your hectic schedule to avoid intimacy? How much money are you really making an hour?
- Now contemplate your long-term goals? What do you want to achieve? When you are on your deathbed, how do you want to have spent your life?
- Talk about the qualities you would like to manifest in your life. Do you want warmth, love, fun, play, spiritual development and time in nature? How is your current life helping you have the quality of life you want?
- End your meditation by affirming what is most important to you and committing to creating a more balanced life.
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