Braving the Hot Mess
Check out Braving the Hot Mess on Facebook
  • Blog
  • My Story
  • Documentaries and Videos Worth Your Time
  • Books I Love
  • Vegan Recipes
  • Meditations
  • Affirmations
  • Tracy's Upcoming Events
  • Contact
  • Testimonials

Meditation 101 - The Beginner's Guide

2/17/2015

1 Comment

 
Picture



















In my post on Minding the Hot Mess, I mentioned how beneficial meditation has been to my life. It's an amazing tool for your toolbox. Do you currently have a mediation or mindfulness practice?  If you do, that is totally awesome! I would love to hear about it in the comments below. If you are interested in starting a practice then this post is for you! I will follow up with future posts on different meditation techniques and benefits, but we'll cover some basic info on getting started here.

First of all, what are some reasons that you may have told yourself for why you aren't currently meditating? The answers I hear a lot in response to that question are the following:

I don’t have time - Meditating doesn't have to take a lot of time. Start with a small amount, say 5 minutes and see how that goes. Work it into your day and then as you can, increase the time by a few minutes.


I can’t sit still - Here again I would recommend starting off slow and working up to more time in meditation. A nice technique that I sometimes use to settle my body is to do several tense and release exercises to begin my meditation. I tense up my whole body tight for several seconds and then release and repeat this process over again several times.

I can’t stop mind from wandering and it's so boring - Meditation isn't about emptying the mind, it's about observing the mind and being present. If your mind wanders, you simply bring it back to your breath or to your mantra. Observing the actions of your mind means you are becoming more mindful. Guided meditations are also a great way to keep your mind from wandering and keep you from getting bored by giving you something to focus on.


Once you've decided that you want to commit to a meditation practice what are some things to consider? Let's talk about establishing a regular routine, exercise, location, sitting position, length, breath and prayer next.

Regularity - Set aside the same time or times each day for your meditation, if you can.

Exercise - If you have time, exercise a little before meditation. Yoga postures are excellent. The exercises one does before meditation, should calm, not excite the nervous system. 

Location - Set aside a room, or small part of a room, just for meditation. Try to find as quiet a spot as possible that is uncluttered. Be sure the room is not stuffy and a bit on the cool side. Have a place to sit, and a small, simple altar or focal point, like pictures, flowers, candles. You will find that the vibrations of meditation will build here. 

Sitting - A chair is fine, or a comfortable cross-legged position on the floor or on cushion(s). If you sit in a chair, try not to lean back. Whatever your position, keep your back straight, chest raised, head erect, eyes closed, and hands resting palms upturned, in your lap.

Length of time - Do not set unrealistic goals for yourself. Better to meditate 5-15 minutes and be very consistent about it, then increase your time as you can. One longer meditation each week is very helpful.  Also, it helps to meditate with other people, especially people who have been meditating longer than you. The energy of a group meditation often helps you to meditate longer than you would ordinarily be able to on your own. 

Prayer - Upon beginning your meditation, say a prayer either out loud, or in silence, to God, your spirit guides and/or Angels to protect you, to guide and to help you.

Breathe - Once you are situated, start out by doing a few minutes of breathing exercises. Breathe in a slow deep breath to the count of 5. Hold that breath for a count of 5. Exhale deeply to another count of 5. Repeat this several times.

I started out doing some short guided meditations. The guided meditations gave me something to focus on and helped me build my confidence with meditating. My first ones were 12-14 minutes in length. The shorter timeframe made it feel manageable...I knew I could carve out 12 minutes and I knew that I could sit still for 12 minutes. My favorite guided short meditation CD is called Meditations for Wellness-II Under the Waterfall by Graham LS Connolly. The CD can be purchased for $15 on the website http://www.tarrassaholistics.com/products_services.shtml.

Some people get hung up on the word meditation. Either because it sounds too challenging or because the origins of meditation feel conflicting to their religious beliefs. I would encourage you to call your practice whatever makes it work for you. A Roman Catholic priest I saw interviewed calls it his silence practice. You can call it your relaxation practice, your prayer time, your centering practice or your spiritual practice, whatever feels suited to you.   

When meditating we are merging with our higher self and connecting to spirit. My friend Katherine once said, "life is a meditation." Always be present.  Always be connected to God. Always be aware. Always be in prayer.


I will follow up in future posts with more specific information on a variety of meditation techniques for you to add to your practice, as well as more specific information on the spill over benefits of meditation. Let me know if I can assist you further in getting started, meditation is a way to heal yourself and our world.




1 Comment

The God In Me Is Loving The God In You

2/10/2015

12 Comments

 
Picture




















What is your typical response when you become frustrated, angered or upset?Maybe you are having a disagreement with your spouse or coworker, or you are 'having one of those days' with your kids, or your family member is pushing one of your buttons.  If you are like me (or like I used to be) you will most likely engage in the hot mess and probably make it worse.  Sure, you might start out trying to be reasonable, but if your buttons are being pushed it can be hard to maintain composure.  Even if we do, we usually walk away stewing and fretting about it in an unproductive way.  I've learned several amazing tools that have helped me to handle situations like these with a lot more grace.  I want to share one of them with you today.  

This is a tool that I learned in a spirituality class.  It's simple, easy and works fast.  Whenever you are confronted with a situation that is challenging and runs the risk of getting the better of you, repeat to yourself out loud or silently, "the God in me is loving the God in ____" and insert the name of the person(s) impacted.  Repeat this over and over for a few minutes until you feel the shift happening inside of you.  Even if you have to grit your teeth and choke it out at first, do it anyway.  You will be surprised how after saying it a few times, your own thoughts and energy will begin to shift.  

Now the super cool thing about this is that it not only begins to shift you, it also starts shifting the other person, and they are not even consciously aware that you are doing it.  You will notice that they calm down and that their energy becomes more positive and calm.  I'm not kidding, this tool is amazing and so easy to do!  Remember how thoughts become things and impact our environment and what comes back at us?  Well, this is another powerful example of how this can work.

This tool can also be used if you are in need of shifting the energy in the room to a more positive one.  If you are in a meeting and the energy is turning negative, or your family is having an off day.  There are a some other cool tools on how to shift energy that I can't wait to share with you in future posts!

I love how Pamla Ashlay-McPherson describes this tool.  "People address each other from the part of themselves that has been programmed by this earth life; they forget they are spirit first encased in a body and when we address each other from our spirit to their spirit we speak greater truths.  So next time someone is yelling or upset; be still, and in your head repeat over and over, 'the God in me is loving the God in you' and they will stop; as it will bring them to a greater truth without realizing it."


So, next time you are in a challenging situation that threatens your ability to stay in a calm and loving place use this tool, repeat...the God in me is loving the God in you...and feel and watch what happens.  Please let me know how you like this post in the comments below.  I would also love to hear your experience once you put this tool into action! 

"We are not human beings having a spiritual experience. We are spiritual beings having a human experience." The quote is by Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, a French philosopher and Jesuit priest.




12 Comments

Braving the Hot Mess...Losing the Fear

2/3/2015

4 Comments

 
Picture
This earthly world can be challenging, we are human beings and therefore we are flawed.   I know that sometimes I feel like it's a Hot Mess or that I'm a Hot Mess.  Braving the Hot Mess, to me, means acknowledging the challenges and being brave enough to navigate your way through.

What does being brave mean?  The dictionary defines brave as possessing or displaying courage.  Courage is the ability and willingness to confront fear, pain, danger, uncertainty, or intimidation.  So being brave implies that there is something to fear.  Does fear get in your way?  Do you hold back because you are afraid?  Fear of being vulnerable, afraid of being judged, fear of not being perfect, afraid of the unknown, fear of failure or being misunderstood?  

I once heard this acronym for fear...False Evidence Appearing Real.  This acronym does a nice job of zeroing in on what most of our fears are really about.  We often tell ourselves stories that simply are not true, and these "stories" get in our way.  We can become intoxicated by our stories and our fears.   

On a basic level fear is a vital response to physical and emotional danger...if we didn't feel it, we couldn't protect ourselves from legitimate threats.  But often we fear situations that are far from life-or-death, and thus hang back for no good reason.  Traumas or bad experiences can trigger a fear response within us that is hard to squelch.  These experiences start early on when we are young children and continue throughout our lives...layer, by layer, by layer we build up stories and fear.  We take fear from the past and reorganize and recreate it in the present and project it onto the future. 

Fear is unbelief, fear is rooted in self.  When you are fearful you are not in alignment with God, with the Universe, with Spirit.  Gabrielle Bernstein states, "The presence of fear is a sure sign that you're relying on your own strength.  A sure sign that we have disconnected from the presence of our power, it is a sure sign that we have disconnected from the connection that we have to spirit.  When you realize that you are operating in fear and relying on your own strength, you feel scared, lost, anxious, controlling, isolated, trapped, stuck, weak...leaking your power."  She goes on to say that, "When you witness that you are in fear, you can open up to a strength far greater than yours through very simple words.  Even by just saying 'I surrender'. That's enough to open the invisible door.  We surrender what we think we know."

Fear is the opposite of love.  Marianne Williamson in her book A Return to Love says, " Love is what we were born with.  Fear is what we have learned here.  The spiritual journey is the relinquishment, or unlearning, of fear and the acceptance of love back into our hearts.  Love casts out sin or fear the way light casts out darkness."  

The Bible speaks to fear multiple times.  Scripture says, "I can do all things through him who gives strength." Philippians 4:13   and "with God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26   Peter started sinking because he was focusing on the wind and the waves. If he had kept his eyes upon Jesus, fear would not have entered into his heart.  We exhibit the emotion of fear like Peter when we are trying to stand in our own strength.  The Bible says, "For God hath not given us the spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind." 2 Timothy 1:7 


I like another quote from Marianne Williamson's book A Return to Love she says, "Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are POWERFUL beyond measure.  We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?  Actually who are you not to be?  You are a child of God.  It is our LIGHT, not our darkness that most frightens us.  Your playing small does not serve the world.  There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that others won't feel insecure around you.  We are ALL made to shine as children do.  It's not just in some of us; it is in EVERYONE.  And as we let our lights shine, we unconsciously give permission to others to do the same.  As we are LIBERATED from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others."

Another way to put it is fear is synonymous with ego.  Ego is that fear-based voice that shows up and keeps us small and keeps us stuck.  We can think our way out of the fear and see the insanity of it and detach from it.  One way to do this is to name the fear and then identify all of the reasons why the fear is insane/untrue/outrageous and laugh at it.  A Course in Miracles calls this laughing at the ego's tiny mad ideas.  This way you can reframe the script, so you can tell a new story.

Another powerful tool to help us brave the hot mess and not succumb to fear is to pray.  Prayer opens us up to creative solutions and possibilities through surrendering.  Surrender what we think we know and we will open up to the flow of the Universe and all things will be possible.

There are many other tools to help deal with fear, these are just a few to consider.  In future posts I hope to write about how meditation can help, how EFT tapping can help, just to name a few more.

I like to think of Braving the Hot Mess as facing the challenges of life, the uncertainty, by focusing on love, on gratitude, on forgiveness, on grace, and on praise, acceptance, surrender and prayer.  Remembering to get out of our own way, to have faith and trust and to step into our power, so that others around us will be inspired to do the same.  Don't be fearful, be brave, have fun, laugh at the fear and ask yourself, how much more fun can it get?  Believe in infinite possibilities.  

Did you enjoy this post?  Was it helpful to you?  I would love to hear your comments below.  If you have a tool that works for you in regard to fear or a story of Braving the Hot Mess, share it with us below, so we can all learn together!




4 Comments

    RSS Feed

    Archive 

    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015

    Picture

      Please sign up to receive weekly new blog posts. 

    Submit
Proudly powered by Weebly