Instructional &
Informational Posts
Those people in the yoga advertisements looking perfectly zen sitting in lotus position next to a lotus flower? Good for them, but that’s not your life, is it? You have a cell phone, you have kids, you have noise in your life. But you also (we swear) have time to meditate. Join us for a weekly meditation you can incorporate into your life, anytime, anywhere.
We all have a habit or two we wish we didn’t: from enjoying sleeves of cookies to nail biting.
Even if no one knows about these secret behaviours, we may find ourselves wishing for more self-control. However, wishing is not an incredibly effective way to make change. Meditating may be the ticket to releasing an unwanted behaviour or habit.
There have been thousands of studies that indicate that meditation does indeed release stress. Other studies have indicated that meditation can relieve lifestyle problems, such as the aforementioned, but also other habits such as smoking or a television addiction. It is possible to reprogram your attitude.
Start your meditation by closing your eyes and counting from 10 back to 1. If your thoughts are particularly busy and in that time you made a list or planned an upcoming event, start again until you feel that you have slowed down.
Once you reach that point, focus on the point between the eyebrows. This point relates to the Ajna chakra, which is associated with perception.
Draw to mind the unwanted habit you wish to change. Allow yourself to notice everything you feel with regards to viewing this habit: from pleasure to shame.
Then go back to the brow and try to imagine the colour indigo. This colour represents transformation.
As you bathe your mind’s eye in this colour, imagine yourself being free of this habit. Imagine it were true as of that moment. Notice any bodily changes (tension released or acquired) and emotional changes (relief or apprehension). Keep sitting until you feel liberated, and capable of truly transforming.
Go back to counting from 10 to 1 and slowly open the eyes.
As you move forward, keep in mind that every step forward is a step. The journey does not have to be perfect, and you may fall backwards before you find yourself truly rid of an unwanted behaviour.
Use this meditation whenever you need a reminder of what you are striving towards.
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Courtney Sunday has two cats and a boyfriend who are very patient with her health and wellness obsessions. She teaches yoga, Pilates and indoor cycling and gives Thai massages through her Toronto business Om at Home Yoga. When she is tuckered out, she takes up the sport of sleeping.
