HELLO!
This is my first post, of many, in which I will tell/show you one of the ways I achieve a positive state of mind.
MEDITATION
If you follow my Instagram, I posted about my recent cruise to the Bahamas and how important it was for me to meditate.
I started every morning on the cruise meditating out on my balcony. I laid out my blanket, closed my eyes and breathed in the refreshing ocean air. It wasn’t something I always did, but I recently started applying it in my daily routine and I’ve noticed how significantly more positive my day becomes.
MEDITATING? ON VACATION?
“But you’re on vacation! You’re already relaxed and all your negative thoughts just leave.”
Nope! Couldn’t be farther from the truth.
How many times have you been on vacation and you can’t seem to get a stressful situation out of your head? Sure, you’re there, physically, but are you there mentally?
By meditating, you’re helping your brain decrease activity in your “Monkey Mind”. Thus allowing you to actually ENJOY your vacation, not just physically be there. Here’s an excerpt from a great article on Forbes.com by Alice G. Walton titled, “7 Ways Meditation Can Actually Change The Brain” :
“One of the most interesting studies in the last few years, carried out at Yale University, found that mindfulness meditation decreases activity in the default mode network (DMN), the brain network responsible for mind-wandering and self-referential thoughts – a.k.a., “monkey mind.” The DMN is “on” or active when we’re not thinking about anything in particular, when our minds are just wandering from thought to thought. Since mind-wandering is typically associated with being less happy, ruminating, and worrying about the past and future, it’s the goal for many people to dial it down. Several studies have shown that meditation, though its quieting effect on the DMN, appears to do just this. And even when the mind does start to wander, because of the new connections that form, meditators are better at snapping back out of it.”
“HOW DO I MEDITATE? I CAN’T SEEM TO SIT STILL AND MAKE MY MIND GO BLANK…”
I know the feeling, it’s a common thing to experience as a beginner. Rest assured, your negative thoughts become less of an issue the more you practice. With time you’ll feel your thoughts come and go with more ease. You’ll experience awareness of present and feel the zen set in as your mind becomes quiet.
Don’t give up. Push through.
Meditation takes practice, but I have an awesome app called @headspace that helped me find my groove. I highly recommend it. What I like so much about this app, is that it TEACHES you how to meditate, which made it easy for me to apply this new habit into my daily life.
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Click on the link below to read more about the benefits of meditation…
7 Ways Meditation Can Actually Change The Brain
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Any comments or questions? I’d love to hear them!
xoxo,
Brenda Saraí