Writing this article has strangely become the most cathartic activity I reach for during the day. You see as a mother, writer, investor, mud runner and community server, all of the pieces- which make up my life – don’t always come together in a neat picture. But as I read – and began to live – the recommendations from mediation expert Jean Marie DuHamel of Fostering the Journey with Jean Marie, I found the beauty in the messiness which configures my life. And as I spent 30 seconds gazing at a squirrel or took five seconds to appreciate how soothing the sunlight coming in through a window could be and took a minute to be grateful for how hard working my husband is, I noticed how the weight of my life began to lift and not only was I smiling more, but I also felt free and happier.
So it is with great joy that I bring you 10 Ways to Fit Meditation Into Your Day from Ms. DuHamel – along with some inspirational thoughts from some of the most influential individuals known to mankind – and I hope you will find it inspirational enough to Pinit or place it on a vision board.
“Meditation is the dissolution of thoughts in Eternal awareness or pure consciousness without objectification, knowing without thinking, merging finitude in infinity,” Voltaire
1. Gaze
“All great and beautiful work has come of first gazing without shrinking into the darkness.” – John Ruskin
2. Repeat throughout the day three things for which you are grateful
“If you look to others for fulfillment, you will never be fulfilled. If your happiness depends on money, you will never be happy with yourself. Be content with what you have, rejoice in the way things are. When you realize there is nothing lacking, the world belongs to you.” – Lao Tzu
3. Find meaning in whatever you are doing
“We are at our very best, and we are happiest, when we are fully engaged in work we enjoy on the journey toward the goal we’ve established for ourselves. It gives meaning to our time off and comfort to your sleep. It makes everything else in life so wonderful, so worthwhile.” – Earl Nightingale
4. Find joy in the moment
“By knowing who you are – your authentic self – you can find joy in the moment. When tuned to this, joy is in every moment.” – Jean Marie DuHamel
5. Be present in the moment
“Be present in the moment by focusing on something such as breath or a mantra or the task at hand. Become one with the task at hand.” – Jean Marie DuHamel
6. Smile
“Laughter is day, and sobriety is night; a smile is the twilight that hovers gently between both, more bewitching than either.” – Henry Ward Beecher
7. Laugh
“Mirth is God’s medicine. Everybody out to bathe in it.” – Henry Ward Beecher
8. Focus on the heart
“Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someone deeply gives you courage.” – Lao Tzu
9. Inhale and exhale slowly and evenly
“Inhale, and God approaches you. Hold the inhalation, and God remains with you. Exhale, and you approach God. Hold the exhalation, and surrender to God.” – Krishnamacharya.
10. Play soothing background music
“Beautiful music is the art of the prophets that can calm the agitations of the soul; it is one of the most magnificent and delightful presents God has given us”, – Martin Luther
“Dedicating some time to meditation is a meaningful expression of caring for yourself that can help you move through the mire of feeling unworthy of recovery. As your mind grows quieter and more spacious, you can begin to see self-defeating thought patters for what they are, and open up to other, more positive options.” – Sharon Salzberg.
Featured photo credit: aigarius via morguefile.com
