One of my girlfriends told me I needed an outlet for all the stress in my life or eventually suffer a breakdown. Like many women in my situation, I was last on the list of who I took care of. I could barely find time to brush my teeth or take a shower, let alone exercise, but one day I came across a simple magazine article about the power of breathing. I used the simple technique that day, and it changed my life.
Take a deep breath while counting silently to five. 1-2-3-4-5. Hold that breath while you silently count from two to six. 2-3-4-5-6. Exhale while you count from three to seven. 3-4-5-6-7. Repeat.
There's something in counting the numbers that held my focus on just the numbers. Not what my schedule my kids were on, if the carpets had been vacuumed, or if I looked good enough. I would use the technique before sleeping and stopped having trouble falling asleep. I used it when I went back to work full time during stressful times to reset my focus. I was meditating. It was great.
In the ten years since then, I've become a a more spiritual person and both my husband and I have found different meditations that we enjoy doing. There's a blessing in experiencing the sounds, thoughts, and feelings in each moment while I sit quietly before meditating. I focus on my breathing, feeling it come in my body and leave. There are random thoughts that try to get my attention, but the meditation is the practice of allowing that to happen and refocusing on the breath. I know how my mind works now; what it will resist and what it hangs onto. That awareness is wonderful, because it creates the possibility for new ways of thinking and living my life.
If you are reading this and have never tried a simple breathing meditation, my hope is that you try it. Maybe it will work for you. If you already meditate, I would love to hear what works for you, and what is the most enjoyable meditation for your life.
Namaste.
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