Gnome thoughts on meditation..

The ancient yogis knew that mediation and calming the mind was an essential practice to improve their lives, in fact, yoga was fundamentally this, the physical poses came much later and even these were to condition the body to allow sitting in a relaxed position to facilitate meditation.

Science now supports the positive benefits we gain from a regular mediation practice; MRI studies have identified changes occurring in the brain with such a practice and there are numerous books on the subject.

In order for meditation to work, you have to do it. Sounds obvious really but there are clearly barriers that we put up, the most obvious that come to mind are that we just don’t have the time and we don’t know how to do it - or if it will work…

"I'm visualising a bird as the image just popped into my head?"

I agree, it may be difficult to find 10 minutes each day to spend quietly, in our own space to calm our body and mind down progressively to a point where everything is still, relaxed and at peace.

Or where we can take a walk and focus entirely on the sensations, the feel of the feet on the ground, wind on the face, hearing the sounds around but only focussing on the moment and not the continuous chitter chatter of the mind.

Yes, time is precious, and we need to use it wisely, how on earth can we free up 10 minutes each day to be so self-indulgent?

The irony is that meditation is a simple, effective method that can help you to improve your productivity. If you are completely relaxed and stress-free, then your mind will also work more effectively, you will probably get a positive return on your 10-minute investment.

The mind is continually churning thoughts, where do they come from, why are they popping up now, why can’t I get this problem out of my head? Even when we sleep the brain is active with REM activity, healing, dreaming.

"Sorry....but I'm just a little preoccupied for meditation at the moment....and I'm not a gnome!"

We owe it to ourselves to give it a break.

There are plenty of resources available to help embark on a course of meditation starting with the breath as primary focus, visualisations, counting, happy place, body scanning. All of these methods are certainly worth trying. We are all wired differently, and some may come easier than others. The objective is the same, calming the mind.

If you can free up some time for a 10 minute daily meditation and stick at it, very soon you will feel the change in yourself, how you feel, how you react to situations, the practice gets easier and you really start to love it and the improvement it brings to your day.

But it will only work for you if you do it.

Not just for frogs and gnomes...

Why cats don't have gym membership?

Our cat.... 'working out'

Ever wondered how the laziest of our domestic animals can still maintain a pretty good shape? I have. Our cat just lies around all day, eats, sleeps, eats, occasionally will venture out but even then will collapse and sleep in the garden, yet she is lean, doesn’t appear to suffer from a dodgy back or any form of stiffness and seems to have a pretty good life.

The advantage that our four-legged friends have is that by simply walking and (occasionally) running, these fundamental movements will strengthen and stretch all of the really important muscle groups: legs, core, hips shoulders, their bodies are performing the designed function to the full. No gym membership needed.

Our human form is clearly a marvellous structure however being an upright biped isn’t without it’s challenges, walking is a form of falling after all, our core isn’t working as hard as our four legged friends when we propel forward and our pelvic floor needs to resist gravity, maybe in a few more years on the evolutionary clock will iron some of these features out…

Perhaps we can help ourselves in the meantime through a fairly simple and accessible yoga practice.

Yoga is many things to many people but just considering the physical practice for a moment, such a practice will provide good strengthening, conditioning and stretching for the key areas, legs, hips, core, shoulders, spine and all the associated connective tissue.

It’s no coincidence that some of the more popular and beneficial yoga postures have animal names, downward dog, cat cow, pigeon, peacock, crow to name just a few.

Certainly, some of these postures will provide a beautiful stretch of our functional body and it is, after all, the most natural thing to do - a good stretch.

We’re not talking about a long session either, a simple set of yoga postures could be sequenced together and completed in the time it takes to brush one’s teeth. It is a great way to start or end the day and will produce some surprising results if the practice develops.

The physical benefits of yoga allow us to re acquaint with the movement and flexibility we once had but maybe let go.

If you want help in trying some yoga out, drop me a line.

And breathe........

"Take a deep breath....."

We offer this advice when someone is overly excited or anxious. We recognise breath as a way to calm mind and emotions. Breath is a powerful tool to promote well-being. It is literally right under our nose. Yet we don't pay much attention to the breath.

Using breath to enhance well-being is an effective practice. It can be done sitting at a traffic lights or in a quiet room. Daily breathing practice is both powerful and healing. Immediate benefits result for body, mind and spirit.

In day-to-day life, we are overrun with multitasking, but we are also completely out of touch with our natural breathing patterns. Modern humans tend to take shallow, uneven breaths, using merely 15% of lung capacity.

In addition, short, shallow, and fast breathing tells the brain that we are in a desperate situation, ‘fight or flight’ mode while corresponding hormones are released as a result.

If one wishes to bring balance and inner peace in such circumstances we should become aware of our breathing and start to slow things down....

Simple breath awareness is one of the simplest forms of meditation, but it is also one of the most significant.

Take your attention to the diaphragm moving and pushing the tummy out on the inhale and, without jerking, the diaphragm muscle relaxing and tummy returning through the exhale. This is simple abdominal breathing. See if you can deepen breathing more of the belly moves and less of the chest. To help relax the nerves, breath through the nose and slightly constrict your throat muscles so as you breathe out it sounds as if you are Darth Vader...

If you focus a few minutes each day on a regular basis you will notice your breath more in everyday situations. You will notice when it becomes ragged, or you are holding your breath. Awareness is the key.

Try to incorporate breath control into a day-to-day activity, taking a shower, a slow walk, cooking, listening to music, and while you are in the activity listen to your breathing.

Be aware what are you doing with your breath. Gradually over the days see if you can produce slower deeper breaths while maintaining the activity.

So the next time you find yourself in a state of confusion, anxiety, frustration or irritation whether in the office, on the road or at your local super market, etc. give yourself the gift of some deep tummy breaths to calm the body and mind.

We practice various breathing techniques at my yoga classes, you are welcome to come along and just breathe.