Lack of energy is rarely a physical condition. We may feel tired ‘physically’, but at the root of most energy depletion is ‘tired thinking’. Old beliefs combined with negative aphorisms create a mindset that affects our physical energy. We think about those things that negatively effect our lives. We say, or think to ourselves:
I don’t have the energy... I’m too tired... I’m exhausted... I’m over-worked... I need a break... I can’t handle all this stress... I should have stayed in bed... I’m sick and tired of… Life’s a drag!
What we think automatically affects how we feel. It is impossible to feel energetic if we exercise tired thinking. When we dwell on those things in life that drain us – trying relationships, boring work, mounting bills, negative people – we not only spend an immense amount of mental energy, but we also feel it physically.
Try saying “I’m exhausted” and imagine a scenario that has caused you to say this. Where is your energy level? Now move your thoughts to something that you really enjoy doing. Imagine doing it right now. Where has your energy level gone now?
Focus your mind on energizing thoughts. The mp3 "Energy" is new at mythoughtcoach.com. Go get 'em, tiger!
Valuable information and occasional musings from Stin-- to enhance the guided meditations, workouts, and affirmations from mythoughtcoach.com, her podcasts and mobile apps.
Thursday, July 22, 2010
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Make friends
A common approach to meditation is the practice of mindfulness--moment to moment awareness of your experience as it unfolds. Ultimately the goal of mindfulness meditation is to develop the capacity to be fully present for whatever is occurring right here and now. When you are able to stabilize your concentration by focusing on your breath, you can then expand your awareness to include the full range of bodily sensations--and eventually you can just learn to welcome whatever it is that presents itself to you in your life experience.
Focusing on your breath
Compared to surfing the Net or catching the latest blockbuster, watching your breath may seem like a boring way to spend your spare time. The media has conditioned us to be stimulation junkies by flooding our senses with images and sounds that change at laser like speed, often far faster than the conscious mind could possibly register them
By contrast, paying attention to the coming and going of your breath slows your mind to match the speed and rhythms of your body. Instead of six images per second, you breathe an average of 12-16 times per minute. And the sensations are far more subtle than anything you are likely to see or hear on TV. Actually, this rate closely matches the sights and sounds of nature, which is, after all, where you are your body came from.
The great thing about your breath as a focus of meditation is that it’s always available, always changing yet always more or less the same. If your breath were totally different each time, it wouldn’t provide the stability necessary for you to cultivate concentration; if it never changed in any way, you’d quickly fall asleep and never have an opportunity to develop the alertness that is so essential to the practice of mindfulness.
Making friends with your breathing
When you first begin paying deliberate attention to your breath, you may be surprised and even frustrated to discover that your body tenses up and your breathing becomes stiff, labored, and unnatural. Suddenly, you can’t remember how to breath anymore, even though you’ve been doing it just fine ever since your first breath at birth.
Don’t worry--you’re not doing it wrong. You just need to develop a lighter, gentler touch with your awareness so that you’re following but not controlling your breath. It’s kind of like learning to ride a bicycle--you keep falling off until one day, miraculously, you just keep going. From then on, it’s second nature.
Try this: Spend five or ten minutes exploring your breathing with the fresh curiosity of a child encountering a flower of a butterfly for the first time. What did you discover that you didn’t know before? How does each new breath differ from the last?
Pop on headphones and try out the new “Mindfulness Meditation” at MyThoughtCoach.com. Peace is really only a breath away.
Focusing on your breath
Compared to surfing the Net or catching the latest blockbuster, watching your breath may seem like a boring way to spend your spare time. The media has conditioned us to be stimulation junkies by flooding our senses with images and sounds that change at laser like speed, often far faster than the conscious mind could possibly register them
By contrast, paying attention to the coming and going of your breath slows your mind to match the speed and rhythms of your body. Instead of six images per second, you breathe an average of 12-16 times per minute. And the sensations are far more subtle than anything you are likely to see or hear on TV. Actually, this rate closely matches the sights and sounds of nature, which is, after all, where you are your body came from.
The great thing about your breath as a focus of meditation is that it’s always available, always changing yet always more or less the same. If your breath were totally different each time, it wouldn’t provide the stability necessary for you to cultivate concentration; if it never changed in any way, you’d quickly fall asleep and never have an opportunity to develop the alertness that is so essential to the practice of mindfulness.
Making friends with your breathing
When you first begin paying deliberate attention to your breath, you may be surprised and even frustrated to discover that your body tenses up and your breathing becomes stiff, labored, and unnatural. Suddenly, you can’t remember how to breath anymore, even though you’ve been doing it just fine ever since your first breath at birth.
Don’t worry--you’re not doing it wrong. You just need to develop a lighter, gentler touch with your awareness so that you’re following but not controlling your breath. It’s kind of like learning to ride a bicycle--you keep falling off until one day, miraculously, you just keep going. From then on, it’s second nature.
Try this: Spend five or ten minutes exploring your breathing with the fresh curiosity of a child encountering a flower of a butterfly for the first time. What did you discover that you didn’t know before? How does each new breath differ from the last?
Pop on headphones and try out the new “Mindfulness Meditation” at MyThoughtCoach.com. Peace is really only a breath away.
Kids Need Meditation too
When children listen to guided meditation, wonderful things happen. It activates their imagination, teaches them relaxation skills, better equips them for stress, engages all their senses, gives them a positive experience and encourages a better nights sleep.
In our changing world, meditation teaches children to use their minds without external stimulation. As they learn to calm themselves, relax their bodies, and focus their thinking they are learning crucial skills for their future success. They are also learning how to handle the very real stresses that they are faced with in their lives currently.
Each recording in the Children section at Mythoughtcoach.com is filled with thought-provoking images that make children feel wonderful and loved. They will help a child understand that he or she is not defined by what they do, but by who they are.
In our changing world, meditation teaches children to use their minds without external stimulation. As they learn to calm themselves, relax their bodies, and focus their thinking they are learning crucial skills for their future success. They are also learning how to handle the very real stresses that they are faced with in their lives currently.
Each recording in the Children section at Mythoughtcoach.com is filled with thought-provoking images that make children feel wonderful and loved. They will help a child understand that he or she is not defined by what they do, but by who they are.
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