Calming The Mind - Take a Breath & Let Go Slowly

Dear Mind (Ego):

This is the beginning of "goodbye." You serve many functional purposes and much of the time I actually enjoy having you around. But you will not be needed as much anymore. I'll get back to you later.

 Sincerely,

Me (Authentic Self)

Dear You:

This is step 1- take a breath. Do it now, take a breath in and just let it out. The slower you let it out, the better. You now have completed this simple, but intensely meaningful first step. Breathing is the easiest accessible body mechanism that is available to us at any time that also can have the biggest impact upon our minds and body. The more you do this, the calmer and more relaxed you will be.

Dear Mind:

You might be thinking that something as simple as breathing can have little impact or any positive effect upon you or me. However, as you will soon see and experience, it will be a significant step in my becoming disconnected from you. Again, I will get back to you later.

INSIGHT TIMER REVISITED

In a previous blog I referred to the smart phone application, Insight Timer while talking about the benefits of structure and consistency of structure. Since then, Insight Timer has added additional features for meditation including Guided Meditations. So, rather than just keeping time for your meditation session, the application now provides you with meditations you can listen to. Today, I enjoyed listening to the featured guided meditation by Tara Brach called "Gateway to Presence." I typically find that meditation helps to relax the mind, which in turn can help relax the body. However, "Gateway to Presence" is particularly helpful in relaxing the mind as well as the body through its guided suggestions, thus producing the Relaxation Response I so often encourage those with whom I work to experience at least once a day. When you can, give it a listen and I trust you will notice both the mental and physical feeling of peace and relaxation.