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Meditation is a great way to help you refocus on what matters most this holiday season.
You can’t control other people or events, but you can use meditation to help you navigate the overwhelming feelings.
Try practicing the following meditations to cultivate joy, kindness, and gratitude for 10 to 15 minutes each day, from now through the end of the year.
Here is one of 3 meditations from https://chopra.com/.../3-meditations-to-get-you-in-the... to use during the holidays, especially during lockdown.
A Meditation for Cultivating Gratitude
Being grateful is something you can practice year-round, but the holidays are often a time to be especially reflective on your life.
This meditation will help you think about what you are grateful for and how to express that appreciation. Try these simple steps to develop a gratitude mindset:
Find a comfortable, quiet location to begin your practice. For this one, find a sunny spot on your patio, take a seat next to a warm fireplace, or curl up in a warm blanket on a cold winter day.
Sit up straight, adjusting your posture as necessary to ease any pain points.
Start by taking a series of deep breaths. In through the nose, out through the mouth. Lightly close your eyes and continue a rhythmic breathing pattern.
If you are sitting outside on a sunny day or next to the fireplace, notice how the warmth embraces you and melts the cool winter chill. Breathe and enjoy the sensation of warmth flowing through your body.
Start to reflect on the gifts that life has given you today. What can you be grateful for today, in this very moment?
You can choose something specific that happened today or even the simple fact that you are alive and breathing and practicing the gift of meditation.
Bring to mind all the potential comforts that you have in your life, for example:
Access to water and food
Clothes
Electricity
Home
Friends, family, and pets
Health
One by one, think of all the special people or animals that are a part of your life, both directly and indirectly:
Family
Friends
Pets
Coworkers
Mentor
The farmer who grew your food
The officer who keeps your neighborhood safe
The engineer who constructed the school your kids go to
Now, think about something in your life that you are grateful for that was new in the last year.
Now, think of one talent or skill that you possess that you’re grateful for.
Now, think of one thing that you are really looking forward to in the future.
Now, think about something that makes you smile or laugh, and observe the emotions that flow through your body.
Release the images of gratitude, take a few deep breaths, and finish by taking inventory of how you are feeling.
Without judgment, simply observe.
When you are finished, you can gently open your eyes and bring the feelings of gratitude with you into the rest of your day.
Go to www.optimalbalancefitness.com or email: optimalbalancefitness@hotmail.com to check out our mind-body programs that include meditation.
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