Hello Mindful Seeker
I am grateful we can connect today. August is upon us, and it's very warm where I live in Wisconsin. The warm weather beckons outdoor activities - walking, hiking, swimming, and biking. I also love meditating outside on my patio or walking along the St. Croix River. This month offers you an opportunity to practice awareness, read something new, or just get better in touch with yourself.
Awareness
To bring into focus, bringing more attention to and becoming more aware. We use awareness in meditation as a focus point. We can also use awareness to connect with ourselves and where our minds wander. As we become better at bringing awareness to thoughts and feelings, we can better manage them. This, in turn, gives us greater control over our emotions and behavior. Awareness is one of the most important elements of mindfulness and meditation. When you are aware, you are in the present moment.
Mindfulness + Meditation
This month is full of special mindfulness and meditation classes. You can join us for free with a Mindful Way membership or pay $5 for each class. To learn more - click the title below.
Morning Meditation - start the day with positivity and gratitude (notice multiple dates)
Evening Slumber - relax and prepare for a deep sleep
Whole Body Breathing - relax and prepare for a deep sleep
Chakra Alignment - align and use color to heal
Resting in Awareness - when focus becomes just being
More classes - check back throughout the month for new additions
Through these meditations, you can learn to become more aware of yourself, cultivate a deeper bond within, and develop a curiosity about yourself, your needs, desires, and limitations. With this self-knowledge comes the ability to make choices that positively impact our lives and our world. Dr. Tara Eurich states, “There is strong scientific evidence that people who know themselves and how others see them are happier.”
What I have been reading
I have been rereading The Ultimate Deepak Chopra Collection - a compilation of his lectures and teachings over many years. Chopra provides a bridge between the West's modern medicine and the East's wisdom. The teachings are a lovely reminder of things I know and a nugget of useful info. Last month I was weaving my way towards more balance. This month as I weave my way through balance this month. The final chapter is a collection of the meditations he refers to in the book.
Meditate in awareness
Begin by getting comfortable in a seated position, where you sit straight but not rigid. This position is considered a position of ease.
Take a few deep breaths. Breathe in through the nose and exhale through your mouth. As you're doing this, get a sense of your body sitting here and where you are in this moment. This is what just being means.
As you breathe in, bring a beginner's mind to the inhalation, noticing it as if for the first time. Breathing out, bringing that same beginner's mind to the exhalation. Breathing in and out, in and out - just being.
Sense your body here and now, in this moment. Bringing more awareness to the breath moving in and out. Noticing your body sensations - goosebumps, tingles, or heaviness. Being with these sensations, feeling them in your body.
If the mind wanders at any point, see where it wandered to - no judgment, just observe and become aware.
This is a beautiful way to become more familiar with yourself and how meditation resonates in the body.