A Meditation Challenge

Where I live, fitness challenges are very popular. People love the 30-day squat/6-weeks no sugar/100 days of burpee challenges which push and motivate them to be fitter, healthier, and stronger. It's great for the physical body.

But what about the mental, emotional, and spiritual body?

I'm proposing a challenge to address the often neglected inner aspects of ourselves - a meditation challenge!

What do you think of when you hear the word "meditate?" Perhaps monks draped in cloths, spending their lives in silence? Or maybe new age style "hippies", chanting and swaying before hugging the nearest tree? In some ways you would be right. These are all some form of meditation. But it can be much less theatrical and more practical than you might realize.

The dictionary defines meditation as this: to spend time in quiet thought for religious purposes or relaxation. Simply, meditation is to come to a quiet place in your mind, where all is calm amidst the external chaos of everyday life.

It sounds easy but I know for many of us, it's not. Our minds tend to race with thoughts pertaining to careers, families, to-do lists, worries and fears. It can difficult to silence all that inner noise! This is where daily meditation practice can help. Over time, it gets easier, and can center your focus and set your intention for the day. It can ease stress and anxieties and bring clarity of mind and heart. It can help you tune in to your truest self so you are better able to express yourself to others, from a place of peace and confidence. You can certainly make it religious if you want, by incorporating aspects of your personal faith, but by and large it is a practice that anyone from every walk of life can do.

Let's do this together! I challenge us to 30 days of meditation, beginning September 1st. Take as little as 5 minutes a day to quiet your mind and relax your body. It could be right when you wake up, during your lunch break, a stolen moment in the afternoon between chores and errands, or in the evening before falling asleep. Experiment and discover what works best for you! Meditation is a very individual practice. There is no right or wrong way to do it. However, here are some tips to help you get started (feel free to adapt to your preferences):

• Get comfy! You don't have to twist yourself into a pretzel to do this. Sitting comfortably, laying in bed, kneeling on a cushion . . . do what feels right for you.

• Breathe. Deeply and slowly, in for the count of 4, hold for the count of 4, out for 6. Sometimes focusing on breathing helps to center the mind and reduce distracting thoughts. Speaking of distracting thoughts . . .

• Acknowledge Distracting Thoughts and let them go. Tell yourself you'll check your emails and texts when the 5 minutes are up. Allow yourself to put it off for the moment. The world will not come crashing down, promise. :-)

• Use a Candle. Especially one with aromas known to calm the nervous system, like lavender. Some people feel calmer watching a flickering flame.

• Be Grateful. When you're finished, think of one thing you are grateful for and say it out loud.

I hope you'll join me on this peaceful, mindful, enlightening journey! Check in daily here in the comments, or on Facebook or Twitter with the hashtag #30daymeditate. It helps knowing you have a community of support!

Brightest Blessings,

Heather