by Shayla Morag | Feb 15, 2018 | Meditation, Self Care, The Red Bike Way
Finding time to meditate can hold you back from beginning your practice. Maybe you try to carve out time, but doctor appointments and business trips get in the way. ?? You can’t find a free hour to sit down. While extended meditation has its benefits, you can also boost your mindfulness with brief breaks of a few minutes or less. Try these tips for calming your mind even on your busiest days.
Brief Meditations: How to Do It!
1. Focus on your breath. Pay attention to your breath as it enters and leaves your nostrils. Follow its path up and down your body. Notice how your abdomen and chest rise and fall when you inhale and exhale deeply
2. Scan your body. Search for areas of tension. Massage your stiff shoulders or hands as you imagine your breath warming and healing them.
3. Observe your thoughts. Check out what’s on your mind without making judgements. Let your mind slow down.
4. Embrace your feelings. You can meditate when you’re feeling content or dealing with major stress. Remember that your emotions are temporary and you decide how to respond to any situation.
5. Watch closely. Lock your eyes onto a chosen object. Pick a candle with a flickering flame or a tree bough swaying in the breeze.
Chant out loud. Fill your mind with a spiritual mantra or an inspiring saying of your own. Repeat it 3 times. Reach out and touch. Many religions use beads to count prayers and maybe even avoid falling asleep. Try wearing a bracelet or holding a charm in your palm as a trigger to bring your mind back to a beautiful and wholesome state.
Brief Meditations: When to Do It!
1. Adjust your commute. Look forward to red lights. Use traffic signals and stop signs as a reminder to breathe.
2. Take a break during meetings. You can stay up to date with your mind at office meetings the same way you check on phone calls and text messages. Ask yourself how you’re feeling while you’re looking to see if a client responded to your last message.
3. Intensify your workouts. Connect with your mind as you build up your body. Meditate for a few minutes on the treadmill or at the swimming pool.
4. Connect with your partner. Make a date with your spouse. Mediate together for a few minutes each morning or before bed.
5. Bond with your kids. Mindfulness exercises can be especially beneficial for children. Make your sessions fun by keeping them short and simple. Throw in some yoga poses, singing, and visualizations that will appeal to your child’s imagination.
6. Line up. Your daily life is probably full of long lines. Next time you’re queuing up for a blockbuster movie or rushing to mail a last-minute present at the post office, remember that meditation will help you pass the time without losing your spot.
7. Skip commercials. Do you enjoy watching 30 seconds of advertising before you can watch the video you clicked on? Hit the mute button, and enjoy the silence that surrounds you.
8. Consume consciously. Do you automatically reach for a donut or a margarita after a rough day? On the other hand, maybe you try to soothe yourself with a little retail therapy. Meditation could be a healthier and less expensive response to stress.
Let go of stress and boost your concentration with a quick meditation session. While instant weight loss products are often disappointing, you can enjoy greater peace of mind in just a few minutes a day. That’s a miracle worth celebrating.
by Shayla Morag | Feb 14, 2018 | Self Care, The Red Bike Way, Wise Words
On this Valentine’s Day, take some time to cherish who ‘you’ are and nurture in the beautiful light that you share freely with others. Do something special for yourself and know that you are loved even if you may feel alone. ???
Listen closely to your heart and follow the signs. What is your intuition telling you? During a get-away respite vacation to visit a dear friend in Florida, I was told by three different people, on three different occasions, to read three specific books by the late Louise L. Hay. People we come across in daily life can give us messages that we need to hear. These ‘You Can Heal Your Life’ books – chalked full of wise life-affirming words – have become well read and treasured on my bookshelf.
Do You Truly Know How to Love Yourself?
by Shayla Morag | Feb 12, 2018 | Caregiving, Grief, Poem
Once green, the tarnished carcass rests upon the fertile soil… withered veins wrinkle this aging but glorious image… graceful with flight.
It is an image of life, which has reached the final stage… the fading stage… like a ritard at the end of a lullaby. It sleeps with the harmony of nature serving as its burial ground.
It lies crumpled… with its transformation from birth a mere memory.
The gentle breeze now lifts the leaf, its fragmented body, as a spirit floating in the air… it lingers in life, the dynamics of life with vigor… a moment of glory… freedom… then it falls back to its roots… it falls in the Fall… and lies in await for another moment of glory in the breath of the breeze.
(I wrote this poem in 1990 regarding the cycle of life.)
by Shayla Morag | Feb 09, 2018 | Caregiving, Safety, The Red Bike Way
I remember the day like it was yesterday. I had thought I had made my home safe from potential falls by removing all floor rugs, using flat metal joiners (when installing laminate flooring instead of the ones provided by the supplier), putting up chair railings, and installing grab bars. This fall involved my Mom slipping on a blanket she was holding in her arms. It had never crossed my mind that this was a possibility. Having a fractured hip (after already having two hip replacements) was obviously very painful for Mom. She couldn’t walk for a few months which involved changes with medications (resulting in severe hallucinations), and a major change with our regular routine. I was told by medical professionals that she would probably never walk again.
Having access to home physiotherapy was such a help as my Mom was able to get up and start exercising. We had the goal of wanting to drive around to see the Christmas lights which meant walking to the car. The saving grace was Mom’s daily task of taking our little dog for a ride on her walker around the house every day. He loved sitting on her walker and the focus was on ‘his” needs instead of the reality that Mom needed to stretch her legs. We did enjoy the Christmas lights by the way! ??
by Shayla Morag | Feb 07, 2018 | Change, Self Care, The Red Bike Way
Over 80% of New Year’s resolutions are abandoned within a week. If change were easy, we’d all be wealthy, fit, and happy. It’s frustrating when you know what you want to do, but you can’t get yourself to do it consistently. If the new behavior would obviously be of benefit, why isn’t that change easy to make?
Change is challenging for several reasons:
1. Habits are strong and pervasive. The average person has far more habits than they realize. Each morning, you wake up and follow the same routine. You take the same path to work. You think the same thoughts as you did the day before. Much of your day and night is a repeat of the last 500.
When you feel bored, you soothe yourself in the same 2-3 ways each time. You only eat a few foods regularly. You talk to the same people. Habits avoid thinking. They’re done automatically. Anything that minimizes thinking seems to be your brain’s preference. The fewer decisions, the better. To change, you must be certain that change is in your best interest. Otherwise, your habits will always win.
2. Change is hard because it’s uncomfortable. You already know how to lose 25 pounds or how to find a better job. But the thought of taking the actions necessary to accomplish those goals creates discomfort.
3. What you’re doing is already working, sort of. Your brain is preoccupied with your survival. Our brains are programmed to resist change, because what you’re doing is allowing you to live. Any change could potentially lead to death. You might be unhappy today, but you’re still alive! Most of us prefer misery than facing uncertainty.
4. You’ve tried to change in the past and failed. You’re no dummy. If you’ve tried to change several times and failed, part of you says, “Obviously, I can’t change. What’s the use in trying?”
It isn’t easy to change, but change is possible. The primary issue keeping you from following through on your plan to change is attempting to change too much, too soon. Smaller changes are easier to accomplish and to maintain.
How You Can Change! Change is possible with an effective approach:
1. Be prepared to change. Expect that change will be challenging. Your odds of success improve if you’re prepared. Have a plan.
2. Start small. To minimize the discomfort that change creates, only change a little each week. Meditating for two minutes each day is easier than starting with 60 minutes. The key is to get in the habit of doing the new behavior each day.
3. Have patience. It can take months to make a change permanent. It’s often quoted that a new habit requires 30 days to instill. That’s not true. Studies show that it can take anywhere from a few weeks to several months, depending on the habit and the person.
4. Be willing to change yourself and face the consequences. Changing yourself is scary, because you don’t know what the results will be. Accept that your life will change in some way. Discomfort isn’t always a bad thing.
5. Expect to relapse. Falling off the wagon is to be expected. Attempt to enhance your approach and keep going. Aim for 90% compliance. That’s all you need. Perfection is an illusion that will only serve to destroy your confidence.
Change requires patience with yourself. Understand why it’s so challenging to change and choose to make changes slowly and incrementally. Imagine how much you could change over a few years if you changed just a tiny amount each week. The results would be staggering! How much have you changed over the last few years? Give slow change a chance.
