Chasing my Dreams!

Meditate

focus one’s mind for a period of time, in silence or with the aid of chanting, for religious or spiritual purposes or as a method of relaxation.

Mindfulness

the quality or state of being conscious or aware of something.

a mental state achieved by focusing one’s awareness on the present moment, while calmly acknowledging and accepting one’s feelings, thoughts, and bodily sensations, used as a therapeutic technique.

Over the years, I have tried many times to effectively learn how to meditate, in the traditional way..I have found that when I am in a meditation group, I am able to ‘zone out’ and switch my mind off…but at home, laying down listening to meditation CDs/relaxation music, I am just not able to achieve the same result.  I ended up getting more frustrated with myself – which totally defeats the purpose!

I decided that instead of continually getting frustrated over trying to force myself to master the act of meditation – I would change my way of thinking towards it, and turn it into being MINDFUL instead.  Being in the present moment, putting myself in situations which I know relax me, and which I can become totally mesmerised by – in turn ‘switching off’ and taking time out from the stressors of day-to-day life, and the world around me.

Some of the ways I’ve been able to achieve this are:

The ocean (and nature in general) is a place where I am able to completely tune out, and escape, into…totally forgetting there is a world, and even people, around me!

Colouring – especially on days where ‘life stuff’ is getting on top of me – I am able to escape into the vibrant colours and creativity which the simple act of colouring, gifts me

Blowing bubbles, watching them drift around in the air, and slowly fall to the ground – so relaxing!

I described the ‘joy of bubbles’ in a previous post
Bubble Photography

I feel so centred, and ‘at home’ when I go out into nature. Natures gift is completely free, and all around us, in all its colours, textures, smells and relaxing atmosphere

Using any one of these, I am able to achieve what ‘trying to learn to meditate’ was never able to give me – total relaxation, escapism, and ‘reaching deep down into my soul’.  It may not be ‘meditating in the traditional sense’, but they give me the feelings I need to feel, as a way to de-stress in this fastpaced world we all live in!

ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE…when you adapt something to fit to ‘your way’ of achieving it, instead of trying to just ‘fit in’ to how the rest of the world does it!