Mindfulness

Have you ever sat down to a favorite meal that you couldn't wait to sink your teeth into, become distracted by your phone, and looked down to see your plate nearly empty without remembering to savor a single bite? If so, you know what it's like to NOT live in the moment. Mindfulness meditation is about living in the moment. 

Mindfulness not only silences distractions but also quiets the mindless "monkey-chatter" in the brain. It can be easy to get caught up in thinking and worrying over the past and future. When you're focused on the past or the future, you're not living in the present. Mindfulness brings you back into the present, allowing you to experience emotions and sensations without worry, in a state of calm and clarity.

You can learn mindfulness independently, practice it with a mentor, or participate in a digital program. The latter is helpful if you are dealing with particular health problems. And, unless you prefer to, you don't have to sit cross-legged on a pillow in an empty room with incense floating in the air. While you should practice mindfulness in a quiet space, you can practice it anywhere once you get the hang of it. What you want to do is focus entirely on the present.

Mindfulness isn't about trying to make your mind go blank. What you want to do is focus entirely on the present. If your brain begins its usual monkey chatter, observe without judgment and bring your thoughts back to the present. The following steps will help you maximize the benefits of mindful meditation. 

Sit up straight, but in a comfortable and relaxed position. Let your spine curve naturally without hunching. Pay attention to your breathing. Take a couple of deep breaths to relax the body and clear the mind. Then, focus on breathing correctly. In and out. In and out. Find your natural rhythm. Not forced. Next, you'll want to perform a scan to identify any areas of your body that feel tight, tense, stiff, or unrelaxed. Close your eyes and, while breathing naturally, focus on relaxing the tense parts of your body. It helps to relax your toes and work up to your head and face. It might help to imagine yourself floating in warm water. If this makes you nervous, skip this step. Pay attention to what you feel (the sun, a breeze, your seat), what you smell, or what you hear. You can focus on a place that makes you feel whole, safe, and loved (by yourself or by someone else), whether imaginary or real. This is called "Visualization". Again, pay attention to what you feel, smell, hear, taste, or see in this special place. Stay a few moments and soak up the positive vibes.

With your eyes still closed, return to the space you are in and focus on your senses and breathing. Sit for a minute or two, take a deep breath, and slowly get up. After reorienting yourself, give yourself a hug (or a mental hug).

Keep practicing mindfulness until it becomes effortless. The results will lead to a calmer, happier, and healthier mind, body, and spirit.

Color Gazing

Color is absorbed through the eyes and skin, so simply gazing at a color for as long as you feel comfortable can help balance your body's energy centers, promoting greater peace and calm. You can choose any color you're attracted to from the list below (click the link and scroll down to the color circle). Gaze at it for 30 seconds or longer, until you notice your interest waning. It's that easy!

Note: Color-gazing circles are included along with The Anti-HSV Cauldron: The 4-Week Plan for HSV Remission. You'll find them in the seven individual Aura Color Personality Reports. 

• Violet Color Gazing Circle
• Indigo Color Gazing Circle
• Blue Color Gazing Circle
• Green Color Gazing Circle
• Yellow Color Gazing Circle
• Orange Color Gazing Circle
• Red Color Gazing Circle

Gold Color-Gazing Meditation

Gold is loving, masculine, protective, and transforming. It enhances your connection to God and your own personal strength, so many people "Go for Gold" when meditating. 

Imagine, if you would, a love so pure that you felt warm and safe from head to toe in its presence. Visualize being a child of the most loving parents in the world, parents who never fail to let you know how special you are and how much potential you have. In your mind's eye, see your parents supporting your eternal survival and holding special powers to heal your wounds, dry your tears, erase all pain and suffering, and help your dreams come true. Now, as you surround yourself in "Gold" light, know that this same power and love also surrounds you. Allow "Gold" to flow wherever you need to be healed and protected within your mind, soul, and body. Breathe it in and out until you are saturated. Swim in it. Take all you need. Gold is limitless, the color of universal and eternal loving power and peace. Stay as long as you like, as long as you are comfortable. When you leave "Gold" today, know you are a step closer to the person God created you to be and prosperous in every way.

Traditional Meditation

Traditional meditation calls for clearing your mind of all distractions. Do this for at least 5 minutes every day. If completely clearing your mind feels too difficult, repeat a single word repeatedly (such as "love," "peace," "calm," or "OM") while gently breathing in and out.

Candlelight Meditation

Meditating on a candle flame can be a very relaxing experience. When meditating on a candle flame, the mind is focused on the flame's little dance. Sitting in a darkened, quiet area is helpful, though playing relaxing instrumental music at a low volume in the background can also be soothing. Selecting a candle color that suits your needs can provide an added sense of calm. 

• Black: Unifies physicality and spirituality, absorbing negative vibes. Use it only when you feel negative energy surrounding you. Burn only for as long as you feel the negative energy, then switch to a color that better suits your goals.

• Blue: Creates inner peace, patience, spiritual understanding, loyalty, honesty, and faith.

• Brown: It grounds, heals the earth and the animals.

• Green: Heals, balances, creates abundance, financial increase, calms stressful situations, persistence, fertility, and growth

• Gold: Brings wealth, charisma, and employment

• Indigo: Helps to enhance love to a more spiritual state between family members and in the home.

• Orange: Offers optimism, expansiveness, confidence, enthusiasm, friendship, and a sense of community. Orange helps with nutritional issues and female sexual problems.

• Pink: Encourages love, attraction, affection, peace, close friendships, harmony, and softness.

• Purple: Adds personal spiritual perspective (between friends) and intuition, and is calm, soothing, and comforting

• Red: Represents strength, courage, steadfastness, stamina, passion, sexuality, and sensuality.

• Silver: Produces enlightenment during lunar rituals

• Violet: Lends healing, better sleep, and communication with higher beings.

• White: Stands for purification, fidelity, transformation, and love of all life. Use White when you are unsure of another color to use

• Yellow: Lends expression, freedom, playfulness, clarity, study, organization, and detail

Also, see Candle Magic.