Day 1 of Seven Days of Gratitude #MeditationMarch
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Today was my first day focusing on aspects of Gratitude in a daily meditation practice. I’m excited to see how this week goes!
I started off by doing about 30 minutes of yoga. Typically I wouldn't have this requirement but due to the mast winter storm of the past few days we’ve been mostly stuck inside and my body he bee starting to hurt after all of the sitting time. — Really looking forward to a swim tomorrow in order to keep tings loose and keep this SI joint pain at bay.
this one really helps actually, but there's nothing like a good swim!**
So! After my practice I retreated into one of the private toilet/shower stalls, re rolled outs mat, closed my eyes and hit play on my queued up meditation in the CALM app.
It took me a few minutes to clear my head of that pesky “what’s-next” process. Part of being such a time optimizer has me contstantly thinking about the best order of operations of things. What to do next, for how long, mixing logistics, work and creative time, to be able to fit the most in that I can.
I’m sure this obsession comes at least partially from the fact that I absolutely hate laying down at the end of the day and knowing that I didnt do “enough”. I know thats a ridiculous notion given the fact that “enough” is often completely undefined, in my mind.
Once I got through the “What’s-next” hurdle I had to come to terms with what’s HERE. In the spirit of gratefulness, I’ll praise it this way. I’m thankful for the opportunity to meditate on a cold wet floor of a shared bathroom, because if I can learn to be peaceful and content there, I can do it anywhere.
I decide to envision myself meditating in a serene monastery somewhere in the forests of Japan. Minimal surroundings, a hard cool wood floor beneath me, afternoon rays piercing through green leaves who’s branches hung low over a babbling brook.-yes. Much better.
This intro course on gratitude isn’t about pretending that everything is frosting, fairies and rainbows, but rather, about making the conscious choice to daily shift our attention from what we lack, to what we have.
I noticed my heartbeat,it felt fast for just sitting there, but I had had some coffee before yoga so maybe that explains it, and instantly I was overwhelmed by the fact that for 30 years nd a couple days, my heart has not taken one single moment off duty. Obviously I’m super greatful for that, but also in awe of it. What an incredible little machine we all have inside our chests.
If it think about that thought process, the very first thing I noticed was what I perceived to be a flaw. The fact that my heart rate wasnt what I was expecting. I was careening into a million thoughts about what that meant for my overall health and fitness, what my heart rate SHOULD be and what I could offer as a possible explanation in order to fix it.
Until Gratitude showed up and took over that whole process with just one sentiment.
"How lucky am I that this thing shows up for me every day without me asking it to, or rarely even acknowledging it."
That realization was so powerful that none of the self criticisms or worry or comparison could stand up to it. now, of COURSE body consciousness and health are incredibly important, but this wasnt me suppressing bad thoughts nd replacing them with rainbows.
It was about a re-prioritization of those sentiments, in which the negative emotions attached to self criticism was replaced with self awe, wonder and humility. To be honest I cant think of a better way to treat your body if you want to improve on it.
The challenge at the end of todays practice is to think about 5 things you’re truly thankful for before you drift off to sleep for the night. You can bet that the constant thump thump thump of my heart will be one of them...
I hope this little post finds you well. That you take a moment to allow what you’re grateful for to replace thoughts of lacking for even just a few moments today.
<3 Dayle
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If you’re meditating with me through the Month of march, feel free to use the hashtag #MeditationMarch and join us on Discord so we can share thoughts and encourage eachother. I’m already looking forward to what tomorrow will bring.
<3
Dayleeo
Not sure what #MeditationMarch is all about?
>> Check out this post for all the details! <<
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Such a great article. Made me feel good and GRATEFUL! Thank for putting so much time and love into it! Upvoted & Resteemed!
YESSS! glad to gear it! Thank you @janksasparec- I really appreciate that! Really looking forward to what this month of really focused medition is going to bring! I can't wait to share more with steemiverse as time goes on <3
This is an interesting article.. I'm so happy to read it...passion is what makes the difference
every time :)
I am finding it difficult to settle my mind. It is racing 600 miles an hour. Probably due to the stress of the past few weeks. I am going to try again a little later today to get into the frame of mind, the nothingness...
Sorry to hear that my friend! But i've been there, SO SO many times what sometimes helps for me is going on a walk or doing yoga, relieving the physical tension helps clear the way for the brain to be quiet<3
If youre open to id id HIGHLY suggest this class from doyogawithme https://www.doyogawithme.com/content/bedtime-yin-yoga
also-! i saw you jumped into discord! sorry i missed you but i'm around this evening if you want to shoot me a message <3
I will try to remember. The time difference throws me off sometimes.
not to worry, if you leave me a message Ill get back to it as soon as I can
Nice! I find that coming back to gratitude can always fix a negative thought, or a bad day. I started a gratitude journal a couple years ago and it's a nice exercise to sit down and write about a couple things that make my life great. I have never learned to meditate and would like to. Perhaps this is a good place to start.
It’s not nearly as intimidating as it sounds and its only as mystical as you make it. I truly believe there’s a style of meditation for everyone and SO encourage you to try it if you’re interested. (Also please feel free to hit me up any time with questions if youre looking for suggestions on where to start) <3
I love the idea of a gratitude journal! That must be so great to thumb through when you’re feeling particularly down, I might have to start up on that, or at least start adding a gratitude section to the bottom of my daily steemit posts haha.
You nailed it with the word exercise, i’m Learning more and more that gratitude is something we have to train our brain to operate in, until it becomes muscle memory <3
Looks like an awesome new tag! Being grateful sure isn't 'pretending that everything is frosting...fairies and rainbows'...I like the way that you phrased that...lol. <3
I battle with criticisms...worry and comparisons every single day and usually end up feeling muddled between a mixture of what I can't seem to help but feel..what I would rather feel and also what I believe that I should be feeling. Reading your posts always help to straighten some of that out! Thank you...for being you and sharing your guiding thoughts! <3
Also stopping by to say that you have been featured and curated for MSP Community Curation: Top Five 'Positive PAL Posts' - Week #10
https://steemit.com/community/@creativesoul/msp-community-curation-top-five-positive-pal-posts-week-10
Oh my goodness thank you @creativesoul, of course for the feature but more than anything knowing that some of my own confusion that i sort out on the blockchain helps you sort out your own, that means the world to me- huge hugs girl, and hang in there <3
I always find more wisdom in the words of someone who gets just as confused as I do...lol. Nobody really knows all of the answers...or has life completely figured out. Reading the words of someone who pretends they are completely sorted out and always perfect often has the opposite effect of being helpful. When I read your stuff...I get the sense that anything is possible and it really does not need to be as complicated as I make it out to be...lol. Huge hugs and much love! <3
Damn, that's one of the nicest comments ive ever gotten @creativesoul THANK YOU! I certainly try not to come accross like I know everything because I CERTAINLY don't but you're right, even if we were to gain all of the answers in life, the questions are always changing!
Best not to grip too hard on to anything and leave room for change and adaptation and try our best to love ourselves in the process, because that's just what it is- a process!
<3
Hehehe...nicest comment ever to say that's the nicest comment :D
I love the sentiment of leaving room for change and adaptation...that's huge. Part of my process is giving myself permission to do this. I am aware of the fact that I tend to grab onto things and generally refuse to fully admit to anyone that my ideas change and evolve. Because instead of adapting...outside influence or maybe even the perception of that influence...often makes it feel like an ultimate form of failure.
Giving up on the initial investment of time...energy or maybe even money isn't quite as hard as giving up the positive opinions that were generated because of those original ideas. Not caring what people think is way easier said than done...especially in a world that basically runs on a sort of social economy...and when those opinions generated some measure of confidence and reputation...this does not always carry through with the adaptation and often leaves me feeling exposed to negative feedback and ill equipped to handle the reversal. And in my experience with people there usually is one...
One day...my process will include learning how to be okay with these decisions and to be less fearful to always seek these new answers...even when this means leaving behind old avenues and the people that occupied them behind...should they no longer fit with the evolution.
I rambled a bit...so I hope that made some sense...lol. <3
Hello @dayleeo!
I really like this meditation challenge! I tried meditation several times before but it wouldn't last more than a few days.
Even though we are 5 days into March already, I decided to join in. I had Calm app before (need to download it again) and I guess I'll start with 5-ish minutes in the morning and evening and go from there.
Thank you so much for sharing this challenge and the inspiration!
I think that sharing my progress on Steemit will keep me accountable. I will probably share my journey on the weekly basis, maybe every Sunday. :)
I can't wait to see your posts @nikolina- not to worry about being "late" i only started yesterday because i wanted to wait until the first full week of march <3
The CALM app has certainly come a long way from what it used to be, this is my first time trying the paid version but i'm really liking it so far, especially the sleep stories at night haha
Loved the article! Love your imagination and writing style. Followed, upvoted and can't wait to read more from you 😊 Also much thanks for your comment and upvote on my first post, I really appreciate it!
It was a great intro post my friend! Happy to support. Thank you for following and for the kind words 💕