Meditation is the practice of becoming aware or conscious of one’s own thoughts and allowing the loop of those thoughts and the emotions it evokes to flow away without judgement or engagement in it. It is not a practice in becoming a new or even a better person. It is an exercise in awareness and a tool to gain a healthy perspective.
1. Be Grateful
I have found these 6 key elements to have a profound impact on my meditation practice.
Taking a moment to feel gratitude for our health, our family, our jobs, taking nothing for granted is a powerful tool that has been proven by scientists to have the greatest connection to well being than any other character trait.
2. Show Kindness
Thinking of those that are in our lives and what they bring to our world then sending each good energy with an attitude of kindness. When we connect with their beings in an attitude of kindness and open our hearts to give and receive love, devotion and affection, we are enriched and our relationships are nurtured through this giving and receiving.
3. Forgive
New science also shows that when we forgive ourselves and others it changes the way our bodies function. It has also been proven to change the way in which we function throughout our day. We are less reactive to circumstances when they show up and we have more compassion for others and ourselves.
My life began to change when I made forgiveness a daily practice. I call it a practise as it involves a process that requires us to choose forgiveness even when we have been harmed. Once the choice has been made, there is a deliberate letting go of the right to be hurt, angry or resentful. This can be very difficult, but with time and practice grace comes in and floods our lives and it becomes a little easier. The freedom that comes with forgiving others and ourselves is indescribable.
Forgiveness is truly a gift that we give ourselves.
4. Set an Intention
Setting an intention at the start of the day can be a powerful practice in creating our ideal day. For example, today I intend to show kindness by connecting with others. Then take action. Don’t be surprised to notice opportunities to connect arise out of the blue.
5. Visualize your ideal day
After setting an intention, visualize in your mind’s eye how your day will unfold and how you will go about showing kindness and connecting with others. Try to imagine this as vividly in your mind as possible. What you are doing in that moment is creating the context for your visualizations to come to life.
6. Pray
To pray is to express a blessing or to ask the universe to guide your thoughts and actions throughout the day no matter how it turns up. This is a way in which we surrender to universal intelligence and allow what needs to come into our lives for our highest good, but also to receive it with grace and wisdom.
When we incorporate these elements in your daily meditation practice it becomes a powerful tool to not only transform our lives, but also to increase our productivity and our overall well being.
What elements do you use in your meditation practice?
Leave a comment below, I would love to hear from you.
