Meditation is an incredible tool that helps you to live in the present moment. It helps you to slow down your mind and gives you space to think clearly and for yourself so you are free to make choices. Today I want to talk more in depth about how meditation helps you to do these three things.

1 | Meditation helps you live in the present moment. If you are anything like me your mind is constantly going from one thought to the next. From sun-up to sun-down we can always be thinking about the past or the future. We might be agonizing about how something went, and how we could have done it better. We might be anxious about how something is going to go and spending all our time figuring out the next step.

When you practice meditation, you intentionally stop this stream of thought. You intentionally come to the present moment. You allow yourself to just be in peace. A meditation practice is one time a day you can rely on to live in the present moment. As you practice being present it will become more natural to stop yourself and your constant thoughts, a be present, even when you aren't meditating.

2 | Meditation helps you slow down your mind. When you are practicing meditation, and are in a meditation, you take time to watch your thoughts and let them come and go without getting caught up in them. This automatically slows down your thoughts. 

Also when you are busy and distracted your thoughts have to be a lot louder and more intense in order to be heard. When you are still your thoughts might still want to have your attention, but you are in a place where you can watch and observe, breath through them, quiet them, let them go. The stillness around you and inside of you will slow your thoughts.

3 | Meditation helps you think clearly so you are free to make choices. When we can be present and slow down our thoughts, we are able to think more clearly. When there is stillness around us and inside of us, we are able to think more clearly. Meditation is a time where we can be free from distractions and think more clearly.

When we can think more clearly we are better able to use our agency to make choices. Only when we give ourselves time with ourselves are we able to know what truly matters to us. When we are surrounded with other people, with other voices, with other opinions, our own personal desires and opinions are clouded or can be easily swayed. Give yourself time with yourself so you can know who you are, what you want, what is best for you, without the opinion of the world around you. Meditation is a great time to get to know yourself.

I love that meditation does these three things in my life. How does meditation benefit you?

Mallory

I hope as you practice meditation you are able to recognize these benefits in your life. Practicing meditation can help you easily slip into this peaceful state whenever you need to. If you want to learn how to make your own amazing meditation practice, I invite you to join my Introduction to Meditation course on youtube. In this course you will learn how to create a positive and powerful meditation practice perfect for you.

I love meditation. It is a nice time set apart to intentionally take a few deeps breaths and ground yourself. Although meditation is a nice practice you can include in your daily routine, you can also take meditation with you wherever you go. Today I'm going to share a one minute meditation you can use anytime, anywhere. Whenever you are feeling anxious, worried, stressed, or out of balance in any way, pause and do this quick meditation to get back to your true self.

First, you must notice. Notice you feel stressed, anxious, out of balance. Notice that you are in a space that you do not want to be. Acknowledge that you are out of balance. This is the first step to moving towards a more peaceful, centered space.

Next, set the intention to return to peace. To return to love. To return to presence. Say to yourself, "I now intend to return to peace."

If you can, place your hand on your heart or on your stomach. This connects your mind to your body. If you are in a situation where you cannot do this, simply become more aware of your heart and breath. Feel your heart beat and imagine it opening up to feelings of love. Feel your breath as it comes into your body and moves your stomach slightly. Connect with your body.

Take a deep breath. Be present in your breathing. Fill your lungs until they are comfortably full and release your breath slowly and comfortably. Make sure you are breathing slower and deeper than you normally would, but there is no need to go to extremes or feel uncomfortable at all.

Continue to take slow, deep, comfortable breaths for one minute. Allow your mind to let go of any thoughts. Right now just feel your breath. 

After one minute take a moment to express gratitude: for your breath, for your life, for this moment. 

As you come back to where you are and what you have to do, carry that slow breathing with you, carry the peace you felt. Allow it to find home in your body.

Mallory

I hope this one minute meditation becomes second nature for you. I that you will use it often to reconnect to the present moment and to yourself. Practicing meditation can help you easily slip into this peaceful state whenever you need to. If you want to learn how to make your own amazing meditation practice, I invite you to join my on youtube for my Introduction to Meditation course. In this course you will learn how to create a positive and powerful meditation practice perfect for you.

It is just starting to turn seasons from summer to fall. We have had a full day or two that have given us a preview to the glorious weather that comes with the changing of colors. Each day it gets just a bit cooler, with the final heat of summer hitting us in the middle of the day, but everything fall is becoming more and more attractive to me.

One taste of fall that I love is apples. One autumn when we were living in Pittsburgh we went to a little farm and they had samples of apples of all sorts of varieties. It was just what my dreams are made of. One of my favorite things to do with apples is put them in oatmeal. I like to cook them down with the oatmeal so they are nice and soft. Add some cinnamon and raisins, and it is the coziest breakfast or dessert. 

Here is how I make one of my favorite oatmeal bowls!