Use mindfulness-awareness to make decisions connected to your mind body and soul.
Of late I’ve even seen some articles that mindfulness awareness techniques are being adopted by the military to help alleviate PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder), and by corporations like General Mills and Google to train leaders. There’s science around why it works, and it’s becoming mainstream. I meditate every day, and I know that through practicing it, you too will be able to attest to meditation’s power.
Mindfulness awareness helps us move from our reptilian brain which is always shouting, “Danger, danger! Thin ice.” or “Oooh, look at that bright shiny object.” and lets us move to our higher brain. That’s where we can be conscious of now, not react only out of fear, and can see the big picture while assessing the risks and rewards of an opportunity. We come to a place where we can make decisions around our lives and even money that are connected to our mind, body and soul.
Now, my friend Kypris’ mantra is “Rise, Pee, Meditate” or RPM for short she does it to help her reduce another RPM “Rotations Per Minute” of the brain. I know when I wake up, my mind is already a wild ping pong ball bouncing off the walls uncontrollably. For three years now to help calm the ping in the pong each morning I spend about half an hour breathing into my belly, and writing three journal pages. Usually it helps calm my mind. And if it doesn’t – I try not to make any big decisions that day.
1. Sacred Tree Meditation
This video leads you through a meditation to anchor you to a feeling of safety and wellbeing in the world. Kypris Aster-Drake leads this video, we have worked together with meditation and shamanic healing.
2. Situational Awareness practice
Set a timer for ten minutes, sit down in a quiet spot and focus your awareness on your breath that starts in your belly, and moves through you. Next feel your feet touching the ground. How you are feeling? Well? Are you tired, angry, happy, energized? Breath in and out, and feel what you’re feeling. Do not try to change it and let it be. Now shift your attention to what is going on around you. What do you hear? See? Perceive? Is the room hot or cold? What’s the weather like? These are the times when you’ll notice the dust on the bookcase, or the small flower that is beginning to bloom. As you leave the meditation, take that sense of calm, and cool head with you. Later as issues rise during the day, you can decide if you need to react to what’s going on or just let it be.
3. Pink Bubble Technique
I use this as an instant meditation to focus on a task. Usually, a thought will dart into my head, one that doesn’t help, “You should clean that kitchen drawer, now.” Or the voice of the oppressor, “Who do you think you are trying to write this?” If this happens to you, just stop and take a breath and say “thank you” to the thought. Imagine that you hold the thought gently and plop it into a nice pink bubble and let it float away into the sky.
References:
Aster-Drake, Kypris. “Yabyummy.” Sacred Tree Meditation. Yabyummy, 10 Feb. 2012. Web. 06 Mar. 2013
Rauzi, Robin. “Tapping into the power of mindfulness” Los Angeles Times 23 Feb.2013 web. 6 Mar. 2013
Hruby,Patrick. “Marines expanding use of meditation training” The Washington Times 5 Dec. 2012 Web. 6 Mar 2013