Relax; take it easy...

 

 

close your eyes and relax for 5 mins by abcounselling

 

Some of my clients find  it helpful to have a short relaxation exercise at the start or end of a session. Relaxation can help with no end of complaints, including sleeplessness, anxiety, feeling disconnected, stressed, and so on... I thought that I'd try recording a short session to see how it sounds - if there is good feedback then I'll record some more...

Close your eyes, listen and relax...

 

 

Mindfulness...

 

The secret of health for both mind and body is not to mourn for the past,

nor to worry about the future, 

but to live the present moment wisely and earnestly. 

Buddhist quotes

Open your arms to change ....

Instructions for Life

(Dali Lama)

Take into account that great love and great achievements involve great risk.
When you lose, don't lose the lesson.
Follow the three ‘R’s.
Respect for self, Respect for others, and Responsibility for all your actions.
Remember that not getting what you want is sometimes a wonderful stroke of luck.
Learn the rules so you know how to break them properly.
Don't let a little dispute injure a great friendship.
When you realise you've made a mistake, take immediate steps to correct it.
Spend some time alone every day.
Open your arms to change, but don't let go of your values.
Remember that silence is sometimes the best answer.
Live a good, honourable life.
Then when you get older and think back, you'll be able to enjoy it a second time.
A loving atmosphere in your home is the foundation for your life.
In disagreements with loved ones, deal only with the current situation.
Don't bring up the past.
Share your knowledge. It's a way to achieve immortality.
Be gentle with the earth.
Once a year, go someplace you've never been before.
Remember that the best relationship is one in which your love for each other exceeds your need for each other.
Judge your success by what you had to give up in order to get it.
Approach love and cooking with reckless abandon.

zen-like patience and a few haikus

I sat for ages on my garden seat this morning, notebook in hand, ready to write down a flow of inspirational words of inner wisdom ... It isn’t often that I consciously make time to do this; more often than not it’s a case of a few snatched moments here and there, where I hurriedly scribble down the odd flash of inspiration that suddenly strikes me at unexpected moments ...

I sat and waited ... and waited ... and waited ... but my mind was blank – no words were springing to mind. This was a bit disappointing, as I’d really wanted to let the words flow out of my heart and soul, so I felt a bit miffed that I just couldn’t connect with my reserves of inner guidance...

After a while, I smiled at myself. It dawned on me that this sort of thing can’t be forced... the beauty of my inner voice is that it speaks to me when it is ready, rather than because I’ve scheduled a specific time to connect with it ... Usually the words come to me when I least expect to hear them, so that fact that I’d tried to arrange a ‘meeting’ on my terms meant that it was never going to be very productive.

My inner voice can’t be forced to talk when I decide I want to hear it – it doesn’t work like that. It decides to speak when I don’t really expect it to – although the more I listen, the more I get ‘tuned in’ to when it’s likely to make itself heard – whether it’s while I’m washing dishes at the kitchen sink, sorting out the washing, or standing in a queue at the supermarket. That’s why I’ve started carrying a pen and paper with me wherever I go...

So, instead of connecting with my innermost thoughts and feelings, I sat zen-like and patient and emptied my mind and simply absorbed what was going on around me... After a while, I started writing, but rather than it being about what my inner voice was telling me, it was about what I was observing around me, in nature... in the form of zen-like haikus... I love haikus – they capture the moment so succinctly. I hope that one day I will have a book of my haikus published, but in the meantime, here are some I‘ve written today, and earlier in the week...

Daffodils nodding
A dancing yellow river
Swaying in the wind

An apricot glow
Reaches out across the sky
A new day begins

Ripples on the pond
Sparkle just for a moment
In the morning sun

Crying in alarm
The blackbird warns of danger
And then all is calm

A visiting crow
Waddles down the garden path
he's making me laugh

Your inner voice, your instinct, knows everything. If you listen to what you know instinctively, it will always lead you down the right path.
Henry Winkler

Have you taken some time out this week to sit peacefully and empty your mind, and / or connect with your inner voice?

I heal...

I wrote this a few months after my mum died, and the words still ring true today ... I posted it on my other blog a few years ago, so I apologise if you've already seen it! ...

A Few Snatched Moments

Sitting outside
All is calm
I am at peace
Life feels good
Life goes on
Time heals
Nature heals
I heal
Step by step
I heal.

A Brown

Mindfulness ...

It is widely believed that there are many benefits of incorporating the practice of mindfulness into our daily lives.

So what is mindfulness?

Put simply, it involves being aware of the present moment, rather than dwelling on the past or worrying about the future.

How can it be achieved?

Mindfulness can be attained through daily meditation, learning to focus on the moment, and by quietening your inner dialogue (the constant chatter that goes through your mind). At first it takes time to learn how to quieten down your inner voices and thoughts, but once you've mastered the practice of mindfulness it becomes a way of being.

If you find it hard to switch off your inner dialogue try sitting quietly, just listening to relaxation music for a while. When a thought arises, visualise it rising out of the top of your head, then floating away like a delicate feather. It becomes easier the more you practice.

Benefits include:

Reduced stress and anxiety levels

Better sleep

Improved relationship with your self and others

Better concentration

A sense of inner peace and wellbeing

More compassion - for your self and others

Increased self-awareness and desire for authenticity

It can bring about improvements in physical and emotional health

It can be an effective part of treatment for addictions and cravings

Mindfulness can help relieve physical and emotional pain

It can be practiced anywhere - for as short or as long a period of time as you like.

No money is necessary!

Practicing a mindfulness meditation is a fabulous way to start the day. Even just 10 minutes can make a difference. It enables you to begin each day with a feeling of calmness and clarity. Spending moments of mindfulness regularly throughout each day will help you to focus on what matters and put distractions aside.

A Basic Mindfulness Exercise
A basic mindfulness exercise begins with sitting down, or lying down, relaxing and breathing deeply.

Close your eyes and pay attention to your breathing, following the breath in and out a few times. Don't try to breathe in any particular way; just be aware of the breaths as they come in and out.

Then move your attention to your body, one part at a time, noticing any sensations of cold, hot, tight, sore or anything you can identify. Start with your feet, and work your focus upwards, spending a moment focusing on each part of your body in turn.

Spend a few more moments just breathing ... in ... out ... in ... out ...

You might be aware of the sounds in or outside of the room. Accept these sounds without judging, criticising or thinking about them. Just listen for a minute. ...

When you're ready, open your eyes and take a couple of moments to adjust...

When focusing on your body, your breath, and your immediate surroundings in this way, you are more fully "in the moment." A mindfulness exercise like this puts your mind in a receptive state while removing mental distractions that hinder clear thinking. It leaves you ready to work mentally. Do this before important tasks and you'll find you have more focus and concentration.

Mindfulness Quotes

The practice of mindfulness begins in the small, remote cave of your unconscious mind and blossoms with the sunlight of your conscious life, reaching far beyond the people and places you can see.
Earon Davis

Feelings come and go like clouds in a windy sky. Conscious breathing is my anchor.

Thich Nhat Hanh

The most precious gift we can offer others is our presence. When mindfulness embraces those we love, they will bloom like flowers.
Thich Nhat Hanh

If we imagine that our mind is like the blue sky, and that across it pass thoughts as clouds, we can get a feel for that part of it which is other than our thoughts. The sky is always present; it contains the clouds and yet is not contained by them. So with our awareness. It is present and encompasses all our thoughts, feelings, and sensations; yet it is not the same as them. To recognize and acknowledge this awareness, with its spacious, peaceful quality, is to find a very useful resource within. We see that we need not identify with each thought just because it happens to occur. We can remain quiet and choose which thought we wish to attend to. And we can remain aware behind all these thoughts, in a state that offers an entirely new level of openness and insight.

From: How Can I Help? Stories and Reflection on Service, by Ram Dass and Paul Gorman

~~~

There are many, many books and CDs on mindfulness, if you'd like to know more. ..

Clouds will part ...

“Clouds come floating into my life, no longer to carry rain or usher storm, but to add colour to my sunset sky.”

Rabindranath Tagore

A cloud does not know why it moves in just such a direction and at such a speed...It feels an impulsion...this is the place to go now. But the sky knows the reasons and the patterns behind all clouds, and you will know, too, when you lift yourself high enough to see beyond horizons.

Richard Bach


We can speak without voice to the trees and the clouds and the waves of the sea. Without words they respond through the rustling of leaves and the moving of clouds and the murmuring of the sea.

Paul Tillich


Forests, lakes, and rivers, clouds and winds, stars and flowers, stupendous glaciers and crystal snowflakes - every form of animate or inanimate existence, leaves its impress upon the soul of man.

Orison Swett Marden


It you feel that clouds are hiding the sunshine in your life, remember that the sunshine will return. We wouldn't appreciate the sunshine so much if we didn't know what it was like to be shrouded in cloud from time to time ...


Spending time in nature helps put things back in perspective. Take a look here for a reminder of the beauty of nature: //http://corcholat.com/!BT8

A Daily Reflection

Early morning sunlight meets the sea...

I vow to remember that today is a new day

Full of new beginnings and fresh moments

Today, I will not cling to events of yesterday nor yesteryear

But stay connected with what today brings.

I will not madly pursue my desires at the expense of others

Nor flee from challenging tasks.

I will remain true to the unfolding process of today

Without losing myself in thoughts of what was or what might be.

I will treat today with awareness and sensitivity

Even in the most ordinary of tasks.

I will apply myself wholeheartedly to the fullness of today

For I know that today holds the resource for authenticity.

By Christopher Titmuss

Hope you like this as much as I do!

• In what ways are you going to apply yourself wholeheartedly to today?

• In what ways are you going to be authentic today?

... I'm going to take some time out to walk, reflect, write a little, and be in nature ...

Hope you have a lovely, fulfilling day, too.