Relaxation
When I feel wound up, a guided relaxation gives me somewhere simple to begin. Notice where you are holding tension, breathe comfortably, and give yourself permission to pause.
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Useful Ideas for Real Life
Meditation
I came to meditation because I needed something that would help me deal with the real world rather better.
I did not want to become a monk, sit cross-legged on a mountain or disappear from the real world. Quite the opposite. Over the years, meditation became one of the most useful tools I found for slowing everything down, stepping away from the chatter in my head and seeing things a little more clearly.
There are hundreds of ways to meditate and plenty of people who will tell you theirs is the correct one. I am not one of them. What follows is simply what has worked for me.
A little space in a noisy world
Messages, worries and decisions can fill every spare moment. I found that making a little quiet time helped me notice what was going on in my own mind. Some days that felt peaceful. On others, I noticed just how busy my thoughts were. Both were useful discoveries.
People often tell me they tried to meditate but kept thinking. So did I. Noticing that your attention has wandered and gently bringing it back is part of the practice. You do not have to win a battle against your thoughts.
How I practise
I usually meditate in the morning before getting up. I begin with a couple of minutes quietly saying thank you for what I have, then give myself around twenty minutes to sit with a mantra, a guided voice or my breathing. That is my rhythm, not a rule for yours. Start with a few minutes if that feels manageable.
You can sit in a chair, lie down or even walk. You do not have to spend the day in the lotus position looking serene, because life isn’t like that. If you become distracted, notice it and return to the sound, words or breath you chose. Try a different approach if one recording does not suit you.
It took me years to discover which practices suited me. There is no rush to reach what you imagine to be enlightenment. Enjoy exploring.
Explore the practices
Find what works for you.
Mindfulness
This is a way of noticing what is happening now, without demanding that your mind suddenly become empty. There is a short recording to try.
Listen and read →Manifesting
I have found it useful to picture what I want to build, then take the ordinary, sometimes unglamorous steps towards it. A meditation can help me focus; it does not do the work for me.
Grief and loss
There is no timetable for grief. Quiet time may offer a little room for difficult feelings, though it cannot remove a loss or replace the support of other people.
Chants
Sometimes repeating a sound or phrase gives my busy mind something gentle to return to. You can listen, join in, or simply sit with the recording.
Listen and read →