Author: Zindika

For further details – Contact: zindika@meditateandgrow.com – M:07765651747

SUNDAY MEDITATION: If you fancy some calm, you can also join me on Sunday evenings for our regular live interactive sessions. Connect with yourself, connect with others. It’s never too late to meditate and you are never too young to meditate, so teenagers and children welcome.

Have you heard the saying, the more you give, the more you get back in return? You’ve heard of celebrities from all walks of life: sport, music, art, and philanthropists all giving back. Fact is, if you look around you will find monuments to philanthropists, and their names going back into history, who gave to people with no return, except to help and lift the lives of the poor and needy. A lot of celebrities give back because they remember where they came from, and how far they have travelled to get there. They remember the people who helped them on the way. They remember the community they grew up in and above all the reason many give back is because they remember having very little; so, they show gratitude to say: out of a little has come a lot. Think on that for a moment, for surely that is the measure of the deepest gratitude.

Thus, the spirit of gratitude that we should be teaching to children is to be happy with what they have while working towards what they want. This may help to relieve children from growing up with anxieties of lack at a younger age. In 2012, I wrote a book called ‘Ready, Steady, Gold: Great Olympians’, to inspire young people in working towards and reaching their goals in life. Most sporting stars within, and outside of this book started their journey with very little, and they certainly started out without a medal, or the accolade, or the wealth – but what they had was a dream and a healthy dose of self-belief.

That is celebrities you may say. When you have a lot, it is easy to give back. But research shows that volunteering is one of the most reliable ways to momentarily increase your well-being. Volunteering is something anyone can do no matter how much money you have in your pocket. Often when people help others less fortunate, they start to become more grateful for things in their lives. Did you know that experiencing the feelings of gratitude daily, helps to re-wire the brain and by creating the habit of gratitude, can lead you to feeling happier?

Resilience exists in people who develop capabilities that allow them to remain calm during crises/chaos and to move on from the incident without long-term negative consequences.

But those without resilience may be weakened by the same experience, and even become self-destructive. So, how do we build resilience in the difficult unprecedented times we are currently living through. I spoke with Brenda who was chronically ill with ME and was bed-ridden for eight years. The medical profession had no answers for her and she found there was no cure in the remedies they offered her. “The only thing I could actually do was take responsibility of my own health.” Brenda said. “I had to help myself, and now I have recovered from ME and I have an amazing life. I managed to keep myself upbeat and positive.” I asked Brenda how she did it. “There are many ways I did it, but one way is to take care of your immune system and take control of your mind. The mind is the easiest way to downgrade your immune system.”

How does that work?

“When a person is fearful and negative, if they hear bad news such as that which we have around us at the moment – the spread of a nasty virus. This negative news will have an effect that triggers cells and downgrade the immune system. When you have hope and can focus on the positive things, that triggers positive chemicals which boost your immune system.”

We build resilience through spirituality, family, friends and our environment. There are plenty of stories like Brenda’s, of people who have come through serious illnesses, bankruptcy, redundancy and sometimes come back even stronger. I personally experience all of these in my time and a few years ago; I experienced both grief, with the loss of my mother, and loss of a job, in one fell swoop. I wrote about this in my book Positive Vibrations and shared how I meditated to bring relief from pain and fear, and some of the tools I used to bounce back and keep my life on track.

©zindika@meditateandgrow.com

Have you noticed how when you are able to relax and unwind some of those niggly ailments disappear? That is because your muscles are releasing all that tension. Tension built up from stress and worry, especially in times of crisis, and when we have a lot to do can lead to a myriad of health issues, as well as worsen existing ones.  Right now, with the restrictions on our lives and freedom, we may not have a lot to do, but our minds are still racing. Meditation is a fantastic way to calm an overactive mind. When you meditate you start by focusing on the breath and this will immediately bring a sense of relieve – just like when you are overwhelmed and you sigh with relieve – it sends a calming message to the brain and body to relax. Focusing on the breath during meditation also brings your mind into the present. Instead of dispersing energy all over the place, the mind can focus on one thing for a while. By doing this, it conserves energy that can then be send to the central nervous system, helping it to function better in calming your worries and anxieties, and allay fears.

Here, let’s try it:

For one day, set your alarm to go off every hour, or every two hours, depending on your activities for the day. Each time you hear the alarm, pause and take time to breath in deeply and then exhale through the mouth (slowly through pursed lips) until all breath has left the lungs. Do this at least three time, double up to six if you’ve got time. You will start to feel happier for that time and a while after. If you continue to do this regularly, then you can sustain that happiness for longer. SMILE

For more ideas on relaxing and raising your vibrations – check out my new book on Amazon.

LOCKDOWN – MARCH 2020 – NEARLY A MONTH OF PANIC BUYING, FOOD HOARDING AND FOOD STORING, AND AVOIDING EACH OTHER BECAUSE OF CORONA VIRUS.

A LITTLE MESSAGE

A chance to be thankful for the food we eat daily and never give it a thought, until now. Also, a chance to think about people without, or with very little food right now – they too can be thankful. It’s a case of ‘Don’t worry be happy’. Happiness carries a higher vibration than worry and is more likely to move you into action. We have become separated from our food because we no longer hunt or grow it. So next time you crunch into an apple or bite into a burger, be mindful of how it got to you. Right now, there are so many lessons to be learnt.

Fearless February is an invitation for you to face up to your fears, be they major, minor or gigantic. Regardless of the size of the fear – the solution is always the same – it always starts with one-first step. This requires you to confront the problem, start the journey step by step, stick to it and get results.

Whenever I experience fear or have any worries – I turn to meditation. Why? Because it works. Fear activates your nervous system. Your nervous system is made up of two parts, the sympathetic nervous system – also known as fight or flight, and the parasympathetic also known as rest and digest. If you are regularly in a state of fight or flight, then it means your sympathetic nervous system is always in charge and you are not giving your body enough time to rest and relax. One way I deal with this is by breathing deeply. As soon as I breathe deeply, the breath tells the body, it’s OK, calm down! Focusing on the breath is an integral part of meditating. There are other natural ways you can strengthen your nervous system such as eating the right foods, or drinking a calming cup of chamomile tea.

During January, you were given some beginners meditation focusing on the breath as an easy start to practicing stillness and relaxation. Doing this for a short time you will become more aware of your body and the realisation that this type of sitting can bring immediate easing of tension and slowing down of thoughts.

During February I want to encourage you to take the steps necessary to adapt to a longer meditation practice. Now you feel the benefits of a calmer life and less reaction to every day incidents that would normally irritate you. Furthermore, you will be able to manage the situation with breathing and not react as you would, but allow things to pass and see it for what it is.

For longer meditation sessions and short videos for beginners, go to my You Tube: Meditate and Grow

Meditation is popular in the press and media right now. This means that many of us will jump to it swiftly, then get very disappointed, and be put off it, and so miss the reals benefits it offers.

So, let’s start with a word of caution. If you want to start meditating, ask yourself why. Don’t just do it because it is the latest fad, or because you are one of these people who don’t like to miss out. Let’s face it, if you are in a good place in your life right now, you may not even consider meditation, but it’s there if you need it. No one can tell you when to start meditating, or if it is a practice you should take on. It is something you will be drawn to or be introduced to for a number of reasons: such as health, relaxation, try something new, or spirituality. You should do a taster and then you will know if this is something you want to make a regular part of your practice.

The best way to avoid getting off to a bad start is to make sure you take it slowly. Firstly, do not settle down to do a marathon sitting first time. Try it for 5 minutes, and the most 10 minutes for the first week. Then review how you got on before deciding to increase the time.Give yourself a try out period. Right now, is a great time to do this – new year, new start. So, January could be your try out month. There will be lots of meditation

New Year – New Start, January could be your try it out month for Meditation

classes starting this month. Have a look online and in your local area.

So, let’s begin:

*Decide how regularly you will mediate: every day, every other day, or two times a week.

*Choose morning or evening

*Choose meditation music or silence.

*Sit quietly in a place where you are free from distractions or disturbances. (The biggest distraction will of course be your mind. It will suddenly become active.)

*Take in a deep breath – breathe out and relax.

*Don’t fight the thoughts – just stick to your plan. Watch, and let the thoughts flow by.

*Gently follow your breathe as you breath in and out. This will help you to focus.

*Watch the time. Calmly open your eyes.

You did it! Namaste! Short and simple, but effective.

For longer meditation sessions and short videos for beginners, go to my You Tube: Meditate and Grow with Zindika.