I recently shared 5 days of meditation with my Instagram and Facebook communities with the view to plant meditation seeds to nourish a regular practice to potentially turn into a 5 week meditation! Here is a summary so you can practice meditation any time you need. 🙂 I encourage you to start with a regular practice of 5 minutes a week, building up to twice a week and thrice a week and gradually increasing to 10 minute meditations. Like anything, the value and benefit comes in when you practice regularly.
Anytime you are meditating, check you are comfortable, think length through your spine and soften through your palms, shoulders and face. Settle. Soften. Trust.
5 meditation exercises to focus on each week over 5 weeks
Week #1 3 part yogic breathing
Notice 3 distinct parts to your inhale and exhale. Read my article on this blog for cues!
Week #2 kumbhaka
Kumbhaka breathing involves breath retention to oxygenate the blood and activate your rest and digest system.
- Start to inhale.
- Pause at the top of your inhale.
- Exhale.
- Pause at the end of your exhale.
- Repeat 5 x
Week #3 I am breathing in
As you inhale, repeat “I am breathing in.”
As you exhale, repeat “I am breathing out.”
Repeat 5 x. If you mind wanders, start again and notice how you feel as you bring awareness into your body, mind and breath. You are cultivating the power of presence.
Week #4 I am that I am
As you inhale, repeat “I am that I am.”
As you exhale, repeat “I am that I am.”
Repeat 5 x. This breathing exercise is similar to Week #3 meditation in that you are practicing presence and acknowledging who and how and where you are right now. Rather than looking ahead or looking back, this meditation is very much about acceptance of what is today.
Week #5 Body scan meditation
- Once you are comfortable, take your attention to your feet, space around your toes and heels.
- Notice the weight of your feet and space around your muscles in your shins and calves, invite conscious rest into the muscles around the knees, quads, hamstrings and hip bones.
- Allow your belly to soften.
- Notice your ribs expand as you inhale and contract as you exhale.
- Draw your awareness to your arms, forearms and space around your palms and fingers.
- Invite muscles around your collarbones, neck, face, temples, forehead and crown of your head to soften.
Settle into you body scan meditation and practice deep breathing for 5 x minutes, stay with your awareness on your body, breath and mind.
And…there you have it! 5 meditations to practice over 5 weeks. Stay with one meditation exercise for each week before moving to the next exercise. This way, you will see what you do and don’t like in terms of meditation techniques and styles. Check in with how you feel and send me any questions!
Happy meditating. xxx
Image source: Unsplash