Practice Meditation

Hello sweet readers,

This week's chapter that I'll be journaling about from The Success Principles Workbook by Chicken Soup for the Soul Co-Author Jack Canfield is called "Practice Meditation."

It's not a chapter I'm excited about because I don't enjoy meditating. But it's a short chapter and I get to watch a video, so I'm happy about that! :)

In the video, Jack defines what meditation is - shutting down, closing your eyes, slowing down your breathing, and focusing on something to not be distracted by everything else.

The video guides me through Jack's Four-Part Meditation and suggests I do it in increments of 4 minutes:

Step 1 - Preparation

Sit, hands folded on lap, focus on breathing for 6 breaths, and imagine light coming up on the left side of

your body and coming down on the right three times.

Step 2 - Repetition

Take a phrase, for example "Relax" or anything that is positive to you such as "I am loved" and do it for a

minute.

Step 3 - Receptivity

Open your hands out, allow yourself to stop doing the repetition, and notice anything that comes into your

awareness and just allow it to move through. Jack says this is one of the most powerful parts of meditation

to notice our thoughts but not get caught up in them.

Step 4 - Closing Down

Close your hands, imagine yourself surrounded by a protective white light, and for about 30 seconds focus

on imagining your #1 goal in life and that already accomplished. What would you be seeing? He says it's a

great way for you to accelerate success in your life.

I try these steps with Jack's prompting, but I had a difficult time getting into it. I think my headache may have hindered me from being fully present. I also had a difficult time imagining my #1 goal in life for some reason. Let me know if you have a better experience doing this!

The journal prompt at the back of the book has me answering a lot of questions:

What did you enjoy the most about it?

What part, if any, was challenging for you?

Do you believe this would be a useful practice for you? Why or why not?

Is there a commitment that feels right to you about sustaining a meditation and mindfulness practice? If so, what is your commitment?

Do you want to add that commitment to your calendar so that you will be reminded? If yes, add it now.

I think the most successful meditation-related activities for me have been 1) walking alone on the beach and just focusing on watching and listening to the waves and 2) walking around my residential neighborhood while listening to an audiobook where the author guides me through meditation activities.

Looking forward to seeing what we will be learning next week!

Love,

Christine