Nudge Challenge Week 53 = Meditation
NUDGED: "Meditate for 5 days"
BACKSTORY: I have tried meditation in the past but it never went well or lasted more than a few days. I either had too many thoughts running through my head or I fell asleep. However, I keep reading and hearing about all the great benefits of meditation, so I want to commit to it for a week and see if I can make some progress. Will I see any benefits or will I fall asleep?
QUOTE: "The goal of meditation is not to get rid of thoughts or emotions. The goal is to become more aware of your thoughts and emotions and learn how to move through them without getting stuck." - Dr. P. Goldin
HIGHLIGHTS OF THE WEEK: I was given two ideas to start with for helping with mediation. One: check out Crystal Bowl Sound Healing, which is listening to relaxing harmonic tones made by crystal bowls for meditation. The Butterfly House in Sioux Falls offers this once a month (soothing sounds while surrounded by 800-1000 butterflies!) and I heard that it is awesome! Per their Events Calendar, the next session isn't until Friday, November 22nd. I'm excited/nervous to give it a try. I put that date on my calendar then. Anyone feeling brave and want to go with?! :)
The second piece of advice I received about meditation is that many people highly recommend Headspace, a phone app, to help with guided meditations. It is especially valuable when you are just starting out and not sure what to do! I downloaded the app right away at the start of this week and continued to use it every day this week. I love it! I use the free app but there is also a paid version available. I may upgrade at some point!
I completed seven days of guided meditations with Headspace! I chose to do 5-minute meditations with a female voice (male voice is another option). It felt good to check-in with my body daily and I looked forward to it each day. The five minutes went by much faster than I thought it would!
Yes, I did have many thoughts run across my mind during the time, but the app assured me that "Meditation isn't about getting rid of your thoughts but how to be at ease with them." I also started journaling numerous random thoughts before meditating, to get the thoughts out of my head and on paper. It worked well!
The voice on the app also assured me that it will get easier the more that I do it. It has been good so far so I plan to continue meditating for 5 minutes every day.
LESSONS LEARNED: So many ah-has this week when I really seriously tried meditating! I noticed that I felt calmer and more connected to my body after each session. I can't explain it, but I feel like my sense of smell has improved too. I had good days and bad days but learned to be content with however my body was feeling. I discovered it is my mind that is restless, not my body, but it can be "nudged" into a calmer state.
NEXT UP: "Set a small goal and blow it away". Good timing on this one as I am feeling defeated this morning. I didn't have a good week nutritionally and the scale proved it this morning. I need a win! The temptation with this new nudge is to set an easy goal so that I can surely surpass it....but I want to challenge myself, then celebrate a hard-fought victory!
BACKSTORY: I have tried meditation in the past but it never went well or lasted more than a few days. I either had too many thoughts running through my head or I fell asleep. However, I keep reading and hearing about all the great benefits of meditation, so I want to commit to it for a week and see if I can make some progress. Will I see any benefits or will I fall asleep?
QUOTE: "The goal of meditation is not to get rid of thoughts or emotions. The goal is to become more aware of your thoughts and emotions and learn how to move through them without getting stuck." - Dr. P. Goldin
HIGHLIGHTS OF THE WEEK: I was given two ideas to start with for helping with mediation. One: check out Crystal Bowl Sound Healing, which is listening to relaxing harmonic tones made by crystal bowls for meditation. The Butterfly House in Sioux Falls offers this once a month (soothing sounds while surrounded by 800-1000 butterflies!) and I heard that it is awesome! Per their Events Calendar, the next session isn't until Friday, November 22nd. I'm excited/nervous to give it a try. I put that date on my calendar then. Anyone feeling brave and want to go with?! :)
The second piece of advice I received about meditation is that many people highly recommend Headspace, a phone app, to help with guided meditations. It is especially valuable when you are just starting out and not sure what to do! I downloaded the app right away at the start of this week and continued to use it every day this week. I love it! I use the free app but there is also a paid version available. I may upgrade at some point!
I completed seven days of guided meditations with Headspace! I chose to do 5-minute meditations with a female voice (male voice is another option). It felt good to check-in with my body daily and I looked forward to it each day. The five minutes went by much faster than I thought it would!
Yes, I did have many thoughts run across my mind during the time, but the app assured me that "Meditation isn't about getting rid of your thoughts but how to be at ease with them." I also started journaling numerous random thoughts before meditating, to get the thoughts out of my head and on paper. It worked well!
The voice on the app also assured me that it will get easier the more that I do it. It has been good so far so I plan to continue meditating for 5 minutes every day.
 |
| From Meditation Jokes |
LESSONS LEARNED: So many ah-has this week when I really seriously tried meditating! I noticed that I felt calmer and more connected to my body after each session. I can't explain it, but I feel like my sense of smell has improved too. I had good days and bad days but learned to be content with however my body was feeling. I discovered it is my mind that is restless, not my body, but it can be "nudged" into a calmer state.
NEXT UP: "Set a small goal and blow it away". Good timing on this one as I am feeling defeated this morning. I didn't have a good week nutritionally and the scale proved it this morning. I need a win! The temptation with this new nudge is to set an easy goal so that I can surely surpass it....but I want to challenge myself, then celebrate a hard-fought victory!
Comments
Post a Comment