Five Minute Silent Meditation

So often in life, each of us has so much noise, clutter and chaos. We could all probably list many things that consume our attention but really don't get our feet moving from point A to point B. Our minds can become overactive in thinking on these these things.

It can be so difficult to quiet our mind when we have days that are filled from the time we wake up to the time we got to bed. In many ways, modern technology keeps us going at a pace that is in conflict with the frequency of the human body. Yet, if we stopped right now, we would worry just how we would accomplish every thing that was expected of us. Is this the way we truly desire to live life where our beginnings to our day meet the ends of our day?

I'm not going to say it is easy to stop and take ourselves out of our busy lives. It is definitely a challenge. However, we have to consider what is important in our day. What things do we wish to spend our time with during the day? What things matter to us and have the greatest importance? Sure, there are things that we must do to function in life, but if they are our sole focus, than we will be like a dog chasing its tail.

What if we made a commitment with ourselves that we would spend 5 minutes each morning in silent meditation? We could focus on our breath as we allow our mind and body to connect. A quiet place to do this is helpful and best but it can also be done in just about any place. Just focus on giving yourself this time, and block out the noise, chaos and clutter around you. Let your mind be in that moment without giving yourself any input. Let yourself be in the silence of the moment complete with all the sounds happening around you.

Just 5 minutes a day can do many things for the mind, body and spirit. If you have more time available, you may see a greater reward but the important point is just to give yourself this moment. Try not to make the act of doing silent meditation so great that it overwhelms you to the point where it does not happen. Let it flow and happen as you see fit and as you feel is appropriate for you in your life at that moment.

Allow yourself to just be in the moment without concern for what you need to accomplish. Those things will fill your day easily enough. Give yourself this moment to refresh and renew your life's energy. See just how the 5 minute act of silent meditation affects your day and your life.



*For more articles, check out the Mind Body Thoughts Blog

Let The Music Play

Out of my morning meditations came a stream of consciousness which stated that listening to some music as I worked during the day at my desk would help me stay focused and more relaxed. It sounded like an excellent idea but the speakers on my Dell Inspiron 1525 laptop are not that great and to hook up external speakers means that I have to plug another cable into the front of the laptop which I hate to do all the time.

Anyway, the only other way for me to listen to music was through my ipod. However, I hate the headphones/earplugs in my ears all day. It just doesn't work that well for me. I'm not a headphone/ear plug person for a long period of time. So I was in search of a new solution.

I had heard about and seen the JBL On Stage Micro speakers in action. They have some excellent sound and work well. However, I knew these very nice speakers were a lot more money than I wanted to spend. That was - until I found them on sale at Amazon. Reading some of the reviews, I was not sure how great the quality of this little speaker was but I'll have to say, I'm blown away by the quality and volume of this unit.

This little 6" diameter speaker allows you to plug into an electrical outlet or run it off of 4 AAA batteries. If it is plugged into the electrical outlet, it will charge your ipod. I've actually used it on my iphone 3gs as well and it works great with either one. There's a little remote that allows you to operate the speaker system and ipod functions without touching your ipod. The sound is excellent and I even turned the volume way up and it is still excellent. I could turn it up loud enough to hear it throughout much of my house. It is tiny and compact so when I travel, I can take it with me. I love having music play at night while I sleep and so this makes it easy to take with me to a hotel room. There are many more features of this that I won't go into detail here. This is my short little review of this speaker and you can click on the link below to read more about it on Amazon.

So why am I mentioning this up here on a Mind Body Thoughts blog? Well, part of it is that I wanted a way to play my relaxing music during the day as well as at night when I travel on business. It helps me focus and sleep better. Otherwise, my mind can run a million different creative directions in an hour and night time sounds can distract my sleep. It is small enough to travel with. I can keep it close by on my desk at a low volume to not bug others working around me.

More importantly, when I do workshops or bodywork sessions, instead of lugging around a big boom box with CD's, I can just take my compact speaker and ipod and away I go. It is one less thing to carry with me and pack. It is so compact, it takes very little space.

I know there are cheaper speakers out there and ones that are much more expensive but this cost $59.95 (regular price on Amazon was $99.95) and I know I've seen them for much more than that. The one thing I noticed was that you could get this in different colors but they were much more expensive. Mine is a black color and that's fine for me.

So now, my only problem comes in buying more relaxing music for my ipod! Anyway, I try not to make this into a commercial blog but every now and then I run across something that is too good to not share on here. My emphasis is not on the commercial side but on writing information and experience based blog entries. So, don't worry, I won't be doing this very often.

But go and check out these speakers and let me know what you think of them!

JBL On Stage Micro Portable Speaker Dock for Ipod (Black)

*For more articles, check out the Mind Body Thoughts Blog

The Silent Treatment Sentence

There are some things I just don't understand in life. Like, how people can somehow be oblivious to the way they treat others. Their silence or aloofness can feel like a sword thrust into the body. It may not mean much to them but it means so much to others.

Of course, growing up in a house where insults were hurled at the speed of light in a very subtle way, these interactions of communication get very difficult. In times past, one was not allowed to defend themselves or even stand up for your self. It was take it as it comes with no questions asked. If you did manage to question things, most likely you were awarded and given the silent treatment.

The silent treatment was given in hopes that you would come to your senses. It's purpose was to bring you in line with the wishes and desires of the family. Then, if you worked hard enough and were as nice as you could possibly be, you might have the sentence of the silent treatment lifted. Most of the time though, your efforts fell short.

The quickest way out of the silent treatment, was if another member of the family did something to receive the same sentence. Usually there could not be more than one person being shunned and in the doghouse at a time. Most of the time, the family only had the fortitude to hate one member at the moment. Some might argue that "hate" is to strong of an action word to describe this but it sure felt that way.

Before anyone thinks that the silent treatment sentence was given for major infractions, lets set the record straight. It could have been given for the smallest things you did or did not necessarily do. In fact, you might have been unaware of any thing you did to deserve it, but without a doubt, you knew you were being given the silent treatment. Often it was given in circumstances where you disagreed with the family in some area of life and this could include a vast array of situations. Sometimes though, if you followed your heart's desires or longings and the family rulers felt this was wrong for you, the silent treatment began. I could give example after example on this.

Growing up and even now in life, a lack of communication or even poor communication can feel like the silent treatment to me. Most likely others don't mean to be this way but I'm finding that so many just don't know how to communicate. It is difficult though for me to separate out communication problems from the fears of being given the silent treatment.

The loneliness one feels when the world is silent to you is so hurtful. It registers within my gut and holds my breath as if I have said the wrong thing. It makes me to never cease working to hopefully get people to like me. The feeling of the silent treatment is exhausting to my mind and my body.

I've come leap years through this but sometimes it is all I can do to keep it in perspective. Life sometimes throws challenges my way to help me heal this, but that can come with great difficulty and stress. for now, I keep trying to recognize that the old tapes are playing and that I am free to live my life as I choose. I am no longer bound to those messages I was taught as a child unless I continue to allow myself to be. I recognize there will be speed bumps as I continue to grow and heal but the more I reclaim of myself, the more I discover exactly who I am.


*For more articles, check out the Mind Body Thoughts Blog