Day Five: Mindfulness Meditation
Welcome to day five of your meditation journey.
Today we will focus on a mindfulness meditation, a practice that can help you develop present moment awareness and non-judgmental observation. By learning to observe your thoughts and emotions without getting caught up in them, you can create more space and freedom in your mind. There is an element here of ‘watching’. Not becoming consumed by your thoughts. This really is a game changer and incredibly powerful.
Andy Puddicombe likens this to watching cars on a motorway but I quite like to imagine standing in front of a huge, floor to ceiling aquarium. Watching the thoughts, feelings, stories just like you would the fish.
Your companion guide to Day Five:
A journal prompt
We started to explore what it means to be compassionate. Gosh we can be mean can’t we? To others but mostly ourselves. We hold blame, we get mad, we punish and we do this all in our mind. Today as we continue to explore what it means to be compassionate I want you to think about an aspect of yourself, your life, where you are unfairly beating yourself up.
What is one area of your life where you could use more self-compassion? Write about how you can be kinder and more forgiving towards yourself in this area.
An affirmation
Today, we are letting go. We are slowing it all down and we are doing our best.
“I am safe. I am calm. I am at peace.
I can let go. I can forgive. I am doing my best and that is enough.”
Try saying this repeatedly, in front of a mirror. Say it as many times that you need to. Note how you feel when you start. Note how you feel when you finish. Write it on a post-it note and take it with you throughout the day. Say it anytime and as many times as you need to.