People who meditate regularly have known, for thousands of years, how it impacts their experience of life. And psychology researchers have finally caught up with the news. If you haven’t heard about it yet, you won’t want to miss this. [Read more…] about Psychologists Finally Discover What Meditators Have Known For Thousands Of Years (And You’ll Want To Know It, Too)
3 Surefire Ways To Let Go Of Negative Self-Talk
Have You Had Enough Of Your Inner Critic Yet? (3 Things You’ll Want To Start Today!)
We’ve all got one – that critic on your shoulder who makes sure you know exactly how rubbish you are in life, just when you most need to find your cheerleader-in-a-closet. And we do everything we can to eliminate that inner loudspeaker of negative self talk. But what if there were a way to sort your inner critic, once and for all? And what if you could get started – and make a noticeable difference – in the next five minutes? [Read more…] about 3 Surefire Ways To Let Go Of Negative Self-Talk
Soul-Sized Living Magazine – July 2013 Issue
Welcome to the July issue of Soul-Sized Living Magazine. In this month’s issue we’re talking about:
- When life hands you lemons – why that positive attitude could be the worst thing you could do
- Feeling stressed? Need to press ‘pause’? It’s A 60 Second De-Stressing Mindfulness Technique You Won’t Want To Miss
- The hidden risks of judging others – and how to break the habit
- Are you eating yourself miserable? 5 Foods that could be wrecking your mood.
- An amazing birthday gift that I’d love to share with you – which could transform your experience of life
I wish you a great month and I hope you enjoy this magazine. As ever, please feel free to get in touch by commenting on the articles, replying to hello@clarejosa.com and, of course, joining in on the forum.
Namaste,
[Read more…] about Soul-Sized Living Magazine – July 2013 Issue
The Hidden Risks Of Judging Others – And How To Break The Habit
Do you ever find yourself walking around, running an inner commentary on what other people are doing or what they look like?
“What does he think he looks like in those trousers?!”
“Didn’t she get time to do her make-up this morning?”
“Duh, you got that one wrong again!”
You might even find yourself using a humorous voice to say these things to yourself and perhaps chuckling as you do it. It seems pretty harmless, after all, we’re not actually saying it out loud so the other person can hear, are we?
And we all do it, don’t we?!
It’s a fact of life: most of us are walking round passing judgement and commenting on the world around us.
Even reading newspaper or magazine that’s judging celebrities, for example, is giving our unconscious mind the message that you have to look or behave in a certain way, in order to be accepted.
Whether it’s commenting on someone else’s clothes or the state of the cafe where we grab a coffee, we’re passing judgement and it’s usually not pretty…
It’s partly a cultural thing and partly a product of our upbringing that gives us this habit. Young children are taught to compare themselves at school – and quickly learn that this way of judging is ‘how life is’.
So what’s the problem with this underlying commentary of little judgements and criticisms?
[Read more…] about The Hidden Risks Of Judging Others – And How To Break The Habit
Daily Sunshine: Who Has Helped You Most Today?
Today I’d like to share with you a simple Chinese proverb, which helps to illustrate the power of connecting with others from the heart: [Read more…] about Daily Sunshine: Who Has Helped You Most Today?
Do You Need To PAUSE Today? It’s A 60 Second De-Stressing Mindfulness Technique You Won’t Want To Miss
I was talking to some students recently about how you can work with mindfulness techniques to let go of stresses and icky emotions in under a minute. It’s funny how people rarely believe such a claim – until they have tried it. Of course, it takes practice to get the most out of it – just as with any skill – but this mindfulness exercise is one you won’t want to miss. Is it time for you to PAUSE today?
Mindfulness meditation is a brilliant way of coming back to the ‘present moment’, to what’s ‘real’, leaving behind the stories and drama of the Monkey Mind.
If you’re feeling stressed or there’s a powerful emotion running for you, you can use this technique as a kind of ‘First Aid’, to help you get back to a sense of equilibrium – then it’s much easier to see solutions.
Here’s a summary:
Here’s the detail:
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Pause |
Press the ‘Pause’ button & breathe Visualise pressing ‘pause’. Then take 3 deep mindful breaths, breathing in from your belly to your chest, then breathing out with a releasing ‘ahhh’ sound. |
Accept |
Accept where you’re at. Become aware of what’s ‘real’ – rather than the story your mind was telling you. What’s physically ‘here’ for you, in this moment? What is happening in your body? With your emotions? With your thoughts? Accept all of this -there’s no need to change it. Let go and relax into accepting. |
Understand |
Understand – a kind of deep knowing – that this too will pass. Nothing lasts forever. Whatever is ‘real’ for you right now will pass, in time. You may need to take inspired action, but it will pass. The pain is amplified by the stories we tell ourselves about the situation. The stories aren’t real. They’re just stories (even if they’re good’uns!). Let go of the story and allow your deep understanding – your inner wisdom – to wash through the situation. |
Smile |
Smile – even if just a gentle half-smile. Smiling, even if you’re not feeling like it, releases endorphins (or little dolphins, as my friend’s son used to say!) into your bloodstream, giving you a very natural high. After just a few seconds of smiling, those little hormones start to trigger chemical reactions that trigger happier emotions, also reducing your stress levels. It doesn’t matter if you’re faking it, smiling quickly shifts your emotions, mind and body to a better space. Need encouragement: here’s an article with a little experiement you can use to prove to yourself why it’s so important to choose to smile, when things get tough. |
Enjoy |
Whatever is going on in your life, allow yourself to enjoy this moment. Right here, right now, allow yourself even just a few seconds to enjoy this moment. Let go and relax into it, knowing that this space is waiting here for you, 24/7, whenever you need it. |
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There you have it! One of my favourite 60 second mindfulness de-stressing techniques.
Want to try it out? You don’t have to wait for a stressed or grumpy mood to enjoy it!
I’d love to hear how you get on with it – via the comments box. And, if it helps you, perhaps you’d like to share it with your friends?
If you’d like to go deeper and discover how just 10 minutes a day could change your life, it’s worth joining in with our 28 Day Meditation Challenge online course.