Why Meditating For 11 Minutes Can Make You Feel Better Now

I used to loathe meditation. Even the term made me uncomfortable.

Sitting, alone and quiet, just focusing on my breath for what seemed like hours on end was as close to torture as I could stand.

I would try it, halfheartedly anyway, and after a minute or so conclude that while other people may be able to do this mediation thing — I was not one of them.

But when health crisis after health crisis came knocking on my body’s door and everyone from my physical therapist to surgeon suggested I give it a shot, I knew I had to find a way to overcome my meditation avoidance once and for all.

Doing everything in my power to avoid mediation wasn’t helping me in any way, and my body was practically begging for it with its outbursts.

It took me some time to realize it, but I was subconsciously avoiding meditation because I was terrified to connect with the true me. The me underneath all of the chatter and busy-ness, the me who knew that my life had to be radically changed in many ways, ways that I was afraid of even though the deeper part of me knew that the changes needed would serve me wonderfully. 

So, I had to get sick — repeatedly — to finally commit to a daily meditation practice.

You however do not have to go that route. There is an easier way for you — it’s my hope that my story of stubbornness will inspire you to bypass all of the drama and cut right to bliss.

Now, after having a daily meditation practice for the past seven years, I can see that it was only when I fully committed to a daily meditation practice that my life began to change for the better.

I began to feel more peaceful, my life flowed more, I had less body aches, pains and disturbances, I had more clarity. My intuition expanded and I knew things that I could not have known before.

Now, when I meditate I feel like I’m plugging in to my Higher path, to my Highest guidance and I feel a tremendous amount of support and love. But it took me some time (probably that stubborn thing again!) to get there, but now that I’m here I wish it for everyone.

Here’s how the meditation chain of progress works:

• Daily meditation brings more peace and relaxation into your life (a recent Harvard study also shows that it increases your brain intelligence too — so that’s a bonus win!).
• This consistent, daily relaxation creates a releasing of resistance (i.e. stubbornness, fighting, self-sabotage, etc).
• A releasing of resistance allows what is meant to be yours — like good health, living a life you love, loving relationships, and so on— to flow to you.
• When you allow what is part of your path to flow to you, you feel fantastic.
• When you feel fantastic and are free of the majority of your resistance – you can then better hear/know/feel (depending on your primary intuitive gift — and everyone has intuition!) your inner guidance.
• This releasing of resistance and intuitive clarity allows you to take action to shift your life again and again into a place that is more aligned for you.

The biggest misnomer with meditation is that it has to take hours on end. That you must sit quietly for an hour to receive the benefits and that your mind must be totally blank and clear for the meditation to “work.”

All of this is false. Just from 11 minutes a day of meditation you will notice a shift in your life and in your body and mind.

Don’t worry about your mind being silent, that’s impossible anyway for anyone. Allow yourself to focus on deep breathing — inhaling through the nose, exhaling out the mouth and just be as present as you can be.

It’s okay if life stuff pops in or you remember that you need to get paper towels at the grocery store. Just breathe into it.

There are also lots of guided meditation options that can support you in soothing your mind and remaining in a more relaxed state.

Just like with anything in life, follow what feels best to you each day. Some days I love sitting quietly, other days I need to have a guided meditation — my mood or emotions let me know what I need.

At this point, I crave my meditation time. I don’t make big decisions without taking whatever it is into meditation.

I know that in that quiet my intuitive clarity will come forth and give me what I need to know. I know that taking time to breathe and relax into anything and everything in my life means I will have a more enjoyable life experience. I know that in that stillness is where the true me is and that’s the person I want running my life show.

So join me now: set your timer for 11 minutes (11 is the number of divine alignment after all), close your eyes, take some nice deep breaths – inhaling through the nose, exhaling out the mouth, place a hand on your belly and a hand on your heart and get to it. 

You’ll be glad you did.

http://www.finerminds.com/meditation/why-meditating-11-minutes-feel-better-now

10 Powerful Questions That Will Change Your Life

No matter how overwhelmed, stressed, angry, or anxious we might feel during challenging moments, we have within us an innate power to change the way we approach them by simply shifting our language.

If you want to live a powerful life, you have to ask powerful questions. Whenever I find myself in a state of fear or self-doubt, I call upon these 10 questions to tap into my inner wisdom and move me forward:

1. What is the highest and best use of my time?

In today’s busy world, time seems to be the one commodity we all are yearning for. But in order to feel like we’re making the most of our time on this planet, we must first know what matters most to us. Try to start each day by asking yourself this question. When you get clear and prioritize what’s most important to you, you don’t feel so trapped by this abstract idea of time.

2. Will this give me energy or deplete my energy?

Doughnuts, candy bars, pizza, soda, muffins, chips, French fries, and fast food — while they might create an instant surge of gratification, these processed, “dead” foods create a feeling of depletion in the long run.

Think about it: Fresh foods (anything with an expiration date) are alive and filled with living energy from the earth that created it. When we eat these foods, we are inevitably adding energy and fueling our system. On the contrary, when we put processed, dead foods into our bodies (you know, the kind that can survive an apocalypse), we are sending little to no life force into our system.

So when you’re having a tough time deciding between the organic salad and the fast food, ask yourself this question and make a conscious choice from there.

If you want to live a powerful life, you have to ask powerful questions. 

3. How do I define success?

So many people today are chasing success and sacrificing their time, their relationships, and their sanity to get there at any cost. But where is “there” anyway? Have you ever stopped to think about how you define success? Before you set out on your next big journey toward success, be sure to define what it looks like to you first.

4. What am I grateful for?

Maintaining a state of gratitude sends out a vibrational signal to the universe to bring more of that into our lives. Fear, scarcity, and doubt simply cannot live in a grateful heart. So if you’re experiencing any level of pain or discomfort, the easiest way to shift out of it is to ask yourself what you're grateful to have.

5. What are my blind spots?

We’ll never truly be able to see ourselves objectively; therefore, we need to look outside of ourselves to get honest feedback about how we’re showing up in life. Turn to those around you for an unbiased review. You can ask: What are my blind spots or areas of improvement? How do you think I’m most in my own way? The key is to ask with a genuine curiosity to want to learn more about how others see you so that you can improve yourself.

6. What am I pretending not to know?

Call it what you will, but you’ve probably got a little voice inside that's constantly nudging you to get your attention. Sometimes you listen to this inner guidance; sometimes you don’t.

Ignoring this voice can be dangerous. It can cause you to stay in a relationship for too long, even after you know it's over. Or it can make you agree to a business move that doesn't quite feel right. Whenever you feel torn or confused about how to move forward with a particular situation, ask yourself what you're pretending not to know. Once you get your answer, be bold enough to listen to it and take action.

It doesn’t happen to you; it happens for you.

7. What good is here that I presently cannot see?

Have you ever been in a fight with someone you love? Have you ever felt totally defeated by the world, like you’re just never going to get ahead? You, too?! Good! Now that I know you’re human, I can offer up this awesome question that serves me in all sorts of “messy” human situations. It's vital to bringing me out of breakdown territory and into the wonderful land of breakthroughs.

I’ve found that no matter how seemingly horrible a circumstance may appear, I can always find some good in it. Remember: It doesn’t happen to you; it happens for you.

8. How was I the space for this?

Warning: hard truth alert. Whatever “negative” things you are currently experiencing, something about your way of being initially welcomed them in. We don’t get what we want; we get what we are. If you don’t like the reality you’re living in, you must be brave enough to change something internally.

9. What would l love do now?

After I get clear about how I am the space for what is occurring in my life, I then follow up with this doozy. If we want to find an evolved solution to almost any problem, we can sit on this question and see what solutions come up.

10. What legacy do I want to leave behind?

The life you’re living today is the legacy you’re leaving behind. How do you want to be remembered? Ask yourself what legacy you want to leave behind,and start living that right now.

by Alexi Panos

http://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-22943/10-powerful-questions-that-will-change-your-life.html

21 Signs You Don't Trust Yourself

For a long time, I did not trust myself because I thought I had made too many mistakes and poor choices. I also realized that I was, in many respects, a liar. I lied to myself about myself. I lied to make myself look and feel good. I also lied to others when I was afraid. 

It is hard to trust a fool who repeatedly makes poor choices. It is even harder to trust someone you know is prone to lying. What turned everything around for me was the day I realized that I was teaching my children to lie. It was a very simple lie — I told my son to tell someone I wasn’t home.

When he looked at me and said, “Where are you, Mommy?” I knew I was in trouble.

There are many things I did that were acceptable for me but not acceptable for my children. Teaching my children to lie and to be afraid were among those highly unacceptable things. It took me a good minute, but I eventually figured out that the things I did and said that I was not proud of were the result of my not trusting myself. Eventually, through the process of compassionate self-forgiveness and a commitment to building and strengthening my character, I discovered that self-trust was my life preserver and my only hope.

I lied to myself about myself. 

How you treat yourself on a daily basis can provide some critical feedback about your current level of self-trust. Compare your level of agreement with the statements in the list below to reveal the thoughts and beliefs still present in your consciousness that might be undermining your ability to trust yourself fully:

1. I have a hard time recognizing, understanding, or believing in my innate value and worth.

2. I accept the negative, self-rejecting messages that I received in childhood.

3. I think that I could have done something to change or stop the childhood abuse, neglect, or abandonment that I experienced.

4. I do things to prove myself and my value to others.

5. I try to control everything around me so I can feel safe.

6. I compare the choices I’ve made to those made by others.

7. I minimize or deny my own needs.

8. It’s sometimes difficult to recognize or tell the truth.

9. I am unable to find, or value, my own voice.

10. I’m unable or unwilling to recognize or challenge my self-sabotaging or self-destructive thoughts, beliefs, and behavior patterns.

11. I’m prone to catastrophizing — i.e., I’m filled with the constant expectation of failure, disappointment, or betrayal.

12. I mentally relive or rehash past traumas or adverse events.

13. I engage in negative and harmful self-talk, and my negative ego takes control.

14. I participate in self-sabotaging or compulsive repetitive behaviors that create shame, guilt, or self-punishment.

15. I break the promises that I’ve made to myself.

16. I fail to keep the commitments and/or agreements that I’ve made with others.

17. I find it difficult to finish what I start.

18. I hold in anger, resentment, or ill will toward — or I speak negatively about — those who I feel have hurt or harmed me.

19. I deny or minimize my power of choice.

20. I defer to others — allowing them to make choices and decisions for me.

21. I rely heavily on my physical senses to make decisions and am often disconnected from my instincts, intuition, and inner guidance.

Adapted from an excerpt of my new book, Trust: Mastering the 4 Essential Trusts, available for preorder now.

by Iyanla Vanzant
http://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-22729/21-signs-you-dont-trust-yourself.html

10 Questions To Ask Yourself When You Feel Like Crap

When life feels overwhelming, it can be easy to fall into a rut. The next time you feel low, here are 10 questions you can ask to gain a fresh perspective and get moving in a more positive direction. They can be applied to any area of your life when you feel down, angry, fearful, sad, or confused.

1. Will I allow myself to play the victim or will I choose to be responsible for this situation?

2. Will I continue to react to circumstances or will I choose to create the life I want to live?

3. Can I take the time to respond from a place of clarity and strength, rather than immediately react to this experience?

4. Will I blame others for the situation or will I take responsibility for it and create an action plan to move forward from a place of personal power and strength?

5. Am I allowing someone else to take away my personal power? (Hint: if you're playing the victim, the answer to this will always be yes.)

6. How can I be of service to this person, situation or circumstance and myself so that we feel buoyed, rather than weighed down?

7. How can I create something meaningful for me and/or others out of this experience?

8. Am I placing expectations on myself or others? Are those expectations serving me in any way?

9. What if, through this challenge I choose to learn, create, grow and expand rather than blame, resent or accuse?

10. What is my gut telling me? (And am I listening?)

Life is full of stimuli; the only thing we can control is how we choose to respond. When you really take the time to think about it, everything happening around us is neutral and meaningless until the point that we give it meaning.

In any situation, it's about choosing: Will I allow this to upset me? Will I choose to make this bad or good? Will I choose to walk away? Will I choose to yell or whisper? Will I choose to react or take time to respond?

Choose to live by your own inner guide and compass. You'll be amazed at how much the world opens up for you, when you choose to open yourself up to the world.

Photo Credit: Getty Images

http://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-17818/10-questions-to-ask-yourself-when-you-feel-like-crap.html