Make 2016 the year you decided to detoxify your mind, rather than your body. We think that by giving your cognitive process some tender loving care and attention this Spring, your body will readily follow suit on its own!
For many of us, part of the journey of life includes moments where we feel genuinely stuck or lost. This is a crippling feeling of anxiety and anger; how can I feel like I don't know who I am? How did I live without a purpose for so long? In some cases, you may ask yourself who you really are, or if you're living a lie. Breathe deeply; you are never living a lie nor are you living without a purpose. Every morning is a purpose for you, regardless of what you do with it. The joy in the journey is discovering that with every morning, you are creating your purpose and are the master of what you accomplish in life.
Reflective meditation is a type of mental detox that allows you to ask questions and then wrestle with them intellectually. One or two questions may be all you need to begin: Who am I? What is my purpose (today)? What is my role in the universe?
Allow your mind to travel as you honestly answer these questions. Every thought, feeling, and answer that comes to you is not wrong or misleading. Many reflective meditators utilize a journal to help make sense of the answers they receive during these types of meditation sessions.
Struggling With Emotion? | Metta Meditation
Metta meditation is also known as loving kindness meditation, dating back to early Buddhist texts as a form of deep intellectual thought and mental focus. For anyone feeling the stress of emotional waves can benefit from metta meditation at any stage in life. By acknowledging negative emotions and expressing positive, loving ones, you're emphasizing your ability to love and overcome the inevitable negative emotions without trying to squelch them.
Start metta meditation by closing your eyes_ and calling to your mind what you love about yourself most. Accept the love and, when you're feeling lighter in spirit, do the same loving thought toward a family member. Find what unique traits you appreciate about them and let your smile grow. Next, call forth a neutral person that deserves a moment of kindness in your heart. Enjoy what makes them a unique and loving person. Finally, when you are ready, call forth a person that you think negatively about and graciously share a loving thought with that mental image. When you find space for love and compassion with those who charge you up in a non-productive way, you free yourself up to handle emotional hardships with resiliency.
Need to Chill Out? | Sound Meditation
Looking for the type of mental detox that doesn't feel like a detox? Music, or sound based, meditation will work perfectly! Find a relaxing music track as your focus: classical, new age, instrumental, healing bowls, chimes all apply here. After tuning into the music or sounds, close your eyes and allow the body to relax. Imagine every muscle melting into the floor and your eyelids are relaxing fully. Once you have consciously relaxed every muscle in your face, receive the sounds in your environment without reacting. Imagine the sounds are flowing through your eardrums and traveling along your blood vessels, making contact with each organ as it journeys along. In a deep relaxed state, images and stories may come to mind as the music swells; this is normal and a perfect representation of sound meditation.
Acknowledge your experience and, once the music has ended, gently awake back into your environment. If this doesn't completely chill you out, we're not sure what will!