Give Yourself a Meditation Break

If you make some form of meditation a regular part of your well-being routine you will find that you waste less and less energy on worry and reactive behavior and that your capacity for coping with life's ups and downs increases. You will begin to adopt a new sense of mindfulness and awareness that will give you the power to participate more fully in your own life. You will learn that your "home" is inside you, and that you can take it with you wherever you go - and retreat to it wherever you are. This means that even if you are traveling - by train or plane - or hanging out at the office or a beautiful park, you can take time out to center yourself through meditation.

The Breath is the Key to Meditation

When we are tense or anxious, we tend to hold our breath. The breath is the key to finding inner peace and harmony. It is our link with our bodies and the world. For most of us, breathing is something we never think about, yet for the most part we are breathing shallow breathes into our chest. This shallow breathing actually can create a stressful condition in our minds and bodies. By slowing down your breath, you will instantly relax your body and bring clarity into your mind.

The next time you are feeling stressed, focus on your breathing. Try it at a business meeting, before picking the kids up from school or while sitting in a doctor's waiting room. Athletes are meditating to improve their game, artists are using it to access their creativity and doctors are finding it helps their patients heal

Power of the Heart Meditation:

The following technique, adapted from Momentary Meditations, is a "portable stress-breaker. " You can easily take it with you wherever you go. By using it whenever you feel out of balance, you will find that you are calmer, clearer and more able to cope with what life has to offer. This is perfect to use if you re flying through turbulence, you receive a disturbing phone call, your business meeting falls apart or your mind gets stuck in a worry loop.


Take a few deep slow breathes . . .
and imagine pushing a pause button deep within your chest.
Begin to focus at the heart center.
Envision it as a bright golden sun. (20-30 seconds)
Now think of a positive quality or experiences that you have had:

...You may feel appreciation for someone special in your life.
...or envision a beautiful scene in nature, your favorite place or the locale you want to explore on your next vacation
...or imagine a baby's laughter or the joy of licking an ice cream cone on a hot day.

Let yourself really be in the experience.
Give yourself permission to smile. (60 seconds).
Now, take 3 deep breathes and come back to normal waking consciousness and open your eyes.

To Summarize: Appreciating where we have been is a magical tool to harmony and joy. As we review and meditate on the happy pictures of where we have been, and where we dream of going, we become imbued with gratitude for life and are inspired to dream about places we have yet to go.

About this contributor: Barbara Biziou is a leading expert on rituals and meditation. She is author of "The Joys of Everyday Rituals" and "The Joy of Family Rituals." She is creator and producer of "Momentary Meditations" Visit Barbara at www.joyofritual.com and www.fourworldsentertainment.com