Day 6

Today's meditation really made me stop and think about the world we live in. For some reason, I am not quite sure why - but even our best doesn't feel quite good enough anymore. We are always striving for more - you reach a certain bar and then try to climb higher and higher until it is no longer attainable. Instead of being proud of what we have achieved, we have a sense of let down that we didn't go just a bit further. The same holds true with our health, about three years ago I went to the gym 6 days a week and did super-sets with heavy weights for hours and would not stop until my body reached total exhaustion. I did this for about a year, constantly increasing my goal of lifting heavier and doing more and more super-sets  I was in the best shape of my life but I couldn't see that at the time. I just wanted to keep getting stronger and fitter. By the end of it I realized that I couldn't keep it up, when I did a leg workout I wouldn't be able to walk properly for days from the muscle exhaustion. The funny thing was I couldn't figure out why being in pain everyday was something I wanted for myself – all this suffering just to look a certain way.

Millions of women every day are bombarded with the media’s idea of the “perfect” body. These unrealistic images are portrayed in women’s magazines all over the country. The message being sent to women is that they are not pretty or skinny enough. Magazines portray and compare happiness with being thin; therefore some feel if they are not thin, then they are not happy. These ideals can be both physically and emotionally unhealthy.

I no longer spend hours at the gym and I am sure my body thanks me for that. I don’t read fashion or gossip magazines, or watch reality TV shows, so it keeps me away from the media’s perception of “perfect” and for that my self-esteem and happiness are grateful.

Deepak said during the meditation that our bodies are “marvelous wonders of nature - flexible, dexterous and strong”. At every moment each of our bodies is absolute perfection, and loving our bodies no matter how they appear or feel, acknowledges our intrinsic belief that we exist without flaw. The power of such a positive self-image plays a vital role in experiencing perfect health. As we tell our bodies I am whole, I am beautiful, I am perfect just as I am, we create feedback loops that nurture every cell, muscle and organ and support health and vitality. There are likely some days when it is challenging to send positive messages to the body. Maybe you are living with a difficult illness, or you feel tired all the time, or your clothes fit too tightly. When we perceive that our bodies are aged, unfit, flawed, weak or diseased, we tend to focus on what we believe is wrong. We tell ourselves “I don’t like you, go away I can’t stand looking at you”. Imagine that this ache, sickness or condition were a friend sitting right before you, sad and weeping. We wouldn't ignore him/her or express irritation; instead we would embrace and nurture her, offering words of encouragement and love. It is the same for our bodies, when we have an ache, pain, sickness or perceived imperfection; it is important that we acknowledge those areas and offer them love.

Centering Thought:

"I am perfection. I am healthy. I am strong."

Sanskrit mantra:

So hum. -  I am.

Mindful Moment:

As we learn more about the messages we send our bodies, we also become more aware of how we talk to ourselves. When we have an ache, pain, sickness, or perceived imperfection, it's important to pay attention to these signals from our body and mind and respond with compassion. During meditation, pay attention to how your body feels. If there are feelings of discomfort anywhere in the body, send that area messages of kindness and love.

Interesting links:

3 keys to living the life you want

Make peace with your body: A 3-step guide to self-confidence

 "Friendship with oneself is all important, because without it one cannot be friends with anyone else in the world." —Eleanor Roosevelt 

Day 5

I went back to work yesterday afternoon, after being off with a lung/chest infection most of the week. I am really trying to get better but I know I have to give myself time to heal as I have only had the antibiotics since Monday. I went to work this morning hoping for a better day but sadly I only lasted 45 minutes - I could not stop coughing. I ended up working from home instead so I didn't bother my colleagues. More so than ever, because of this “perfect health” meditation challenge, I truly understand how precious our health really is. I realize after being sick this week that I have been taking my health for granted - waking up every day pain free, no ailments, no medications to take, lots of energy. I know now after feeling so sick this week, how lucky I have been to be an overall healthy person. I want to have “perfect health” and will do everything I can to strive for more balance in my life, and not let myself get run down.  This is only day 5, but these meditations have really helped me through this week.

Today’s meditation focused on the rhythm of our mind and body. As human beings with conscious awareness, we are the only creatures on the planet that can change our biology through our thoughts, feelings and intentions. Our cells are constantly eavesdropping on our thoughts and reacting and changing. The slightest shift of mood is picked up by every cell, which means that we do not think with our brains alone, all 50 trillion cells actively share our thoughts. Each thought we have catalyzes a change in our bodies. As an example, what would happen if you went for a walk and along the way you encountered a large snake slithering across the sidewalk. If you were scared, your heart would begin to pound, your throat would become dry and your legs would feel like rubber. The abstract mental image of seeing the snake would trigger a concrete reaction – a rush of adrenaline.

Our thoughts work in the same way, when we are anxious, depressed, nervous about the future, or worried about the past we send our body messages that cause it to transform in an instant to help us react to the threat that faces us, even when no real threat exists. However, if you face each moment with "present moment" awareness, enthusiasm, passion for life, optimism, and openness to all life surprises, then we send ourselves a completely different positive message.

If that same snake crosses your path but you happen to like snakes your body would react differently to your positive thoughts. Instead of wanting to run away, you would likely want to stay and watch the snake or maybe even pick it up. Your body would then undergo the opposite transformation - one that would support balance and healing. Since we possess this subconscious ability to heal or create toxicity in our body through thought, we need to mentally go with the flow, creating positive thought patterns that support our optimal health and well-being.

  

Centering Thought:

I flow in rhythm with my mind and body.

Sanskrit mantra:

Om Anandham Namah. - My actions are blissfully free from attachment to outcome.

Mindful Moment:

Our thoughts manifest in our bodies, which is why it is so important that we send ourselves positive messages. Not only can we do this through positive self-talk, but we can also be kind to ourselves by going with the flow of our lives and accepting our circumstances in each moment. Today, commit to staying grounded in the present. Whenever you find yourself worrying about the past or feeling fearful about the future, take three deep breaths to bring yourself back to the here and now.

Interesting links:

Chopra meditation dowloads

5 things your body is trying to tell you right now

“Dwell on the beauty of life. Watch the stars, and see yourself running with them.”  

-Marcus Aurelius

Day 4

Today’s meditation really resonated in my mind. I have heard similar references before but until today I really didn't see it clearly enough to fully understand. The messages that we absorb through our thoughts, or allow our bodies to receive from others, determines our overall health. I remember my aunt read a book called “A Reason for Hope” when she was diagnosed with aggressive brain cancer. It said that our bodies cannot distinguish between an emotional injury and a physical injury. If your body is trying to fight a physical ailment and your emotional side is depressed, sad or experiencing negative thoughts of despair - your body has to fight twice as hard to heal both the physical and the emotional wounds. So if you work hard to maintain a positive attitude through adversity, and keep your emotional side healthy, then your body can use all its strength to fight the physical illness.  It is a really great message, but until today’s meditation it really hadn't sunk in. Grateful for these daily meditations, I am learning something new each day that will help me on the journey to “perfect health”.

In today’s meditation Deepak talks about a famous Vedic verse: “It is our duty to the rest of mankind to be perfectly healthy, because we are ripples in the ocean of consciousness and when we are sick even a little, we disrupt the cosmic harmony.” Your body, a wondrous component of the universe’s cosmic dance is an intelligent vehicle for the mind and spirit, always naturally and effortlessly working toward healing. Operating optimally and restoring balance.

 In Ayurveda, the science of life, the goal is always to return the body to the level of perfect balance that lies within each person no matter how ill. Conventional wisdom tells us that if you want to find this balance and be healthy we must take care of ourselves. However the real secret to lifelong good health is actually the opposite, we must allow our bodies to take care of us.

The human body consists of 50 trillion cells that function perfectly under the same guiding principle and the organ that governs and regulates that intelligence is the brain. The entire physical system has been designed to maintain life indefinitely. Our cells have perfected specialized functions for each organ and tissue. They have learned to cooperate with one another staying in constant communication. Modern medicine for all its advances knows less than 10% of what your body knows instinctively. In reality doctors don’t heal their patients. They facilitate the body's healing system adding whatever is lacking when self-healing falters. By the same logic everything we do to take care of our bodies is just an adjunct to letting our bodies take care of us.

The brain and central nervous system send a constant stream of messages creating a feedback loop of information. One side of the feedback loop runs automatically the other side is affected by free will and choice. Our perception of experiences and our day to day choices enter our body’s feedback loop sending a chemical signal from the brain to our cells. The entire feedback loop runs on that mechanism and as far as the cell is concerned there is no difference between a message that began as an emotion or one that began as estrogen or adrenalin. While exercising, getting proper nutrition, avoiding toxins and other physical measures play roles in overall good health, more important are the messages our cells receive. The body is an intelligent mechanism governed by a brain that will take care of us for life if we minimize negative messages and maximize those that are positive.

Centering Thought:

I trust the wisdom of my body.

Sanskrit mantra:

Om, Om, Om.  Repeating “Om” honors our connection to the universe.

Mindful Moment:        

How we speak to our bodies plays a vital role in our health and well-being. Based on how we interpret what’s happening around us, the brain and central nervous system respond by sending our cells a constant stream of messages that directly impact our physical state. Positive messages draw healthy responses from our bodies in the form of stronger immune systems and healthier sleep patterns, among many other benefits that can last a lifetime. Take a moment today to listen to a common message you send your body. Evaluate whether or not that message is one of kindness, respect, and love. If the message could be more loving, rephrase what you are telling your body and repeat that new message often throughout the day.

Interesting Links:

4 ways knowing your dosha can improve your health today

How to use your mind-body connection for healing

“The simple things are also the most extraordinary things, and only the wise can see them.” - Paulo Coelho

Day 3

I am really glad I signed up for this little challenge, I have some friends that are also doing it so it is nice to be able to talk about their thoughts, views and experiences.  Today’s theme was the intuition of our body. In order to best care for our bodies we need to listen to messages from the inside.  We are intuitive beings and listening to what our bodies are saying is the greatest gift we can give ourselves.

Albert Einstein once said that the intuitive mind is a sacred gift and the rational mind is a faithful servant.  We have created a society that honours the servant and has forgotten the gift. Each of us possesses an inner wisdom of knowingness - of intuition that can serve as our fail-safe guide. Intuition is the inner voice that wants to be heard as we engage in our daily activities. It can be trusted because it doesn't require processing by the higher brain; our inner wisdom can enable us to make snap and accurate judgments that yield positive results.

However when we ignore our intuition we lose our ability to feel out situations, which leads to decision making guided by the over rationalizing of our actions – even when we are wrong. Intuition is something we all possess and it plays an important role in keeping our bodies balanced and helps lead us to perfect health.

In Ayurveda each person has a certain body type – a unique blue print that outlines our innate tendencies which are built into our systems at birth. These body types originate from the meeting of mind and body - where thought turns into matter. A place that is operated by 3 doshas: vata controls movement, pitta oversees metabolism and kapha governs structure. All three are present in everyone. However some of us tend to exhibit tendencies of only one dosha where others display a combination of two or even all three. Doshas facilitate the mind's dialogue with the body, and when they are in balance they open up the possibility of a mind-body system that is always balanced – healthy and evolving.

Once we understand our doshas we often see that our intuition has been teaching us the right ways to balance these tendencies and align with our bodies all along. Based on our food choices, the type of exercise that feels right for us or how much we feel we need to sleep.  All of these are the intuition at work telling our unique bodies how best to stay healthy and balanced.

Centering Thought:

My mind and body are in perfect sync.

Sanskrit mantra:

Sham, Sham, Sham. - Repeating “Sham” awakens the third eye chakra, your intuition.

Mindful Moment:

As we are learning, our bodies already know how to attain equilibrium, and we can enhance our physical state simply by listening to the clues our bodies give us. When faced with a choice today, close your eyes and place your hand on your heart. As you weigh your options in making your decision, pay attention to how your body feels. By listening to the body, the right answer will reveal itself to you.

Interesting links:

Learn more about Ayurveda  

The Science of Intuition: An Eye-Opening Guide to Your Sixth Sense

"The world is full of magical things, patiently waiting for our senses to grow sharper.”
 - W.R. Yeats

Day 2

This 21-day meditation "perfect health" challenge could not have been more timely. I am usually a very healthy person but I have had a whirlwind few months at work, as well as travelling to Mexico and Ottawa and just overall trying to balance/juggle everything on my plate. I ended up getting run down and have developed a lung/chest infection.  I should be on the mend in a few days but today’s meditation really made me understand that without balance in all we do, our health will suffer. Our bodies are always sending us messages to maintain balance, and intuitively we know that when we pay attention to these signals our bodies will thrive.

Today’s meditation was about the wisdom of life – the science of longevity. Ayurveda is the 5000 year old science of life/longevity.  If we have balance of mind, body and spirit we can have lifelong health and vitality. We do not have to become sick and grow old. We can be immune to illness and disorders can be prevented and reversed, as long as balance is maintained. Perfect balance makes perfect health possible.

It is the wisdom of life - we are governed by an evolutionary impulse, driving us to grow and progress, to expand beyond our own imagined limits. This impulse directs our overall balance automatically and it can be witnessed in every organ and every cell of our bodies.

A positive message we can tell ourselves each day is to be aligned with balance in all things, take time to enter stillness each day and get adequate rest.  Do exercise to ward off physical inertia and take a passionate interest in life to keep mental inertia at bay. Self awareness enables the whole mind-body system to be dynamic and make room for spontaneity - the exquisite freedom of the unexpected.

"To keep the body in good health is a duty... otherwise we shall not be able to keep our mind strong and clear.”  Buddha

We need to remain open to spontaneity in our own lives each day. Find something to be passionate about – these are all deep forms of healing. When you pursue your passions you are truly experiencing perfect health. It is our evolutionary impulse to progress in our lives, to seek and attain balance, and to be healthy and strong.

Centering Thought:

Balance is my true nature.

Sanskrit mantra:

Yum, Yum, Yum. Repeating “Yum” enlivens the heart chakra

Mindful Moment:
While our bodies naturally move toward balance, there are things we can do to aid in this process. For instance, we can send our bodies messages of love and support by eating nourishing foods, getting proper rest, and engaging in activities that make us feel truly alive. So, as we begin to understand how our bodies take care of us, we also learn how we can better take care of our bodies. Consider an area in your life where your self-talk is not supporting your well-being. Replace that thought with a message that demonstrates self-love. Hold that thought as your affirmation for today.

Interesting links:

Meditation Tips

Meditation Resources Library

Just Listen! Your Body is Speaking to You

Approach today with enthusiasm and contemplate the centering thought. Balance is your true nature. 

Day 1

My friend Kattie recently shared with me her experiences from a 21-Day Meditation Challenge, so when I heard about this one I decided I would give it a try. I have been meditating a lot this past year through guided meditation classes at Moksha and also on my own in my cozy-zen meditation room. I find no matter how busy I am, I always try to take a few minutes to clear my mind, and instantly I feel like I hit the reset button – very rejuvenated and refreshed.

I decided since I blogged my 30 day Moksha challenge that I would blog this 21 day meditation challenge, to keep me committed and so that I can look back on my experience in the future.

Oprah’s Lifeclass and The Chopra Center 21-Day Meditation Challenge - Perfect Health is a free, three-week online interactive meditation experience designed to share the gifts of meditation in a fun and easy way. It is not too late to sign up as you will have access to each meditation for a 10 day period so you can always catch up if you miss a day or two.

Deepak provided a great all-encompassing definition of meditation:

"Meditation expands self-awareness and is a tool for the re-discovery of our body's own inner intelligence. Practiced for thousands of years, it's not about forcing the mind to be quiet, it's finding the silence that's already there and making it a part of your life. Silence is the birthplace of happiness, creativity, and infinite possibilities. From this field of pure potentiality we get our bursts of inspiration, our most intuitive thoughts, and our deepest sense of connection to the universe. Practicing meditation on a daily basis allows you to weave silence and stillness into your mind and body to create a life of greater compassion and fulfillment. Meditation is a journey to the center of our very being; a journey to emotional freedom; and a journey to the reawakening of our unconditioned self."

This 21 day challenge focuses on “The Journey to Perfect Health”. Perfect health is not only a possibility in our lives, but it is our natural state. As human beings, each aspect of our physiology seeks balance and optimal performance. This meditation challenge will provide the knowledge to enable our bodies towards this amazing, natural process so that we can enjoy a lifetime of well-being and joy.

Centering Thought:

I commit to living perfect health.

Sanskrit Mantra:

Om Bhavam Namah  -  I am absolute existence. I am a field of all possibilities.

Mindful Moment:

Set one intention for your journey toward perfect health. Remain open to all possibilities as you embrace the vision of your best self. If you wish, write a letter to your future self. Simply with a change of mind you can change your life.

Interesting Links:

Deepak Explains the Power and Meaning of Sanskrit Mantras

How to Tell the Difference Between Your True Self and Your Everyday Self

I am really looking forward to this 21-day challenge, and seeing the benefits that will unfold throughout the process.