Finding inner peace in not an action item Type A personality types find easy. “The List” keeps yelling in my head to get done.

Hello Inner Peace,

I have now completed my second week of mindfulness class at Kula Yoga.  Before I get into what I learned in the second class, let me tell you how I made out with my homework from the first week as outlined in Lessons of Mindfulness and Meditation.

I had three items to work on

1. A daily practice of 10-30 minutes of meditation
2. To listen to a sound and become fully present when I heard it
3. To do one routine item at 1/2 speed.

Sounds easy doesn’t it.  Well it was not.  Here is how I made out:

Meditation

• I was successful in accomplishing the tasks the first couple of days and then my list of TO DOs got really loud and I felt guilty for taking time to do meditation.  I would try to meditate but my inner voice of kept yelling “you have things to do – get busy”.  I would last about four minutes and then the voice got me into action on “the list”.  So then, I tried meditating first thing in the morning, just before I got out of bed.  All that did was put me back to sleep and leave me with less time to accomplish “the list”.  So meditation was a lot harder than my Type A personality allowed for.

Listening to the Sound

• This task I was able to complete thanks to the sounds of the birds and letting my dog out each morning.  The sound of birds singing in the spring weather was actually easy to listen to and a joy to practice the art of being fully present.  It was a moment that each day I was able to celebrate the changing season and really take in the sounds of the birds.

One item at 1/2 speed

• This item was another easy accomplishment at I tied it into my bird singing moment with the dogs daily business.  Instead of a rushed watch from my sliding door, I took the time to go outside and let my dog relax.  I got to take in the birds singing without the panic of the rush to get things done.
• An interesting note, it seems that I was slower the first week in the morning and did feel more relaxed despite “the list”.  I had a major exam a school so the urge to study made it difficult to take time to meditate.

David Wolfe or Mindfulness Class

When I attended the class on Thursday evening, I found I was not alone in my challenges with meditation for the first week.  In class, we actually did a 50 minute meditation that was based on being aware of feeling relaxed in each part of your body.  It was quite amazing.  You were guided to feel relaxed from your toes to the top of your head.  I felt from my toes to my knees and then my stomach to my head.  I figure I must have slept from my knees to my stomach.  I did feel deeply relaxed after and have felt that way was since then.

Our homework this week is to try to create a guided meditation in our body as we did in class.  We are also to try to do another activity at 1/2 speed again.

• This week, my 1/2 speed item is drinking my green juice slower to fully enjoy its wonderful flavour and to reflect upon how great it makes me feel.  So far I am accomplishing this task.
• For the meditation, I am trying it at night before I sleep.  It appears to be helping me sleep faster but I am not sure that is true meditation.

I will be missing mindfulness class this week to hear David Wolfe speak, so will need to have my friend fill me in on the lesson.

I was torn on if I would miss the mindfulness class or hear David Wolfe speak.  My decision was made when I thought about the first time I heard David speak; it was one week into my green juice journey and this Thursday will mark the final day of one year of green juice with Friday being the anniversary of a new life path of my own personal journey to wellness.  I can’t think of a better way to end the year.

When I return home, I will reflect on how my life has changed and likely take 30 minutes to meditate on the new opportunities that are coming my way.

May your day be filled with great thoughts, the sounds of birds, quiet moments for reflection and meditation.

To finding inner peace,

Jo-Ann Blondin, your 9CupChallenge partner.