Namaste

[bow head]

The thought of upcoming holiday schedules getting you all in a tizzy? Shopping, traveling, everyone trying to squeeze in one more meeting...it happens every year. Recently I've become very interested in meditation, even though I would consider myself at whatever level has less experience than a beginner. Mostly because I've been paying attention to the fact that I could spend the entire day sitting in a chair and still go home exhausted.

My brain and eyeballs were tired! When my body is tired, I go to the gym, but I very well can't put my brain and eyeballs on the elliptical. Then, the other day out of the blue, a coworker of mine (and now, I assume, a mind reader...must be here clear and refreshed mind) asked me if I meditated. I took that as a nudge to look into it.

So, I did the obvious: Google. I was hoping there would be some sort of beginner's guide. All-knowing Wikipedia defines meditation as "a practice in which an individual trains the mind and/or induces a mode of consciousness to realize some benefit, although it can be argued that meditation is a goal in and of itself." Excuse me?

I wanted the "meditation for dummies" definition. Dummies.com defines meditation as "an age-old practice that can help relieve a host of ills brought on by the fast pace of modern life” and provided a handy cheat sheet. The only problem: the cheat sheet was, in my opinion, inappropriately advanced.

The search was taking me off into uncharted territory, somewhere I had no business going. I thought back to my original intentions which were to actually relax relax, not be-on-my-phone-with-reruns-on relax. One more search, but this time I typed in "relaxation.” I do realize this is a major shortcut in the quest to learn about meditation, but for the time being, it’ll do. Busy schedules are ahead, I'll save meditation for later.

Below I have thoroughly abbreviated WikiHow's "how to relax" to relieve all those "ills brought on by a fast paced life" (but here is the how-to in its entirety):

PART I:
Accepting Stress
Recognize stress
Set aside time to relax

PART II:
Relaxing Your Body
Practice breathing techniques (slow down and concentrate on it)
Make healthy dietary decisions
Exercise every day/regularly
Try a massage :)

PART III:
Relaxing Your Mind
Practice positive thinking
Think logically and restrain your emotions
Find a quiet place when you're feeling overwhelmed and pamper yourself :)
Stop feeling guilty
Learn to prioritize
Practice meditation (...or not)
Do activities that relax you
Spend time with your pet
Smile and laugh

PART IV:
Staying Relaxed Around Stressful People
Develop an invisible shield between you and stressed folk
Disconnect (from technology)
Avoid toxic personalities
Give hugs
Spend time with people you connect with

Having said that, check out this waterfall and rock pile:

 

 

Relaxing, right? Just me? If you don't want to try the above steps, you could also just spend a few moments looking at the Google images that come up when searching "relaxation." Surprisingly peaceful! Either way, I'm fitting relaxation in this holiday season. Namaste.

[photo sources: Home and Garden, Noupe]