I hear it multiple times a week. My mind is too busy to meditate! It’s so hard for me to relate because my mind is always perfectly calm. HA!!!!
Actually, the first time I went to an energy healer, she kept stopping my treatment to tell the noisy people in the common area to please be quiet! Except there was no one in the common area. Finally, she realized she was picking up on the massive noise in my head! LOL!
So, yeah, my mind is as wildly busy as yours. The difference is that I’ve learned to quiet it, because I’m in control, and my crazy, erratic thoughts aren’t.
You have a choice to make. Let the chaos control you. Or, control the chaos.
Saying that your mind is too busy to meditate is like saying I can’t do yoga because I can’t touch my toes. Trust me, you need it the most when you can’t touch your toes! And you need meditation the most when you can’t quiet your mind.
The truth is there is a little itty-bitty subconscious part of you that wants to stay stuck and in victim mode to your thoughts. Because if you weren’t stuck, you might actually accomplish what you’ve always dreamed of, whether that’s more joy, greater success, strong health, or other. You might actually own how super powerful you truly are.
So again, you have a choice to make.
Be a victim to your thoughts, or use meditation as a tool to quiet those crazy MFs in your head that are addicted to stress, drama and chaos.
Now that you’re ready to choose greater joy, success and health, let’s talk about HOW you can dive deeper into your meditation.
I call it meditation foreplay.
So, let’s say you just got home after a long day at the office. You fed your kids, cleaned up the kitchen, and your man is giving you the eyes. If you are like me, you’d want a minute to freaking chill out before getting intimate. And you might even require a little back massage or a glass of wine to get out of the fast pace mode you’ve been running in all day and get into the mood.
Meditation is the same way. If you’ve been running a million miles a minute and the second you sit down to meditate you expect to have a peaceful zen mind…. well… good luck! It’s probably not going to happen unless you’re so exhausted your brain is too tired to race.
Here are three ways you can ease your mind into meditation…
Try one of these for 3 minutes before you jump into your regularly scheduled meditation (or do one of these for 11 min as your meditation!)…
- Left Nostril Breathing
Instructions: Plug your right nostril with your right index finger and take some long deep inhales and exhales through your left nostril.
Benefits: This stimulates the parasympathetic nervous system (rest and digest, healing). It’s also a great one to use if you’re having trouble falling asleep! - Alternate Nostril Breathing
Instructions: Take a deep inhale. Plug your right nostril with your right thumb. Exhale through your left nostril. Inhale through your left nostril. Plug your left nostril with your pinky finger. Exhale through your right nostril. Inhale through your right nostril. Repeat, repeat, repeat.
Benefits: This breathing technique also calms the nervous system and the mind! - Sitali Pranayam
Instructions: Inhale through a curled tongue (taco tongue! If you can’t curl your tongue, place the tip of your tongue on the roof of your mouth). Keeping your tongue curled, exhale through your nose.
Benefits: This breathing technique relaxes the body and mind, cools down our emotions and body, and brings concentration, calm and clarity to our minds.
Experiment with using one of these before you jump right into your mediation and let me know how it goes! You might see that your mind, in fact, isn’t too busy to meditate! 🙂
