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Meditation is a way for us interrupt the thought processes of the mind. The greatest block to achieving anything is our own mind. If our minds are scattered, muddy and full of fear it will be difficult to change our limiting self beliefs Our minds are very powerful and believe what we tell it. Meditation is a way to clear our minds and rewire it for positive self communication. We can change our belief in ourselves and set goals that are more aligned with our true nature.
Here are 5 ways to use meditation effectively to bring about the best results. Clarity and focus are keys in achieving anything.
1. Mindfulness.
Mindfulness is a practice of bringing our focus and awareness to our surroundings in the moment. It's a practice of living in the now, and not in the past or the future. It may seem difficult in the beginning, but it also incorporates the art of allowing, which means we bring our whole awareness to the feelings of difficulty and learn to identify them, name them and allow them to be. It's a practice that teaches everything is in a constant state of flux, a state of change. When we resist change we create chaos. Goal setting is a way of allowing ourselves to change, to become the best versions of who we are, and we do this by allowing the natural changes to come in.
This is a very important practice in goal setting as it keeps us from wandering into the past or the future where fear of past experiences or the unknown can sabotage our efforts.
Be in the moment with your goals, breath into them, feel all the emotions and feelings around them, then let them go. Pema Chodron is my favorite teacher of Mindfulness, she has a beautiful way of bringing kindness and compassion to the process and has been one of the most important elements in achieving my goals!
2. Visualization
Many studies have been done about the power of visualization and the results of these studies have changed the way pro athletes approach their training. Over the past few years many top performing people have praised the power of visualization in achieving greatness. All things are created twice, first in the mind then in our reality. When we can create an image in the mind we can work with it, reshape it and hone it into something that brings us joy and success. Visualize yourself achieving your goal. As a meditation sit in a comfortable position bring your awareness to your breath. Breath as long as it takes for your to calm your mind. Now think about the goal you are setting. Visualize it. Bring your full awareness to it. Now see yourself achieving it. Can you see this? If it's a challenging goal you may have difficulty seeing yourself as success. This is common and it's a good indication of how you feel about your confidence. It will give you direction of what you need to do next. Stay with it, ask for help from your higher consciousness, God of your understanding, or from the forces that be. Eventually the mind lets go as with any dedicated practice. You begin to learn that you can self direct, your goals are possible and trusting the process is an important key to the puzzle.
YouAreCreators has a great video for beginners.
3. The Power of Intention
Your goals are your intentions and setting an intention has a very powerful effect on the subconsciousness mind. A goal is something to achieve, an intention is something that is happening. You are happening! It comes packed with determination and courage. It's the I Am statement rather than I am going to become. All of who you are is already inside of you, it's choosing this version of yourself rather than the other. As a meditation practice we set our intentions every morning, we reinforce your true nature our light, and strength. We are over comers and victors of our own reality. Turn your goals into intentions and focus on those intentions every morning. Lina Grace has simple video that you can use every morning and night to use this meditative technique to bring your intentions to life.
4. The Breath
In order to achieve our goals and intentions we must be emotionally and mentally balanced. Goals take time to accomplish. If they were readily achievable we wouldn't need to plan to accomplish them. Goals tend to be dreams that seem out of reach and something in us needs to change in order to make them happen. It's a challenge. Emotional and mental stability in another important key in achievement. Our minds will give us all kinds of reasons why we can't have what we desire, and returning to the simple act of breathing will bring us into a place of calm, and balance. It's the little things we do everyday that set a firm foundation for success. Touching on them everyday make the difference in having the experience of losing sight or hitting our target. One simple way to bring ourselves into focus is by practicing a breathing meditation every day. In yoga we call it a Sadhana. Yogi's will often practice a specific meditation for certain amount of time. 40 days breaks a habit, 90 days creates a new habit 120 days solidifies the habit, and 1000 day we master it! This systematic approach brings balance to the emotional roller-coaster many of us face every day. It creates determination and fosters a sense of dedication and commitment to the process. Alternate nostril breathing is a basic breath exercise that balances both hemispheres of the brain creating emotional and mental strength leading to the ability to focus, and stay the course. Brett Larkin Yoga has a beautiful video to guide your practice.
5. Mantra
A mantra is a word or a phrase that is repeated everyday to heal our overactive negative mind. Often these mantras are in other languages like Sanskrit or Gurmuki, the original languages of many forms of yoga. It's call Naad Yoga and for thousands of years Gurus and Sages have studied the effects of the science of sound. It's a version of vibrational healing. It has been taught for thousands of years that nothing heals us or destroys us like the sound of our own voice. How we talk to ourselves out loud or in our heads has a very big impact on how we live our lives. Whether we can create a life we love or live in fear of failure. Chanting mantras rewire the brain for peace, success, and prosperity. It's all about how we perceive ourselves and world around us. If we don't value and love ourselves we are out of alignment for our highest good. We will continually self sabotage because we can't believe we deserve to be happy. Alignment with our self beliefs and our highest good is another very important key for success and mantras can bring about deep lasting change. They raise our vibration and align us with our best possible life experiences. Chanting for 3-11 minutes every day calms our minds, release brain chemicals that make us feel happy, calm, and energized.
Guru Gaitri Mantra is a good mantra to use for achieving your goals. Yogi Bhajan said,
“This mantra fixes the mind to prosperity and power. It contains the eight facets of Self. Har is the original force of Creativity. The four repetitions of Har give power to all aspects and provide the power to break down the barriers of the past. It converts fear into the determination to use and expand the reserve energy of the Navel Point. It invokes guidance and sustenance; all powers come to serve your true purpose.” Practicing this meditation will bring a profound sense of peace, and knowing that success is always within reach. You are the creator of your own Universe!
Har Har Har Har Gobinday
Har Har Har Har Mukanday
Har Har Har Har Udaaray
Har Har Har Har Apaaray
Har Har Har Har Hareeang
Har Har Har Har Kareeang
Har Har Har Har Nirnaamay
Har Har Har Har Akaamay
The Aquarian Teacher Textbook says of the ‘Guru Gaitri Mantra with Four 'Har's:
Setting goals and achieving them is a path to self healing. Overcoming our past, looking to our future with peace, while maintaining our sense of balance in the present is no small feat. When each goal becomes our new reality it increases our awareness of ourselves and world around us. We become stronger and have the courage to stretch ourselves further. We develop our inner wisdom and often find ourselves encouraging others. We intrinsically know that when we all are living our best life the world is a happier place. I hope you find the time to try these meditative techniques as I hope to encourage you on your path success. May you always live from your Shining Soul!
