Welcome to this 21-Day Meditation Experience, Shedding the Weight: Mind, Body and Spirit. I’m very excited to be on this adventure to transform all of our heaviness and burdens in life to lightness and fulfillment. And I hope I will have some friends joining me here in support. Your comments and following will be greatly valued.
This week is about learning what hunger really means. Today we are coming to an understanding that “shedding the weight” is not only an issue for our bodies, but that we are also weighed down with emotional, mental, and spiritual burdens.
Today we discover that we don’t have to struggle to shed our burdens – all we need to do is expand our awareness. In that awareness we find the inner fulfillment that is our true self. This state of expanded awareness is the lightness in your life, and allows you to effortlessly let go of heaviness that doesn’t serve you.
In each 20-minute meditation we are given a centering thought and mantra. What is a Mantra? These are Sanskrit syllables that have been carefully chosen to work with and empower the teaching of the day. Mantras are powerful tools to support your meditation practice. As you silently repeat the mantra during meditation, a few things happen:
•You quiet your mind – Repetition of the mantra helps you move beyond your thoughts and access the stillness within.
•You experience deeper awareness – The mental vibration created by the mantra allows your mind to access pure awareness.
•You discover your true nature – With daily use during meditation, the mantra helps your body, mind, and spirit relax into their true essence – pure potentiality and happiness.
Finding The Lightness In Your Life
Today’s Centering Thought is: My struggle has ended. I am in harmony with myself.
Today’s Mantra: Om Laghu Bhavam (I am lightness itself)
Center yourself to begin a quite solitude of mind and spirit with the thought My struggle has ended. I am in harmony with myself. Now begin to meditate by repeating the mantra: Om Laghu Bhavam. Each time your mind wanders come back by repeating the mantra and hold the meaning behind it “I am lightness itself”. Simply meditate for 20 minutes.
As you go through the rest of your day repeat to yourself the centering thought: My struggle has ended. I am in harmony with myself.
Each day we are given the opportunity to reflect on the meditation experience with journal activities.
Today’s Journal Activities:
- Consider the ways you feel weighed down in your life. Write a list of the burdens in your mind, body, and spirit that you wish to lighten in these three weeks.
- Write down three things you can do to find lightness in your life. For example, these could be listening to music, taking a walk, or playing with your children.
- Reflect on what nourishes your inner self, and then describe two things you can do today that nourish your spirit.
- Reflect further on your experience today.
Shedding the weight is more than just losing the physical pounds. To be truly effective in addressing weight and its connection to self-image and happiness, we have to understand that eating is not one dimensional and it’s emotional/personal dimensions can’t be ignored.
Whenever you feel burdened there is weight to be shed in mind body and spirit. Emotions and relationships can be as toxic as the wrong food. Expanded awareness with the help of daily meditations will help you find the key to what you really seek. When you give yourself what you want and need, over eating will cease to be a problem.
“Lightness and weightiness… are both choices in life.” — Erik Pevernagie