Journal Me Mindful

Hi Folks, welcome and apologies for the haphazard (in fact almost absent) nature of posting over the past few months. I have been on a challenging journey to do with Health and WellBeing. Yet, now that recovery is dawning (in the distant horizon but there nonetheless), I am coming to realise that it has also been a voyage of discovery, in fact a re-discovery of the amazing benefits of mindfulness meditation. The feelings of connectedness, calmness and of being back on track have given me a tremendous lift and I owe this turnaround to several sources.

Firstly, a doctor here in Belfast at the Synergy Clinic, who takes an integrative approach, has helped me in a massive way with information, reassurance and naturopathic prescribing. Taking charge of your own health is a very empowering experience.

Next, the Chopra Centre 21 day meditation series, currently ongoing, is a welcome resource and I am currently at Day 8, finding the mantras and messages meaningful and the practice greatly calming. Their journaling resource section is a welcome addition and I print out my journal entry every day. It is a useful resource and well worth reading back over for extra motivation and inspiration.  Here’s the link to the current meditation series.

https://chopracentermeditation.com/

 

Then I found the book Mindfulness by Mark Williams and Danny Penman, which is full of the most up-to-date, enlightening information and instruction and together with the CD, offers an 8 week course in mindfulness meditation. This is most promising to me and I plan to build it into my new found daily practice after I complete the Chopra Centre 21 days. 

 

I would thoroughly recommend them all and wish everyone well on your journey of life.

 

 

 

Opening Image citation http://www.openhandweb.org/rumi_%20wound%20_light_enters

Opening up to your Full Potential

Lavender (image author’s own)

Over the past few weeks the garden has shed much of its glory and I have been doing a few odd jobs around there, clearing leaves from the patio and into the hedgerow  where decay will, in the long term, produce new life. I do love this time of year though, around Halloween, when everything feels very elemental.

In all aspects of life, plant or animal, including the human kind, each season has its own unique charm and beauty and Autumn is for me a time of peace and contemplation. I was, therefore, delighted to find Mary O’Connor’s beautiful image this morning on her blog Life Is Full of Sweet Spots, 

A book I read recently also inspired me a great deal. By Eoin McCabe, ‘Open: How Learning to Live from the Heart Changed Everything’ is a treasure for anyone struggling with anxiety, depression or just plain bewilderment. Through his own life experiences and a kind of trial and error process, the author shares ideas and techniques that helped him deal with upheavals and crises, with loss and change. I couldn’t put it down and I know it is one of those books I’ll keep going back to again and again, probably for life! Highly recommended. So, until next time, believe in yourself, stay focused on your goals, keep creating your dreams and hang on in there!