29 Sep 30 Days Of Meditation Challenge Days 11 – 15

30 Days of Meditation – A Meditation Challenge

Days 11 – 15

Day 11 A Facilitated Meditation 

Today I was very fortunate to almost have my meditation done for me. That’s because I went in for a session of something called, “Emotional Release Therapy”. This type of therapy involves lying down on something very similar to a massage table, closing your eyes and relaxing. The practitioner asks only a few questions before beginning the treatment. 

It is a very unique type of treatment.

During this process, a towel is placed over the patient’s eyes and you are asked to neither think about anything in particular nor try not to think of anything. 

Emotional Release Therapy is a body-oriented, non-invasive therapeutic process allowing for the release of deeply ingrained bodily tension patterns.

This was my 6th such treatment in the past couple of months and I can honestly say that the results have been fantastic.

While this was not a typical “meditation” I will still give myself credit for having completed my meditating today because I did focus on my breathing and did allow myself to deeply relax. More meditation tomorrow…

Day 12 A Moonlight Meditation 11 minutes

After the Supermoon lunar eclipse I was invited to do an outdoor meditation and could not turn it down. We decided to set an alarm for 11 minutes and to start with a grounding exercise which I guided us through.

I’m consistently surprised through this meditation challenge how much help with the meditating is bringing to me. Despite an active mind again, I came out of the meditation feeling literally grounded – much more relaxed and connected to the Earth – as we were sitting on the ground. I also felt just a general better sense of well-being. And although my mind never completely got still through this process today the fresh air, comfort of a good friend, and this  big bright beautiful moon made this a really wonderful experience. I missed my meditation yesterday, and I will not miss it tomorrow.

Day 13 Morning Meditation 15 minutes

Today we got out of town! Color of the leaves on the trees were all bright yellow and different shades of light green. It was a stunning drive down to the Layton art exhibit. This is a wonderful place where there is art inside a home, and beautiful expensive grounds for people and artists to walk around and appreciate. In particular a number of painters come here to paint the stunning scenery.

This place is located on a hill so there are spectacular vistas of the mountains the Rollinghills and some small lakes.

Amanda and I decided to take 15 minutes this time and to just sit and feel the warm sun on our faces as we breathe in the beautiful fresh air. It was absolutely beautiful. Following this we did a little bit of yoga and eventually some more people arrived.

Sometimes I wonder how it is possible that I waited this long to bring meditation into my life. Having said that, I know there is a chance that I will at times feel too busy to keep it in my life. I am going to do my best to keep it in my life. I can just feel that this is extremely good for me.

Day 14 More Zen in the Mountains

I confess that today I did not get in a traditional meditation session. This is because after just 3 hours of sleep I met a friend and headed to Mt. Fortress just south of Kananaskis, AB. This was an ambitious hike but the weather was stunning and we were prepared. 

Mostly.

We started hiking at 9.30am after the 2 hour drive from Calgary. There were a few twists and turns along the way that slowed us down but by 2. 30pm, we were on top of The Fortress. At 3000m (9840 ft) this is the highest elevation I’ve ever achieved. Despite the fatigue, it felt great. 

As there were two of us there were times when there was no conversation and that was just fine. Sometimes this was when we were pushing up some scree or following an animal path down near the bottom. 

Although I didn’t sit through a scheduled meditation today, I’ll still credit myself for getting out to my favourite place in the world – the mountains. During some of those silent times I do think that there was a meditative process happening. Staying focussed on the path ahead, controlled breathing, thinking only about the task at hand.

Call it meditation or not, yesterday was a magical day that I’ll forever be grateful for.

This is Canada!

Day 15 A Yoga Meditation

Despite feeling literally on top of the world yesterday during my hike up  Mt. Fortress, I found myself a little cranky today. I attribute this to fatigue and a busy mind. This week I’ve been preparing for an upcoming trip to Toronto and quite busy with my business.

So when I was kindly offered to attend a yoga class tonight, I really didn’t think that I had time and considered saying no. 

Have you ever noticed yourself saying no to doing exactly the things that you know would be good for you?

I caught myself doing this, put my tasks to the side and went to the class. Until now, I’ve attended about 20 or so yoga and acro-yoga classes. I enjoy it every time yet it’s still not quite a part of my regular routine. 

It was my first time attending this location of Yoga & Beyond in Calgary. I know the teacher, Amanda and expected that she’d deliver a great class. She did.

I went in feeling rushed and edgy as I was a couple of minutes late and of course nobody wants to be late for a yoga class. But it was fine and I quickly joined the flow.

The transformation from how I felt going into that class compared to how I felt coming out of it was nothing short of sensational. The room was full with about 16 people, mostly women. It was challenging, peaceful, relaxing and all around good. While some of the stretches that we do in yoga make me feel a bit twisted, some of them just feel incredible. It’s as if you can actually feel the tension leaving your body.

As is sometimes the case after the a class, I could hardly speak to anyone. I was super “Zenned-out”. 

Throughout this class there were multiple times when Amanda tactfully brought us back to our breath and encouraged us to be present with our bodies. I feel this certainly qualifies as my meditation for today. Great job Amanda. Thank you.

I need to do more of this.