Buddha, Breath, And Breakthrough..

The Buddha famously and beautifully stated that, "The soul always knows what to do to heal itself; the challenge is to silence the mind."

So how exactly does one "silence the mind"? Is it wisdom you suddenly obtain, while your Lavender essential oils satisfy your senses as you read Deepak Chopra? Or Does it come to you in Asana's at your weekly Hot Yoga sesh? Actually, I've learned it boils down to one radical concept..

Let me break it down for you,

Silencing Your Mind comes from the willingness to just be "still", and to advocate for your own wellness, beginning with REST! Choosing to de-clutter your space; both internally, and externally. Give your brain a little R&R so to speak; and with a safe, comfortable environment to to do it in.

You're probably thinking, well that sounds great, but simple doesn't seem to be included in this particular guide; Take it from a chronic over-thinker who has years worth of well attempted, and sometimes hilariously failed meditation techniques her under belt, I understand both the struggle, and the doubts. But listen, nobody is expecting you to turn a few steps to mindfulness into a hardcore, dedicated masterpiece. This is simply a dash of gold dust to your New Year, New You resolution. (*Cue the Fireworks, and Champaign Toast!)

To share the Self Taught Lessons for mindfulness based rest, I'll start with my go to's- The 3 B's. Buddha- He's the brains behind all of this, the mastermind so to speak of the reason I even attempted this take at self care at all. Breath- Because breath is life, and with a little persistence that breath could turn into a calming exercise to double the happy in life. And a Breakthrough, because once you've made the decision to take care of YOU, a whole new world of aha moments will open up for you. (*Can I get a fist pumping Heck YES!?)

First, you start with assessment, What in your space needs "more space"? Is it your bedroom, your balcony, your back porch, or your living room that you'd go to for some quiet time!? Hone in on the little things that just don't need to be there, the things that might pull your mind from that stillness we talked about into a dozen "I should do this, and that's". Rearrange, and shift things a bit. Add in a little flair, and a little whatever would make you feel more like Matthew McConaughey's "Alright, Alright, Alright", and little less Adam Sandler's "I AM CALM!" in Anger Management.

You got this!!

Next, You set that space with some peace and intention; A little meditation music here, or a little candlelight there, a dash of some Valerian Root Tea, and a mind ready to chill the heck out. Maybe it's in a bubble bath, or maybe its in your bed. But where ever it is you find this place of security and comfort to choose rest over restfulness, is where you'll choose to dedicate yourself to a practice.

And last but not least, You close your eyes, take some long, deep breaths, and relax your mind. Allow yourself to be in the present moment. Whatever happened in the past that hurt you, or caused you doubt, it is not happening now. Whatever you think could happen in the future, has not happened. (*It's going to be okay!) If you want to heal, you rest to heal, and here in this sacred space you've made, and in this moment you've decided to carve out just for you, you'll find not only healing of the mind and body, but an overwhelming feeling of contentment, and joy where you once had placed with an overwhelm of stress..

And in one.. two.. three.. SLEEP! (*Hopefully a good 8 to 10 hours, and maybe on a Lull Mattress, I've heard they are Amazing.)