30 Day Elemental Meditation Challenge

Cleaning just isn't for your closet. Start this new year off right by making a 30 day commitment to rebalance and clear out your mind through Elemental Meditation. What is Elemental Meditation you ask? It is basically emphasis on incorporating the four Elements characteristics, and properties to your daily meditation/ journaling practice. Throughout the 30 day challenge we will touch on Air, Water, Fire and Earth energies in your mind, body and life to create balance and flow between the Elemental energies and yourself. The Element Air will focus on the flow of communication and how you express yourself in your day to day life. The Element Water will focus on accessing your emotional state and wellbeing. The Element Fire will focus on your passions and goals, and what literally sets your soul on fire, and your pursuit of that. And lastly, the Element Earth will focus on grounding and observing your personal world around you, and what changes can be made so you can make make your ideal world into your current reality. Before we can start the challenge, lets hit on the basic principals of meditation, and how to properly practice it. 

HOW TO MEDITATE: SIMPLE MEDITATION FOR BEGINNERS

This meditation exercise is an excellent introduction to meditation techniques.

  1. Sit or lie comfortably. Rest your hands on the ends of your knees open or cusped. 
  2. Close your eyes. Notice any tension in your body. Unclench your jaw, relax your shoulders, and put on some relaxing music to keep you in a peaceful state.  
  3. Make no effort to control the breath; simply breathe naturally.
  4. Focus your attention on the breath and on how the body moves with each inhalation and exhalation. Notice the movement of your body as you breathe. Observe your chest, shoulders, rib cage, and belly. Simply focus your attention on your breath without controlling its pace or intensity. If your mind wanders, return your focus back to your breath.

 

THE BENEFITS OF MEDITATION

  1. Reduces Stress
  2. Controls Anxiety 
  3. Promotes Emotional Health
  4. Enhances Self Awareness
  5. Lengthens Attention Span 
  6. May reduce Memory Loss 
  7. Generates Kindness 
  8. Helps Fight Addictions
  9. Improves Sleep 
  10. Helps Control Pain 
  11. Decreases Blood Pressure

Meditation is something everyone can do to improve their quality of life. Contemporary researchers are now exploring whether a consistent meditation practice yields long-term benefits, and noting positive effects on brain and immune function among meditators. Yet it’s worth repeating that the purpose of meditation is not to achieve benefits. To put it as an Eastern philosopher may say, the goal of meditation is no goal. It’s simply to be present.

In Buddhist philosophy, the ultimate benefit of meditation is liberation of the mind from attachment to things it cannot control, such as external circumstances or strong internal emotions. The liberated or “enlightened” practitioner no longer needlessly follows desires or clings to experiences, but instead maintains a calm mind and sense of inner harmony.

This meditation challenge will start on the 1st of January. Can you commit to 30 days of deep inner work?