Want a natural cleaner that is safe and effective? I have a great DIY all purpose cleaner recipe for you that doesn’t use vinegar (which is the most popular natural ingredient, but not appropriate for everyone).
This recipe is so simple to make! You can use it all over your kitchen, bathroom, on your walls, spot cleaning floors, doorknobs, etc. And it’s made with essential oils so that you’re getting the mood-boosting health benefits as you clean your house. That’s a win-win!
I think you’ll find that it’s the perfect substitute for the heavy duty cleaners you might be using in your home right now that may be harming your health more than helping it!
DIY All Purpose Cleaner Spray
Why Use Natural Cleaners?
If you read my last article on Germ Are Good For You, So Stop Over Sanitizing, then you know I’m not a fan of disinfecting your home and body. I do believe we need to live with germs in order to keep our personal microbiome healthy and immune system strong! So when I clean, my focus is just on removing stains, crumbs, handprints, and basically keeping the home tidy.
Now, essential oils do have disinfecting properties, but not to the degree where they’re going to annihilate all the microorganisms in your environment. There is no decline of gut and immune health when you use essential oils. In fact, they are known to enhance cellular health and immunity! There’s also the perk of boosting your mood, which is helpful if you don’t like to clean!
With this recipe you only need 4 things:
16-oz bottle (glass is nice but not totally necessary for this purpose)
12 fl. oz. distilled or filtered water
20 drops of therapeutic-grade essential oils
4 T Castile soap
Natural Cleaning Without Vinegar
The reason that we’re not using vinegar for this recipe is that, while it is a great natural cleaner, it will corrode stone, granite, and marble surfaces. I have granite both my kitchen and bathroom! So it’s not the best choice for my family.
The Castile soap and essential oils are quite enough to clean your space without worrying about damaging your counters or your health!
Add to your green cleaning hacks with this natural homemade all purpose cleaner. Cleaning with essential oils is so easy and better for your body (and the environment) than harsh disinfectants. This recipe uses Castile soap instead of vinegar which protects your counters too!
Yield: 16fl. oz.
Author: Brandy Falcon
Materials
16Oz.Spray Bottleglass is best
4 TCastile Soap
20dropsEssential OilsdoTERRA CPTG suggestions: Citrus Bliss, On Guard, Lemongrass, Peppermint, Tea Tree, and all Citrus…
12Oz.Distilled or Filtered Water
Instructions
Add Castile soap and essential oils to spray bottle. Top off with water, leaving space for the trigger top. Shake to mix.
Simply spray on the surface and wipe down with a clean rag. That's it!
Video
Notes
Remember to shake the bottle before each use to make sure the essential oils remain dispersed.
I hope you enjoyed this tutorial! If so, please tell me about it in the comments below.
If you want more info on essential oils, consider joining my Facebook Essential Oil Lifestyle group. On there, I have many other green cleaning recipes, educational posts on how to use essential oils, information on how doTERRA is unique, and how I can help you get started using them in your home.
Do germs terrify you? Do you try to sterilize your home and body to prevent infections from viruses, bacteria, and fungi? What you may not realize is that our immune health depends on microbes and that your cleaning routine may actually be harming your health and contributing to chronic disease for the entire community. Germs are good for you!
As, I’m writing this, we’re in the middle of the Coronavirus pandemic so what I’m saying may seem strange. Even with this crisis, I believe (and many scientists concur) that killing everything in the environment that has the potential to harm us through our sanitizing regimens, and sterilizing our bodies with pharmaceuticals, is not a good idea!
Unfortunately this is the message many of us hear from the medical community, from politicians, and commercials for popular cleaning products. We’ve been led to believe that if we can’t control nature, we’re at it’s mercy, and there’s nothing else we can do about it.
I’m hoping you’ll hear me out! I believe our health problems are much, much bigger than Covid-19. Our aim of sterility and fear of infectious disease is contributing to these other problems – especially with our children.
With this information, it’s my wish you’ll become less fearful of the beautiful microbial world. You’ll see that it’s necessary for us to interact with in order for our immune systems to function well. Here’s 4 reasons why you should stop obsessively disinfecting today.
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Why We Need to Stop Sanitizing Everything
1) Over 97% of Microbes Are Benign or Beneficial
Our microbiome, the population of beneficial bacteria in our gut and on our skin, are needed to protect against possible pathogens. We can think of them as generals of the immune system to direct it’s weapons against invaders.
Our bodies are inoculated with these microbes as we exit the birth canal. This is one of the many reasons we need promote natural birth when possible. It’s why we shouldn’t bathe our babies so much. If we promote extended breastfeeding, babies and toddlers will continue to populate their guts with beneficial bacteria in mother’s milk. These practices give children a head start with good health and wellness.
But that’s still not enough! We need these beneficial microorganisms throughout our lifetime through exposure in our soil, from pets and farm animals, in fermented foods that we should all be eating, and from human interaction. Hugging, kissing, and shaking hands are all necessary for our physical and emotional health!
2) Lack of Microbial Exposure Can Cause Chronic Disease
This Hygiene Hypothesis says that conditions like allergies, asthma, autoimmune disorders, and obesity are caused by lack of exposure to microbes.
An interesting 2016 study looked at children in two traditional Christian farming groups: the Amish and the Hutterites. The Amish practice traditional farming, using hand-held tools. Hutterites, on the other hand, use modern farm equipment and have less interaction with the soil.
Researchers found that far less Amish children had asthma compared to the Hutterites. After testing their blood, they also discovered that the Amish kids had significantly more white blood cells. We know that white blood cells are necessary for fighting infections. One could guess this was because of their direct exposure to microbes, which boosted their immune system.
We have a major issue with chronic disease in this country, and it’s growing at an alarming rate with children. Many people with chronic disease have poor gut health and it directly affects immune system function.
3) Bleach & Other Disinfectants Can Damage Your Body and IncreaseInfections
When we use harsh cleaning chemicals indoors, they are killing ALL microorganisms – the possible pathogens as well as the beneficial ones. These products also strip our skin and gut of it’s protective microbiome. Remember that when gut health is diminished, so is our immunity, and we’re more prone to infections.
A 2015 study in the Occupational & Environmental Medicine journal looked at the effects of bleach use in the homes of more than 9,000 kids ages 6 to 12 in Spain, the Netherlands and Finland. In homes where bleach was used, there was a much greater incidence of the flu, tonsillitis, sinusitis, bronchitis and pneumonia.
In addition to killing our beneficial microbiome, we also know that many cleaning products contain chemicals that are known or suspected carcinogens, endocrine disruptors (meaning they affect hormone balance and regulation), and increase the risk of chronic respiratory disease. According to the Environmental Working Group (EWG), 53% of cleaning products harm the lungs and “about 22% contain chemicals reported to cause asthma to develop in otherwise healthy individuals”.
4) Sanitizing Our Bodies and Environment is Pressuring Microbes to Mutate
Anti-microbial soaps, hand sanitizers, disinfectants, and ALL pharmaceutical drugs that are meant to protect us from and treat infections actually threaten the existence of microbes.
The problem: Microbes want to live as passionately as we do! And nature is smart. Remember these words from Jeff Goldblum’s character Ian Malcom in Jurassic park?
Microbes will evolve and mutate in order to live. We are pressuring them to change in order to infect us better! This is a response to our interaction with them.
Antibiotics and antibacterial products are not fooling them at all. Chemicals like triclosan are so purified that it’s easy for the microbes to recognize and form resistance against them which creates superbugs that cannot be managed with standard antibiotics.
Triclosan typically ends up in nose secretions of people who use triclosan-containing products. Methicillan Resistant Staphlococcus Aureus (MRSA) then binds to collagen and keratin proteins there since tricolosan poses zero threat to them. This creates harmful infections that don’t respond to standard medicines.
Let’s get back to the elephant in the room, that we’re dealing with a global pandemic. What do I hope you’ll glean from this information that will help you and your family stay healthy & well?
I’m hoping this information relaxes you to the point where you can focus on what truly matters right now. Instead of killing everything in the environment and hiding from each other, we should instead focus on wellness. How do you do that during a pandemic?
Hand washing – gentle soap and water will remove potential pathogens from your hands without depleting the microbiome on your skin or in your gut.
If you were to let go of your sanitizing efforts and instead focus on boosting your health, then you’ll continue to live your life with greater confidence, trusting your body and nature.
We also want to think about future consequences of our actions right now.
If we keep obsessively cleaning our environment and sanitizing our bodies, then we will no doubt see a greater increase of infections in the future. This will not be due to a lack of social distancing with fellow humans, but because pathogens are getting stronger and smarter, and we are becoming more weak.
I hope you found this information interesting. If so, please let me know if you have any questions in the comments below!
If you have tight hips or low back pain (which are usually related), then you will love this hip opening yoga sequence.
Not only will you get the relief you need, but the addition of Yin Yoga postures can help release stuck emotions that can be causing these physical imbalances in the first place. This is because we focus on mobilizing the energy in the Liver and Gallbladder meridians that run through the inner and outer legs, respectively.
You can learn more about how to balance liver and gallbladder energy in Spring Health Tips from Traditional Chinese Medicine . These organs and channels tend to become imbalanced in Spring, resulting in a condition we call Liver Qi Stagnation. It results in issues like:
eye strain
headaches
angry outbursts
tight hips & groin
menstrual irregularities
PMS
and much more…
Of course some people just have a this type of constitution and can be prone to these issues at any time. This makes this Yin Yoga Liver and Gallbladder yoga practice even more important so that you can do it regularly to find balance in your life.
Before you begin, make sure you have:
a blanket or cushion to prop up the hips
1-2 blocks
You may also want to download my Stress-Relieving acupressure guide. You can do these acupressure points while you hold some of the Yin Yoga shapes! This acupressure sequence will make the yoga practice even more effective and can help you sleep at night. You’ll love it!
Hip Opening Yoga Practice Video
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I hope you enjoyed this hip opening yoga practice! If you were experiencing issues with Liver Qi Stagnation before you began, did they resolve by the end? Let us know in the comments!
Spring has sprung! The shift in temperature is obvious, but can you also notice the change in energy and feeling? There’s the flurry of activity in nature – from the behavior of local animals to the different seasonal fruits and vegetables bursting from the branches and soil. We need to adjust our activity and lifestyle to the energy of the season in order to experience vibrancy in our lives too. I’m going to teach you exactly how with these Spring health tips from Traditional Chinese Medicine.
Traditional Chinese Medicine and Spring
Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is a complete holistic health system that supports the body, heart, mind, and spirit. It’s based on the concept that we are all microcosms of nature. We achieve a relative balance of Yin and Yang energy based on our personal constitution and that of the current season.
In Spring, we experience a balance of Yin and Yang energy at the Spring Equinox, and then the Yang, hot, vibrant energy of the sun starts to accumulate as we approach the Summer Solstice. For this reason, we feel the desire to be more active, to be outside, to soak up the sun when it makes an appearance, to move our bodies more, and we may find ourselves wanting to stay up later and rise earlier in the morning, making the most of the day.
In Chinese Medicine and Taoist philosophy,Spring is associated with:
The element Wood
The color Green
Movement of Qi (vital energy)
Liver & Gall Bladder organs & channels in the body
The Tendons
Our Eyes & Sight
Sour taste
Compassion & Decisiveness when in balance
Anger & Indecisiveness when out of balance
Wind as the Weather that can cause harm
We can consider all of this as we strive to find balance this season. Here are my Spring health tips on how to do this on every level!
How to Support Your Body in Spring
Change Your Diet to Lighter, Cooler Foods
It’s time to let go of those heavy, nourishing, comfort foods of Winter and start adding lighter, more cooling foods into the diet as the weather gets warmer. But this transition should take time, and may still not be appropriate if your constitution is more cold and damp (tending toward loose stools and generating a lot of mucus in the nose/lungs). If digestion is okay, you can eat more salads and raw in-season fruits & vegetables, otherwise, cook your veggies and fruits well.
Lemons, limes, pickles, and vinegar all support the liver. But if your Liver energy is too strong (with feelings of heat rising up to the head, anger, tinnitus/ringing ears, frustration, see more in the Emotions section below), then avoid these foods.
Clear Your Body of Toxins
Spring is a popular time to try detoxifying protocols to clear the Intestines, fortify the gut lining, support the Kidneys and Liver, and boost immune function.
Of course it’s best to detox under the guidance of a qualified practitioner to make sure you’re still eating a balanced diet and that it’s not too strict or done too long.
Find Natural Allergy Relief
If Spring is your least favorite season, I bet it’s because of seasonal allergies!
I totally understand any discomfort you’re feeling. I used to have intense allergies every Spring too, until I changed my lifestyle. Your can read more about my story here.
Now I may have a slight runny nose, but that’s it. This is a huge deal since I use to get frequent sinus infections and stuck in a horrible cycle of antibiotic use.
Spring is a great time to pick up a new sport or activity, and for weight loss endeavors. You’ll enjoy exercising outdoors and the motivational energy of the season will keep you going!
Give Your Eyes a Rest
When the eyes are heavy and strained from time on the computer or other electronic device, the best thing you can do is go outside and look at the leaves on trees and bushes. The green color is soothing for the eyes (supporting Liver/Gall Bladder energy) and being outside in 3D will use your eye muscles in a more balanced way.
How to Support Your Emotions in Spring
Soak up the sun
Sunlight is known to improve your mood. Plus, you’ll be storing vitamin D at every exposure, which is vital for immune health (related to gut health which also supports your emotional health!)
Recognize Feelings of Overwhelm
For some of us, Spring is glorious! But for others who are already very Yang (active, hot, intense characters), the increased energy of this season can be too stimulating.
Instead of going with the flow, they can try too hard to control what is happening, creating more emotional & physical stress and energetically what we call in Chinese Medicine “Liver qi stagnation”. Symptoms include sensations of heat rising, high blood pressure, headaches, neck/shoulder/upper back/side rib tension, impatience and angry outbursts.
* When any of this happens (anytime of year, really), it is a sign to chill out.*
Eat cooling foods and use diluted peppermint essential oil as a cool compress on the head/neck. You can also move your energy down by taking a casual walk outside; grounding in the earth, grass, or sand; and really paying attention to your feet making contact with the ground.
How to Support Your Mind in Spring
Adopt a Playful Attitude
Do you have to hold onto stress in order to prove that you’re successful, doing something worthwhile, or care deeply about something?
Are you upset about things happening in the world that you cannot control?
There is no need to carry the weight of the world on your shoulders and it’s not your sole responsibility to solve it’s problems. You will be more useful in coming up with impactful solutions if you’re balanced in body, heart, and mind anyway.
Oftentimes when I’m stressed, taking life too seriously, or just feeling overwhelmed, I sit and imagine again what it felt like when I was young and did not have so many responsibilities. I was empathetic, compassionate, and could be oversensitive in the moment. But I did not dwell on sadness and what was negative in the world. I moved forward.
Maybe you can try connecting in with your younger, more relaxed & trusting self. See if you can carry that attitude into everything you do – parenting, working, cooking dinner, whatever. Or maybe you can connect with your faith or higher power to guide you along. Life is what you make it!
Just do what you can, when you can, and appreciate the life that has been given to you!
Embrace Change
There’s a saying in Yoga that the only thing you can count on in life is change. And our resistance to change is what causes suffering.
If you’re resisting change and suffering, this maybe a great time to move with the wind and try something new. Open up your mind to other possibilities. Trust that where you’re going is exactly where you need to be! It may be uncomfortable, but sometimes we need to experience unease before we can expand and grow.
If seated meditation does not suit you, try walking meditation. Move as slow or fast as need be, but keep the mind fixed on placing one foot in front of the other and all the sensations that arise from that action. This is a skill we can all develop in life when things become overwhelming
Spring asks us to be like the trees – sturdy, strong, and focused on reaching for the sun (or our passions, goals, plans), but flexible enough to sway and adjust in the wind to avoid breakage.
So when you feel like the branches of your body, heart or mind are becoming too taut & resistant, I hope these Spring Health Tips help bring more ease to your life.
Are you hopping about with Spring fever? Or are you laying low with allergies and other seasonal discomfort? In this Ayurvedic kriya technique series, we’ve been exploring ways to stay well since the transition from Winter to Spring is challenging many of us, myself included! Last week, I showed you how to perform Jala Neti, or how to cleanse the nasal passages with warm salt water and a neti pot. Have you tried it? This week I’m teaching you Kapalabhati pranayama, translated as skull “shining breath”.
Kapalabhati pranayama clears energy and blood stagnation from the center of the body, where it can remain as a sludge that slows the body and mind. It also helps to break up mucus in the upper respiratory tract. Kapalabhati builds heat as it pumps and increases circulation.
This circulation of blood and energy is what’s needed to maintain proper gut health, immune function, and inflammatory response.
It’s a part of my Spring yoga practice to help lighten up my body, but you may find that it’s useful whenever you’re feeling lethargic or uninspired too! Read on or watch the video to learn how it’s done.
Kapalabhati Breathing
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Benefits of Kapalabhati
Kapalabhati breathing is one of the 6 Yoga kriya exercises to promote health and wellness. It’s also an invigorating practice that is a wonderful way to start the day!
Here’s some of Kapalabhati’s benefits:
Invigorates the body and mind, removing sluggishness
It strengthens the lungs, liver, heart, and mobilizes the intestine
It tones the abdominal muscles.
Increases breath capacity
Clears mucus and pens the sinuses and airways
Contraindications: This technique should not be used if you have a headache, vertigo, high/low blood pressure, history of stroke, gastritis, hernia, or ulcers.
How to do Kapalabhati Breathing
It’s best to perform Kapalabhati on an empty stomach.
Come into a comfortable seated position.
Take a few deep breaths to settle your mind down into your body.
Keeping your mouth and nose closed, exhale forcefully by pulling in the abdominal muscles. Let the inhalation fill up the abdomen and lungs passively. This is one “pumping”
Start by doing 10 pumpings. You can build up to 50+ with time, but want to make sure that you don’t hyperventilate or get dizzy. Stop when you feel that you’ve had enough.
After the pumpings, inhale long and deep. Lift the pelvic floor (mula bandha) as you bring your chin down (jalandhara bandha). Hold the breath in as long as is comfortable.
Then let go of the pelvic floor and chin locks, and release the breath completely.
Breathe normally and repeat 2-3 more cycles if you wish.
Note that while these kriya exercises can help keep you healthy and vibrant, you still need to do other work to maintain it. They’re not going to erase the immune challenges that come with poor sleep, an unbalanced diet, or overwhelm & worry.
I hope you find this breathing practice useful! Let me know how it works for you, in the comments below! Well wishes to you..
Want relief for your tired, dry, computer-strained eyes? Want to focus with more ease? Do you want relief from minor headaches? Trataka Meditation, also known as candle gazing, is one of the Ayurvedic yoga kriya cleansing exercises for the body that can help with these issues and much more!
I especially love doing Trataka in the spring time, when the energy of our Liver and Gall Bladder organs and meridians tend to become imbalanced from the Chinese Medicine perspective. These organs are associated with the eyes and our ability to follow through on projects with more direction and less frustration.
Watch the video below, or read on for instructions on how to do the meditation. You may also want to check out my stress-relieving acupressure guide, which would be a wonderful accompaniment to this Ayurvedic technique. You can get it here:
Trataka Candle Gazing Meditation
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Benefits of Trataka
Trataka is a has many wonderful benefits. People perform Trataka in order to:
tone the muscles of the eyes which may improve vision
Trataka is one of the easiest, most relaxing meditations you can try. Even kids can do it!
Just know that this meditation is not appropriate for people suffering from migraines or severe eye issues, such as just had eye surgery. It’s also a good idea to go very slowly if one has had any psychological trauma.
Instructions:
It’s best to be in a dim or dark room.
Light a candle, placing it at the same height as your eyes.
Sit about an arms length away from it in a comfortable position.
Take a few deep breaths, relaxing your mind into your body.
Gaze at the tip of the candle flame, the brightest part, without blinking. Continue to gaze until your eyes start to water or for up to ~ 30 seconds.
Then close your eyes and gently concentrate on the image of the flame that may still be present against your eyelids, or imagine the candle flame if the image disappears.
Concentrate here for ~ 1 min. or so.
Repeat this process 3 more times.
Once you’re done, take some deep even breaths with the eyes closed to fully come back. If you’d like, you can imagine that the candle flame is burning bright in your heart space, symbolic of the light inside you.
Be sure you blow out the candle!
Let me know how you feel, in the comments below, after doing this Trataka Candle Gazing meditation! I hope you have the relief or connection you desire!
Are you looking for more ways to stay healthy this season? Want some internal Spring cleaning for your body? Ayurveda cleansing techniques, like Jala Neti (nasal lavage with a neti pot), help Yogis stay healthy and strong. They can do the same for you!
Yogis hold their bodies in deep regard and have many ways to support their health. Kriyas are special purifying exercises. They allow one to practice Saucha, cleanliness, as outlined in Raja Yoga and the Hatha Yoga Pradipika.
The 6 Kriya Practices:
Jala Neti – nasal rinsing
Kapalabhati – invigorating breathing exercise
Trataka – candle/steady gazing
Dhauti – cleansing the esophagus & stomach with gauze
Basti – cleansing of the intestines with an enema
Nauli – abdominal churning
These exercises are so effective, they’re still practiced today by serious yogis. But a few of them, especially numbers 4 – 6 above, are either extremely difficult to perform or may be too weird for many Americans.
B.K.S. Iyengar, in his book The Tree of Yoga, says that the kriyas should not be performed by healthy people. He says they’re “drastic treatments, only to be given in drastic cases, and not for everybody.”
Yes, there are contraindications that I’ll list below – they are certainly not for everybody. But I would also argue that many of us in America are NOT healthy and DO need more drastic help!
The first 3 exercises are easy to do and are very therapeutic. I do them all regularly and feel they are safe enough to suggest them to you too.
You can start practicing Jala Neti before exploring the other two kriyas that I’ll introduce next week.
Jala Neti | Neti Pot Benefits
Directly translated as “water net”, jala neti is nasal rinsing with salt water from a neti pot into one nostril and out the other.
Benefits: Removes microorganisms, pollen, dust, excess mucus, and other impurities from the nasal passages. Can help immensely with seasonal allergies and can shorten the span of the common cold if done in the first few days.
Contraindications: Do not use untested well water or even water from the tap. Because of the intimate nature of the sinus cavity and the brain, it’s best to use the cleanest water possible. Deionized or reverse osmosis water is suggested. Do not do Jala Neti if you have a serious sinus infection or earache (see your primary care provider first).
Jala Neti Instructional Video
If you’re intrigued by the idea of cleaning the nose & sinuses but are concerned about using a neti pot, you can use a purified saline spray. In my experience it can help, especially with kids. For adults with chronic allergies, a neti pot is definitely more effective.
I would love to hear how your experience with jala neti has been. For those of you who’ve done it, did it work as you expected? And if you have any questions, please post in the comments. I’ve been using one for almost 20 years so I can probably help you out!
Do you ever feel like you’re running on auto-pilot? Do you feel like life just happens to you? Or do you make conscious choices to shape your life?This meditation, mindfulness of intentions, can give you more control in your life.
We’ve been doing a 5-part mindfulness meditation series, and with the last four (Mindfulness of Breath, Body Awareness, Emotions, and Thoughts), we’ve been exploring different anchors of awareness as techniques to keep the mind in the present moment. However, when we focus on mindfulness of intentions, we’re focusing on WHY we are practicing meditation, not HOW.
Our success in experiencing the benefits of meditation hinges largely on how personal, how deep, and how meaningful our intention is. Your positive experience will then feed you commitment to continuing to meditate.
For example, if your intention to meditate is just to get a good grade on a test, once the test is over, you may quickly drop the practice. But if you’re meditating to open your mind to all possibilities and absorb new information readily so your school, work, or home life can thrive, do you see how this is much grander? Once you start to see positive changes, meditation will easily become a stronger part of your life.
We must also remember that intentions are seeds of potential that you will grow as you are mindful of them. So intentions must be positive, kind, and for the benefit of all involved.
Here’s another example: an intention to meditate in order to be better or smarter than someone else is not growing intelligence, it’s growing competition and comparison. You’ll need to rephrase it so it’s clear that you wish to benefit, but without harming anyone else with animosity.
I make intentions for my yoga & meditation practices, for the yoga classes I teach, for my acupuncture sessions with clients, for my doTERRA business activities, and for my social media posts. I try to stay mindful of my intentions in every conversation I have. It helps me to be more diplomatic with relationships. It helps me anticipate the results of my actions – good and bad.
If it sounds like this would bring more balance to your life, then you’ll love this meditation!
Guided Meditation: Mindfulness of Intentions
This meditation was recorded from a Facebook Live on my business page @falconhealingarts
Determining your Intention
Prepare your meditation space so it’s quiet and comfortable. In the video I used the doTERRA Melissa, Litsea, and Blue Tansy essential oil blends on my wrists and heart space. Emotionally, these oils help with manifesting light and positivity which is an intention I’m focusing on right now.
Come into a seated position on the floor or in a chair. If you’re on the floor, sitting on a cushion will elevate your hips and help your legs relax in the hip joints. Let your hands rest on your knees or thighs.
Before we start the formal meditation, let’s take some time to set an intention.
Breathe slow, even, and deep to bring the mind down into the body. Let your awareness rest at the heart space. Notice what you’re feeling.
If you have an intention, you can say it to yourself now. If you don’t have an intention, stay connected with the feelings you have in your hear and ask yourself why you’re meditating. Simply keep asking until something bubbles up to the surface.
If nothing comes up, you might want to use a standard bodhisattva intention that goes something like this (the following is a combination of what I’ve learned from Sarah Powers and Stephen Batchelor):
I vow to awaken – in body, heart, and mind – for the benefit of all beings. I appreciate it’s immeasurable value in how I live my life and know that it’s possible, in this moment, regardless of conditions.
Mindfulness Meditation Instructions
It’s your choice now, where you would like to anchor your attention. It can be on the breath, on physical sensation, on emotions, or thoughts as they surface. You can even focus on sound, which we haven’t talked about yet.
Remember that these anchors are simply features of the present moment. Once you have some experience, you can even let your mind float from anchor to anchor, whatever is grabbing your attention with each passing breath.
There is a key difference with mindfulness of intentions though. When you inevitably become distracted, instead of simply returning back to your anchor, remind yourself of your intention. Remember why you’re doing this and why it’s so important. Then go ahead and return to your anchor. Chances are, your awareness will be stronger now.
After 10 minutes or longer, when you’re ready to come out, return to your deep, even breathing. Open up all the sense organs to notice what you’re feeling on the skin, smelling, tasting, and hearing. Then slowly open your eyes.
Before you get up, you may wish to make an intention for the rest of the day. It’s my hope that setting intentions will become a natural part of every activity. Living intentionally can give you a greater sense of control and responsibility for every choice you make. I know for me, it certainly makes life for special and enjoyable!
How did it feel to focus on intentions during your meditation? If you have any insight that you’d like to share, I’d love to hear about it in the comments!
Please share this meditation with a friend, since there are many who can use this support now! Thank you & well wishes to you…
In this last month we’ve been exploring the different anchors of awareness in mindfulness meditation. Today we’ll be doing the 4th guided meditation in this 5-part series, this time focused on mindfulness of thoughts.
The goal of meditation is always to live in the present moment, regardless of the circumstances in your life. It is an extremely helpful tool when we’re challenged physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually.
I want to clarify this upfront because many people incorrectly believe that meditation is about emptying the mind. They know that their mind never stops and doesn’t see that this is possible. As a result, they don’t even try, or they give up to soon.
With mindfulness of thoughts, we’ll be watching our ideas, thoughts, and fantasies as they enter the mind but then stay unattached as we watch them leave. It is a more advanced practice, so you may want to start with with one of our previous meditations if you are a beginner meditator: Mindfulness of Breath, Body Awareness, or Emotions.
Guided Meditation: Mindfulness of Thoughts Instruction
This meditation was recorded from a Facebook Live on my business page @falconhealingarts.
Meditation Instruction: Using Your Thoughts as an Anchor
Prepare your meditation space so it’s quiet and comfortable. In the video I used the doTERRA InTune essential oil blend on the back of my neck and soles of my feet to help me feel grounded and focus the mind. You can use essential oils or any other tools that will help support your practice.
Come into a seated position on the floor or in a chair. If you’re on the floor, sitting on a cushion will elevate your hips and help your legs relax in the hip joints. Let your hands rest on your knees or thighs. Set a timer for at least 10 minutes and close your eyes.
Take several slow deeps breaths. You may want to make each part of the breath 4-5 seconds in length, making sure the inhalation and exhalation are equal. This is called “sama vrtti”, or equal fluctuation, which slows the mind down, slowing the transitions from thought to thought.
Now let the breath move naturally. Let the mind shift from watching the breath to watching and feeling the body breathing. You can then notice any emotions related to the body and breath. Finally, let your mind rest on thoughts.
This is a profound experience where the mind watches the mind. We are tapping into a higher state of consciousness and awareness.
Notice where the mind is and what thought is in the foreground of your experience. As you notice it, you can name it “thinking”, or “planning”, or “remembering”, or whatever the mind is doing.
While you don’t want to get caught up in the thought, it is interesting to notice if your mind consistently moves in the same direction, caught in the past or in the future.
After the thought is acknowledged, let it go. You may wish to visualize the mind as a wide open sky and you can place the thought in a cloud to let it float on by.
It is inevitable that you’ll find yourself caught up in your thoughts. When this happens, simply focus your mind on the breath, then the body, then on your feelings, and back to the mind watching the mind.
Eventually, you’ll experience less time managing your thoughts and more time in the sweet spaces in between.
When you’re ready to end your meditation, do so gradually by opening up all the senses except for your sight. Find a balance of internal and external awareness. Then open your eyes.
How did it feel to focus on thoughts during your meditation? Did you notice a pattern in your mental habits? How are you feeling now? Please let me know in the comments!
Committing to meditation for just 10 minutes a day is such a simple, yet huge endeavor that can bring more peace into your life.
Please share this meditation with a friend, since there are many who can use this support now! Thank you & well wishes to you…
