![Ranch statues loving kindness meditation]()
Easily Meditated
Have you heard of loving kindness meditation? It’s the simple practice of directing good thoughts and wishes to others. (Except that one guy who is so irritating especially when he ….. Ooops, got distracted. Must refocus and become more heavily meditated.) When practicing loving kindness meditation, you also envision what you want to bring into your own life.
At the recent IDEA World Fitness Convention, I had the privilege of attending a session “Heavily Meditated and Highly Motivated” with long time fitness pro and award winning presenter, Petra Kolber. Petra offered compelling reasons to start meditating. Even if you are like me – energetic, wiggly, and on the move, mentally and physically — you can reap the benefits of meditation.
When your mind is full, try being mindful #activeaging #meditation
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Key Quotes from “Heavily Meditated and Highly Motivated”
Join me in a brief summary of highlights and quotes from Petra’s presentation. You may be inspired to start with just 3 minutes a day to gain happiness, reduce stress, and create more loving kindness in your life. (Great phone apps to begin with are listed in our post, Live Better with Meditation, Menopause, and Memory).
Breathe In Breathe Out and Hooooooolllddd It (Not Really)
The longest distance we’ll ever travel is from our head to our heart #meditation #activeaging
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At its simplest, most accessible level, meditation is about paying attention to your breath. As Petra proffered, “the longest distance we’ll ever travel is from our head to our heart.” And “breathing” she says, “is the best, fastest way to connect the brain and body.” For a methodology on mindful breathing, try our suggestions in Breathe Life Into Yourself.
Mindful breathing is the best, fastest way to connect the brain and body #activeaging #meditation
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People crave two things, according to Petra:
1) to be seen and heard
2) to connect. (She may be onto something. I know I often tell my husband to “please just listen. You don’t have to DO anything else. You can even pretend to listen and I’ll feel loved.”)
Are we Human Beings or Human Doings?
Two of the benefits of meditation include connecting more compassionately to others AND to yourself. Mindfulness, which is another definition for meditation is about making friends with our body, mind, and self. “Mindfulness is also about human beings, not human doings,” Petra reminds us. Being in the present is key to meditating. Being mindful puts the attention on the senses – how does our breath feel? Sound? The senses can happen only in the present moment. Therefore any time spent focusing on the senses will bring us to a meditative moment.
Go with Tend and Befriend My Friends, not Fight or Flight
The hills are alive with the sound of breathing
When under stress, we can shift from the Fight or Flight syndrome to “Tend and Befriend” just by paying attention to our breathing and calming it. When your mind is full, try being mindful. (Saaay, that’s a quote I made up just now!) Whether sitting calmly with eyes closed or walking at a comfortable pace (need I say, eyes open), put attention to your breathing. Feel your breath enter and exit your body. Note the rhythm and temperature of your breath. Create space within yourself as you inhale. Scan your body with each in- and exhalation. Send your exhalations into places of stress and tension to release.
We may not be meditating experts. But we are all professional, lifelong breathers. Therefore even without attending Petra’s session, we can reap the benefits of loving kindness meditation when we use our breath to become more present. And loving. And kind. Except towards that one guy who really acted jerky and ….. Inhale Exhale Inhale Exhale.
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Kymberly Williams-Evans, MA
The post Loving Kindness Meditation: Easy and Accessible appeared first on Fun and Fit: Active Aging Answers for Boom Chicka Boomers.