My New Habit for 2014 - Taking Care of Myself. Item #1 - Meditation

I recently have had a very serious health scare/reality that has shifted my perspective dramatically and immediately. This notion of devoting my whole self to my children & husband has simply got to change. This will not be easy because I love to do it. But for my good and theirs, I will try.

In the past few months, I've had my first experiences with extremely painful headaches. Sleeping through the night seems impossible. So, I searched for guided meditation on itunes and discovered a series which really helps me to relax and fall into a deep sleep. It's on a site called "Meditation Oasis" by Mary & Richard Maddux. Here's the link. Her voice puts me to sleep every time and they have a big catalog of podcasts to subscribe to on iTunes.

Of course, keeping up with something that requires peace, quiet and no interruptions isn't the easiest in a house with little kids. So, I was excited to see a post on Facebook by The Joyful Mother promoting a One- Year Meditation Challenge for mothers. Here's the link.

It's only been a few days, but I encourage you all to give it a go. Seems like it will be just the gentle reminder and direction I need to get this done.

Funny thing is, meditation is not easy. I'm trying to visualize the beautiful white light filling my body but instead a to do list keeps popping in or attention to aches and pains calling out from my back while I attempt to sit with good posture. Luckily, there's an app for that.

A great website called HeadSpace (here's the link) has a "How to Meditate" primer of sorts. The program asks you to commit to 10 minutes a day for 10 days. There are fantastic animated clips that help a visual person like myself understand the goal. The Take 10 Programme is free. If you choose to, you can pay a monthly fee to have access to additional guided meditations. So far, I'm on day 3 and I find it helpful. The man's voice is soothing and I am hoping by the end of the 10 days I'll be able to slow down the internal chatter and meditate.

Oh, I also found that Deepak Chopra has a mediation program online at his Chopra Center but I found it to either not be for me or maybe not just right now. Here's the link.

So, that's the plan. Want to join me? Let me know if you've found any other resources.