A Guided Meditation

Rooted in the Earth, Floating in the Stars

by Jennifer Rose & Better Existence | August 19, 2015

This is the meditation I will be leading in a little more than one month, on Sunday morning [9.20.15]  at 'treat 2015. Find out more about 'treat at www.wellbody.com/retreat 

Karen Zuckerman, 'treat organizer, founded Wellbody in New York City to provide therapeutic bodywork and classes in self-care.

Sit in a comfortable, aligned position that allows you to breathe easily and be still. Sit in a chair if that is comfortable for you. 

Feel the support of the ground beneath you. Feel held by gravity in place. 

Release into the ground. Let yourself relax.

Bring your attention to the base of your spine. And visualize a red light, glowing warmly. Let this warm, red light radiate like roots growing into the ground beneath you. Allow this light energy to root its way all the way down to the Earth's core. 

Rooted to the Earth, let that warm, red energy flow up to your pelvic center, below your pubic bone. Feel the life force radiate up from the Earth. 

At your pelvic center, see or imagine an orange light. Let that orange light flow throughout your body. Let it flow and light every cell of your body. Feel the joy of that light. Enliven your whole being with that joy, that orange, flowing light. 

Bring your attention to your navel center. See or visualize a yellow light, like a small sun. Feel the warmth of that yellow light radiate through your whole being, nurturing and healing every cell of your body. Healing your heart. Easing your mind. Bringing nurturing peace. Bringing life. Like the Sun. 

Bring your attention to your heart center. See or imagine a green light, living, resplendent green. Let those places in your body that need this green, healing light come to mind. See or imagine this green light flowing to those places, moving easily, the way a cloud moves in the sky. You may see this green light radiating beyond your body, holding you in a cloud of healing, emerald light.

Bring your attention to your throat center, at the pit of your throat. See or imagine a sky-blue light. With your mind focused at your throat center, be aware of your breath. Inhale and exhale. You may see this sky-blue light as one point in the vastness of space. 

Bring your attention to your eyebrow center, between your two eyebrows. See or imagine a light that is deep blue, or cobalt blue, like the blue of the night sky. In the depths of that blue, night sky, see or imagine a point of light, a distant star. Feel a sense of lightness, like you can float. Experience or imagine yourself floating toward that light, that star at and beyond your eyebrow center. 

As you float up toward that point of light, shift your awareness to the center of the top of your head, at the center of the crown of your head. You are surrounded by white lights, by stars. You are floating, at ease. At peace. Grounded to the Earth. Floating in the Stars. 

Be aware of your eyebrow center. And this peace. Be aware of your throat center. And this peace. Be aware of your heart center. And this peace. Be aware of your navel center. And this peace. Be aware of your pelvic center. And this peace. Be aware of the base of your spine. And this peace. 

Om. Shanti. Shanti. Shanti. Peace. Peace. Peace.

This Meditation Inspired by Cheri Clampett Borda

(learn more about this inspiring teacher and her work here: http://www.therapeuticyoga.com/)

Six Secrets to Starting a Good Habit... You know, that thing you've been putting off

First Create a Habit of Success

by Jennifer Rose & Better Existence | August 10, 2015

If you have any so-called "bad" habits. You might be amazed at how easy it was to pick them up. Have a little ice cream at 7 pm on hot summer day, next day at 7pm, right on time, mind says "ice cream would be nice!" I am not really against ice cream. Most of us have one or two things that we believe not to be in our best interest that we continue doing all the same. 

In addition, almost everyone can think of something that they know would be good for them ... that they just haven't gotten around to. Some of the common ones that I hear about are: go to bed or get up earlier, meditate every day, exercise every day, or eat fresh, healthy foods. Some people want to write every day, or sculpt, or play an instrument, or practice gratitude. 

Why don't we do those things for our wellbeing that we sincerely wish to do? 

Bad habits are easy to pick up. Maybe there are emotional and chemical responses we have to things such as processed sugars in the case of ice cream. Do you get a rush from going to bed on time? Sadly, no. We need to reinforce ourselves as we build our positive habits, because it does not come naturally. 

Another obstacle is something I call "the habit of failure." The habit of failure sounds like this: "I can start tomorrow. I deserve a break. I know I won't finish it, why start? Why be hard on myself? I am too stressed, and I am too busy. I don't have time. It's a holiday." The habit of failure is a repetitive mental chatter that is "getting us off the hook" of our higher ideals on a very regular basis. The thoughts that hold us back sound very reasonable, they sound fun, and even kind. We might even say, "I am practicing self acceptance." Or, "I am a free spirit." Sounds good, right? 

If we are not free to add healthy habits to our routine, is that really freedom? A habit of failure tells us that we can not trust ourselves. We say one thing, and we do another. We treat ourselves in a way that is two-faced. It's no fun at all to be treated like that. 

You can replace a habit of failure with a habit of success. 

One reason that we do not acquire positive habits is simply that we do not know how to do it. With a habit of success, one good habit will lead to many. 

In brief, what you are going to do is: start with something so small that you are absolutely sure you will succeed; get help from a professional coach or a friend; plan carefully; give yourself credit for your successes; learn from your mistakes and move on. 

1. Start with something so small that you are absolutely sure you will succeed. 

There is not going to be any compromise, so take this very seriously. For example, you might have a goal of exercising 20 minutes every day. Ask yourself if you will really follow through on this commitment. If the answer is "yes," commit to 10 minutes instead. If the answer is "I'm not sure," make it 5 minutes, or 2 minutes. Make it ridiculously easy. 

Don't worry, it will still be hard when the "habit of failure" voices start up. You are not going to listen to them this time.

2. Get help from a professional coach or a friend.

Consult with someone when you make your plan. Then, ask that person to hold you accountable on a daily basis. For example, I just completed a commitment to do a Wonder Woman pose for two minutes every day for forty days. I consulted with my friend Debz before I started. I chose a special emoji, and told her I was going to send her that emoji every day to show her that I had done my practice. I asked her to respond to celebrate my success with me. 

In my professional coaching practice, I offer 1 time, 1 hour consultations to establish a success plan. And I currently provide accountability at no additional charge. 

3. Plan carefully. 

Get out your calendar. It takes about 40 days to form a positive habit. You can beat your habit of failure with some careful planning. What is coming up in the next 40 days? A vacation? A birthday? Your spouse's evaluation at work, or something else that makes them cranky? Which days are going to be difficult. Based on your assessment of these days, do you need to return to #1 and make it smaller? On the most difficult day, what can you commit to?

Are there any days that you will absolutely have to take off? Plan those out ahead of time, and extend your practice to 41, 42, 43 days. 

Plan a regular time and place for your practice. Think about the flow of your day. When can you practice without interrupting anyone in your household? Hot tip: I did my Wonder Woman practice in the bathroom while my shower was heating up. People in my home are already accustomed to my habit of bathing. Adding another habit onto that one did not bother anyone. 

Are there days when you will have to practice in another place? Visualize yourself doing your practice there. Will it work? 

4. Give yourself credit for your successes. 

We get emotional about our bad habits and our failures. For that reason, our minds register them. But a lot of us shrug off or ignore our successes. Force yourself to celebrate. You need to make your successes a positive emotional experience. Look in the mirror and tell yourself "you rock!" Give your mirror image a high-five. It is very important to consciously acknowledge that you are doing something positive. 

5. Learn from your mistakes.

Don't let any failure go by without learning something from it. Be firm. Be kind. Did you commit to too much time? Did you overlook a challenging day when you were planning? 

Be very specific in working out how you will take this failure and turn it into a success. Will you do two practice periods the next day? Will you add a day to the end of your 40 day period? Do you need to begin your forty days again from the beginning? Think it through, because your habit of failure is just waiting to say, "you didn't REALLY do what you set out to do," and you can not let this happen. 

6. Move on.

It is important to return to the practice, as scheduled, after making a mistake. You must succeed to make success a habit. That is the underlying purpose here. 

One good habit follows another. 

I have a friend who started with a morning Tai Chi practice. Once she knew how to establish a good habit, she thought about the other things she wanted in her life, and she created positive habits for creative writing, healthy eating, and meditation. 

Empower yourself! Build a habit of success! 

Start With a 2-Minute Meditation Practice

You can build your habit of success with a 2-minute meditation practice. I developed these meditation cards that systematically build a deep practice in just two minutes per day. Make a commitment to try them for 40 days. Call or email me to schedule a consultation, and we will get you started. 

CLICK HERE TO VIEW 2-MINUTE PRACTICE CARDS