Excerpted from MEDITATE YOUR WEIGHT: A 21-DAY RETREAT TO OPTIMIZE YOUR METABOLISM AND FEEL GREAT Copyright © 2016 by Tiffany Cruikshank. Published by Harmony Books, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC
Today’s meditation is all about developing your ability to notice the sensations in each breath but then also see the bigger picture. The first part is to observe the breath and acknowledge the sensations in the body and see if you can detangle them from the mind. Then recount a stressful situation or a stressful day—anything recent enough that you can recall it in full detail and really connect to that memory. Notice the sensations that the recollection brings up in the body. Is it possible to allow the sensations to exist and to disengage the mind, to just notice and watch them? Take a moment to do this. Then notice what it feels like to acknowledge that everything will pass at some point. Consider that in the big picture, a month or a year from now, you’ll look back on this one little stressful experience and it will be insignificant. Last, notice what it feels like to acknowledge that right now, in this moment, you have everything you need.
Mind Makeover
Today’s journaling will focus on stressful moments.
1. Notice your stress points, either from yesterday or last week, whether they’re minor incidents, ongoing situations, or big events.
2. Ask yourself, how different would those stress points look if you were able to take an observer’s mindset? To detach yourself in the moment when you feel stress and simply observe? Notice the experience and imagine the big picture.
3. Will the outcome of those moments look different? Sometimes it will, and sometimes it won’t. How will it be different? Remember, today’s work is not necessarily changing stress or outcomes but rather changing your perception. That shift alone has a profound effect on your health.
Today’s mantra: I am content.
Excerpted from MEDITATE YOUR WEIGHT: A 21-Day Retreat To Optimize Your Metabolism And Feel Great Copyright © 2016 by Tiffany Cruikshank. Published by Harmony Books, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC.
Tiffany Cruikshank is the founder & visionary behind Yoga Medicine, a community of expert yoga teachers focused on fusing the best of anatomy & western medicine with the traditional practice of yoga. Tiffany’s classes have evolved over the past 20 years of teaching yoga to reflect her creativity and passion for using yoga as a form of medicine for the mind, body & spirit. With her medical background in Acupuncture & Sports Medicine, her classes are guided by a strong anatomic focus and her ability to teach a deeper understanding of complex subjects. Recognized more broadly as a health & wellness expert, Tiffany has worked with professional athletes and celebrities from around the world. She has run her own clinics and was the Acupuncturist & Yoga Teacher at the Nike World Headquarters and has been featured as an expert in numerous publications including Yoga Journal, Prevention , Self, Marie Claire, Fitness Magazine, Good Housekeeping, Fox News, Cosmopolitan, Redbook, Mantra, Thrive, More Magazine, OM Yoga, YogaLife and many others. Visit Tiffany’s Website
Photo credit: Jenny Jimenez
