SDEpisode19 - Meditation The art of coming home

What is meditation, really and why does something so simple feel so hard to practice? In today’s episode, we’re diving deep into the world of meditation: its fascinating history, how it has evolved across cultures and traditions, and why this ancient practice still matters so much in our modern lives.

We explore common struggles so many of us face when meditating (yes, a busy mind is normal), the science-backed benefits for the mind and body, and why meditation isn’t about “turning your thoughts off” but learning to be with yourself in a new way.

Join us as we share fun facts, mindful insights, and gentle reminders that meditation doesn’t have to be perfect to be powerful. Whether you’re brand new to meditation or have been practicing for years, this episode is an invitation to slow down, reconnect, and remember that peace isn’t something you find, it’s something you practice.

Take a deep breath, get cozy, and meditate with us.

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:06

Welcome back, fellow yogis, to our podcast. It's Soul Deep Yoga in the house. Next to me, I got my favorite co-host, Kimmy. And next to me, I also have my favorite co-host, Brittany. Welcome back. Welcome back. So last week we finished up the seven chakras. Yep. And we're kind of moving forward. And today we're going to be talking about meditation.

SPEAKER_03 0:32

Yeah, which is kind of a perfect segue because last week, when we talked about the crown chakra, it's kind of the principle that's the practice associated with the crown chakra is meditation. So we're just going to dive deeper into that today. We're going to talk about some different techniques that you can try and how to simplify it.

SPEAKER_01 0:49

Because I know that like there is that intimidation behind meditation. A lot of people are like, oh, I don't have an hour.

SPEAKER_03 0:57

Like it's too hard, or and it is hard. I'm not saying that's easy, but we're going to talk about that today.

SPEAKER_01 1:03

Yeah, it'll be a great time.

SPEAKER_03 1:05

Um, okay, Kimmy, how was your week? Ah, this week has been great. The weather's been mostly good aside from that crazy windstorm that we had this week. Yeah, that was crazy. That was crazy. Yeah, I have a bunch of big trees around my house, and so I was worried. Um, we didn't have any trees fall down, but we did have like some big branches. There's a big old branch that came and hit my house.

unknown 1:26

Oh no.

SPEAKER_03 1:27

And darn it, but all is well. Other than that, yeah, the weather's been great. We did our uh we did our shamanic drum journey with Rainy on Thursday. That was so cool. Absolutely, it was so fun. Um, Rainey is an absolutely just the sweetest lady ever. She's so cute and she's so knowledgeable. And um, we had a good turnout. We had like 14 people here um to experience it, and it was me and yours. It was a lot of people's first time, actually. Yeah, um, I've never done a shamanic drum journey, so it I was a little newbie in there, but it was so cool. It was so cool. Uh, do you want to talk about your experience and what you felt?

SPEAKER_01 2:07

And uh yeah, so um when so the for this um drum journey, she had us going to the lower world to the lower worlds where we f call onto our spirit animal. Um spirit guides, spirit guides or whatever. Um, I did not get to meet my spirit animal, and I think that's okay, because first of all, um I was super excited, it was hard for me to settle down. And so when I dove into the meditation and got into it, I was like, I I literally had little like was searching for it. I was not allowing it to come to me. I'm like, am I at the time? Because dogs love me. Yeah. Am I like what the expectations going into it? Yeah. But there was a point where I got so deep into that meditative like state that um I literally felt like I was one with the ground beneath me. My body was extremely heavy, I was very grounded, which is absolutely great because that is what I've been trying to work on this year. And um at some point, I got to this state of mind where I thought I was hearing crystal singing bowls, but there was none. There was none, it was just a steady beat the whole time. And it was just crazy. And um, like we were talking with like Amber and Leia, um, it had to have been something with obviously the vibrations from the drum and just I'm wondering the rhythm of it too. Um my journey took me, I led myself into like um, so like originally I'm from Washington State and I missed the greenery over there, so I brought it to my mind. Yes, I love that. And um I just visualized walking up into a waterfall that I've hiked up there, and then but then like I got to a cave and I couldn't really I just stayed there. I wasn't like stuck because like I was able to come like walk bad out walk out, but I couldn't go any further. Okay, and so like I just like saw myself just like just like waiting there by like a little stream of water, like hanging out with moss, just hanging out in this cave. That's about as far as I got. Um, I think I need to experience it again, yes. Um, and I think I need a little bit more of a longer journey into it. I'm not one when I meditate, I meditate hard. Like, I'm like, dude, no, I want to be meditating for like an hour. Yeah, I know that's really weird, but like, um, and a lot of people cannot do that. I'm not saying that I have mastered meditation, but it's just um, so like for me, like when I'm meditating, like I can like just like close my eyes, and it takes about 10 breaths before I'm like in it. Yeah, but I want to be in it for a really long time.

SPEAKER_03 5:16

But I want to be there for like an hour, yeah. Yeah, exactly. Wanna enjoy it for a while because it goes by quick. Yeah, so yeah. I love that. Yeah, my my journey was somewhat similar to yours. Um the groundedness was real, but I almost felt like I was felt like I was sinking into the ground. Like I felt like I was like beneath my mat. Like my head was above ground, but like everything else was below. Like it, yeah, it was really interesting. Um for me, I agree. I heard like the crystal bowls and stuff at first, but then the like obviously there was no bowls, but it was just the heat of the drum. But it started to sound like a waa type thing. Yeah, like yeah, it was it turned into that, but then for me it turned into whale song. So then I was hearing like whales calling to me, and and then the whale song turned into like birds, like I was hearing birds, and so that's I don't know, it was interesting. I know I don't feel like I ever like saw anything fully, um, but I was hearing a lot, and I think I was having too many expectations going into it because I was like, oh yeah, let's go. Yeah, but um it's been a I mean, I'm always facilitating meditation, it's been a minute since I've actually like practiced for that amount of time, and so for me, I my mind kept wandering. I would I would go, I would go down, and then my mind would water, and then I'd be like crap, and then I'd just start over again. And so by the Yep, did the same thing. By the time it was time to come back, I felt like I had just barely gotten to where I was supposed to go, and so I was like, ah, darn it. So um, but yeah, I really want to do it again. I think it was it was really cool. Mm-hmm. I feel like I there's more for me to uncover there. Absolutely. And I want to explore that. So yes, yes, thank you.

SPEAKER_01 7:05

Oh, I everything that you just said, I felt too. So um just different words. So that's that's great that you were. I also want to kind of like touch up on like um the visualization actually behind so like in my mind I was imagining the forest and the and the waterfall and whatever in the cave, but like behind my eyes, what I was physically seeing was different. It was literally like just I it was man, like I can't even like explain like that wam wam wa noise is what I was seeing.

SPEAKER_03 7:39

Yeah, it was like colors behind shapes, yes, and then like energy moving through. Yeah, I was seeing that too, and mine like my energy never really like took shape, like never took form, but like I was seeing that too. Yeah, it's like I felt like there were I don't know, I don't know how to explain it.

SPEAKER_01 7:55

Yeah, I want to explore that way more.

SPEAKER_03 7:58

Yeah, it was super fun. So hopefully, here coming up we'll be doing some more shamanic drum journeys with Rainy. So if that sounds like something you want to explore, we'd love to have you next time. Um, do you have any magic moments this week? Um, yes, I have a couple actually. Um, so we're getting ready for rodeo days. Yeah, and so um me and my sister had a fun day. She helped me forge some stuff for rodeo days. So we went out and we did a little mindful hike and we went and looked for like rocks and sticks. But the sticks we're gonna use for like display purposes for our jewelry and things.

SPEAKER_01 8:34

Well, last year you took, it was really funny, but we sold mo we we sold them all actually. Yeah, you took like these what were they, logs or like pieces of thick bark? Yeah, they're driftwood, yeah. Some of them are drifting wood, some of them are, yeah. And then you glued little crystals and just like made this beautiful. And they had the perfect holes because they I would stick incense in there. Yep, that was cool. Like, do you feel about that? And I was like, oh, that's cool.

SPEAKER_03 9:07

Yeah, so we just yeah, we just went up and we're looking around for stuff to see what we could potentially use because it's like I don't know, especially for rodeo weekend, we're selling a lot of like crystals and things, and like feels sacrilegious to put any of this natural stuff into plastic bags, and so we're like looking for different ways that we can display stuff. Um, but that was really fun. I got to like craft with her for a while, and so it was just good to hang out. Um, and then my other magic moment again, we're getting ready for rodeo weekend, but we gave some of our geodes to farmer John, and he cut them in half for us, and they look so cool, they are so cool. Yes, yeah. I yeah, shout out to John, thank you for doing that for us.

SPEAKER_01 9:48

Yeah, they he brought them in this morning and we were like, oh my gosh, and then we sent them with some more, and we were like, try these, try some more. Do a couple more for us, yeah. Yeah, so yeah, sharing the same magic moment here with the new crystals that we got, and then we made an ASMR video of us dumping them in the thing, so that was fun. So if you're listening, go check that out, and you can see um some of the products that we're bringing in. Um, also, I do have to say, Kimmy, you you guys made some um selenite wands with fire wrap. And yeah, you guys blew my mind a little bit. I wasn't expecting because like I guess my thought on a selenite wand would be like the chakra one that we have, but like it was different and I loved it. And I was like, wait, this is I was like, this is great.

SPEAKER_03 10:38

Well, it's fun, it's like getting me into like my creative state too. Like it's that meditation state. The meditation. Yes, thank you. And you know me, I've been listening to a lot of books lately, and I love to have my hands busy while I'm listening to stuff, and so yeah, it's been it's been fun.

SPEAKER_01 10:53

That's how I blast through books when I'm cleaning, exactly. So I listen to audio, but I love that you are you are doing that for yourself because, like, I mean, I know it's we have very, very, very, very busy lives. We have something going on every single day, whether it's business-wise or personal wise, and to actually carve out some time that is just not business related or anything. It's something different, so yeah, good for y'all. Thank you. Encourage everybody to do that. Yes. Um I got a shout-out. Oh, who's your shout-out for? All the school teachers. Oh, yeah, we love teachers up in here. Put up with some bull crap. No, you guys are awesome.

SPEAKER_03 11:42

Thank you for teaching all teachers. Yeah. Yeah, like the stress of I mean, managing that many kids. Couldn't unless you're heart. Thank you so much for all that you do.

SPEAKER_01 11:54

Yeah, especially the middle schoolers. It's such a weird age. Yeah. That's that transitional age. That's funny. You get the attitude. Ooh, okay. So, Kimmy, I have an FMK for you. All right. F Mary Kill. Eat. All right, this is super powers. Super powers of engineering. Okay. Mind reading, time traveling, or teleporting.

SPEAKER_03 12:29

Mary and teleporting immediately because I I think that all the time. Like when I'm sleep lone, I'm like, it's late at night and I'm on the couch and I'm like, I wish I could just teleport up into my bed right now. That's I can see that. Yeah. I okay, so Mary teleport. What are my other options again?

SPEAKER_01 12:48

Mind reading, time traveling.

SPEAKER_03 12:54

Ooh, that's kind of hard for me. Both of those, I think, are scary. Absolutely. Like, I don't know if I want either of those powers, to be honest. Um, but I'd probably I feel like I read people enough. I'm gonna kill mind reading. And I'm gonna, I'm gonna F the other one. Time traveling. The time traveling, but that's like also scary. But I don't want to mess a time.

SPEAKER_01 13:22

Yeah. There's gotta be rules and boundaries when it comes to time.

SPEAKER_03 13:24

Absolutely, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 13:25

I'm gonna be like a ghost that what is it, third person view?

SPEAKER_02 13:30

You're just like yeah, taking a peek.

SPEAKER_01 13:32

Yeah, that's that's how okay. I would have to agree with that too, because yeah, I've seen enough movies where they mess with history.

SPEAKER_03 13:39

I know I don't I don't want to mess the time. I uh but yeah, I also don't reading people's minds. No, thank you. I wouldn't my feelings would be hurt immediately. I don't want to read your mind.

SPEAKER_01 13:54

I I'm good. That's funny.

SPEAKER_03 13:59

All right. Do you have a love? Or you can't. Oh my gosh, yeah, I do actually. So let's start with my hate. Okay, because I actually have a hate this week. If you guys have been coming into the studio the last month, I apologize because I hate the amount of clutter that we have in the Reiki room right now. Well, obviously we've been ordering new things in, but like we're getting to the point where it's like, yeah, we're changes are happening, we're gonna be rearranging and doing things. So um, yeah, hate all the clutter in here, but like it's a it's also a good clutter. Like it is good clutter, like it's like it's our shit. It's clean, it's ornament, like it's it's things that we need in here, but um, but yeah, the clutter has been a lot like messes with my mind. I know. I like a clean, minimalistic space, so anywho, but then my love, um, it's been a while since I've been doing like Reiki sessions, and the last two weeks I've I've had a Reiki session every week. Not like me getting one, but me facilitating one. Um, and I've actually I love it. I'm I'm like, why have I been not doing this as much lately? And so that's that's my love this week. I had a really good Reiki session and I'm glad that I did it. Okay, yeah, and I want to do more of it.

SPEAKER_01 15:10

Okay, great, that's great.

SPEAKER_00 15:12

Do you have love and hate?

SPEAKER_01 15:14

I do. Okay, so we'll start with my hate. It's funny, but listen. I hate pre-workout farts. I was gross. At the gym this week, early in the morning, and someone had the pre-workout farts. Yeah. And it was rotten eggs, and it was bad. And I just was like, what the heck?

SPEAKER_00 15:39

I was trying not to laugh because I already think farts are funny, and you're like, oh, I'm just like, oh dude, maybe not drink that pre-workout no more.

SPEAKER_01 15:53

Um, and my love for this week is um I love that we tried the misting bottles for hot yoga. Yeah. So we added to our hot yoga experience here at the studio. Jamie, thanks for the idea. Um, so we got some misting bottles and we filled them up with the essential oils, put them in the refrigerator. Um, I'm still doing cooling rags for hot yoga too, but before I give them their rags, I misted them with the lavender spray. The lavender water. And it was so good. It didn't leave anything on the ground. Yes. Didn't see any this morning and didn't see like any weird specks. And then I gave them their cooling rags, and they were, yeah, they were like, no, that was great. Love it. So um, we love ideas, we love input. So any students out there, yeah. Yeah, something really good has come along, like the misting bottles.

SPEAKER_03 16:53

Yeah. So if you have ideas or things that you've loved in a yoga practice, feel free to let us know about it. Yeah because we're always looking for inspiration too.

SPEAKER_01 17:01

So well, cool. I'm glad that that worked out for you. Um, okay, so I kind of told you beforehand that I threw in a little segment. Yeah. Segment. We'll see how it goes. Okay, so real or fake? Okay. Health trend edition. Okay. Okay. Okay. Is this real or fake? Earseeding. What? It's tiny beads placed on pressure points in the ear. And it's like from acupressure.

SPEAKER_03 17:37

That's real. I've seen those actually. Oh, okay, cool.

SPEAKER_01 17:41

I wondered about those. Well, it is called ear seeding.

SPEAKER_03 17:45

Earseeding.

SPEAKER_01 17:47

Okay.

SPEAKER_03 17:47

Um, yeah, I wonder how that works. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 17:53

Okay.

SPEAKER_03 17:53

Okay, that's real.

SPEAKER_01 17:55

Yeah, that's real. That's great, Kimmy. Mercury retrograde detoxy.

SPEAKER_02 18:08

That it could be real. I don't know. I don't know a lot of astrologers that have real or fake. I'm gonna say fake. Yes. Okay, good. Okay.

SPEAKER_01 18:23

Forest bathing. Or bathing. Forest bathing.

SPEAKER_03 18:28

That's real. Yes. Yes. Well, I I know that's real. Do you want to know why? Well, yes, I feel it every time I'm out in the forest. But also, it makes me it reminds me of the Shinrin Yoku essential oil. That's right. From DoTERA because it's called it's the forest bath.

SPEAKER_01 18:48

Yeah, essential oil. Um, the purpose of that is like its mindful immersion in nature. And it started in Japan, by the way.

SPEAKER_03 18:58

I'm so excited to go there.

SPEAKER_01 18:59

That was great. Good job, Kimmy.

SPEAKER_03 19:02

Thanks. That was fun. All right, should we do our poll of the day? Yes. Alright. So, for those of you listening, this might be something that you would like to reflect on and maybe might speak volumes to you. So I pulled the mint card from the comfy cozy witch oracle deck by Jenny Blonde. So, with this reading, it comes with a mantra, a message, and a prompt. Our mantra is I attract prosperity and good fortune into my life. The scent of mint breezes in with the energy of fresh starts and good fortune. This card signals a time of prosperity and unexpected luck in your life. The mint card is here to tell you blessings are coming your way and your life is filled with luck. Stay open-minded and optimistic about any struggles you currently have, as the mint card's energy reminds you that success often comes when you least expect it. Remember that right now luck is on your side. On the flip side, this card could also be a warning of moving too quickly with a new endeavor. Mint, when untamed, spreads wildly. Be sure to temper yourself before a situation gets out of control. In our prompt, what factors and or mindsets contribute to prosperity and luck coming into my life? Good card. I'm all here for the good luck and the good fortune.

SPEAKER_01 20:28

So yes, I love that. Beautiful. Cool. All right, let's get into it. Meditation. The practice of coming home to yourself. Meditation is the practice of intentionally slowing down to bring awareness to the present moment. It is not about stopping your thoughts or clearing your mind, but rather learning to observe your thoughts, emotions, and sensations without judgment. Meditation invites us to pause, breathe, and create space between ourselves and the constant noise of everyday life. Um some history of meditation. Meditation is thousands of years old, much older than many people realize. Meditation dates back over five thousand years with roots in ancient spiritual traditions, particularly in India. In yoga philosophy, meditation called Dhyana. Is that right, can we? Dhyana. Dhyana, thank you, is one of the eight limbs of yoga taught by Padajanali. Um, it wasn't originally meant just for relaxation or stress, it was a spiritual practice used for self realization, awareness, and And connection to something deeper. Ancient yogis practice meditation to quiet distractions and better understand the mind. Later, meditations spread through into Buddhism, and they practice more of the mindfulness and the awareness to it. The Taoists traditions are in China and spiritual and contemplative practices around the world. In the Western world, meditation became more mainstream in the 60s and 70s and is now often practiced for stress relief, mental clarity, emotional regulation, better sleep, and nervous system regulation. So where does meditation and yoga connect at all? In yoga, meditation isn't separate from movement. Asanas, the poses that we practice, were originally to prepare the body to sit comfortably in meditation. The movement helps release restlessness so stillness became more accessible. If meditation feels hard, that's exactly why movement can help first. Studies suggest we spend nearly half of our waking lives distracted or mind wandering. Meditation isn't failing when thoughts happen. It's noticing and gently returning. You cannot be bad at meditation. If you notice your thoughts and come back to the breath even once, you have meditated. I tell people to do this all the time.

SPEAKER_03 24:05

Yep, yeah. Well, I'm like, it's funny because when people ask me if I'm like as a yoga instructor, like, oh, so you practice yoga every day. I'm like, yeah, in some way or another. Doesn't mean that I have like a 60-minute physical practice, but like you bet I meditate and I pay attention to my breath. Like it's all part of the eight limbs of yoga, you know. And so I'm like, it's incorporated. Like I'm I'm doing a part of yoga every day. Yeah, all day.

SPEAKER_01 24:28

Um, meditation physically changes the brain. Regular meditation has been linked to increased gray matter in areas associated with memory, emotional regulation, learning, and self-awareness. Just a few minutes matters. Uh, benefits start with even five to ten minutes a day. Meditation comes in many forms. Um, meditation doesn't have to mean sitting silently. Um, it can be breath work, walking meditation, mantra meditation, guided meditation, prayer, mindful movement, even gardening or repetitive creative acts done with full awareness. And um that can even be like a craft. It's just something that we're bringing back into the present moment. Um, okay, so why do we struggle when we practice meditation? Um, so first of all, we go in with the expectation that we are supposed to empty our minds completely. Uh, this is one of the biggest myths that we have a part of meditation. The goal is not no thoughts, the practice is notice, observe, and return. Thoughts are part of the experience. You're not failing because your brain is busy. Your brain is doing what brains do. Um, a lot of people will find that stillness is very uncomfortable, and it's because it's not practiced very often in their lives. So for many people, silence feels vulnerable. Uh, when distractions disappear, emotions, worries, and discomfort often start to surface. Meditation can feel hard because we finally hear ourselves. Um, it asks us to sit with the parts of the parts of ourselves we usually stay busy to avoid. And I'm guilty of doing that.

SPEAKER_04 26:28

Same.

SPEAKER_01 26:29

Yeah, it's hard. Sometimes we don't want to deal with our emotions. Like, I get it.

SPEAKER_03 26:32

Like, yeah, sometimes it's like, well, tunnel vision, I have things to do. I'm not gonna acknowledge that right now, and I'm gonna keep on keeping on, and um we expect instant results.

SPEAKER_01 26:47

Um, we treat meditation like a task. Um, you're probably like, I did it three times, why am I not calm? Like I did it, I did uh meditation all week. I'm still angry. Um, meditation is not like a one-and-done kind of thing, like it's there's the art of practicing it. And but like it doesn't need to be a 60-minute meditation. It could literally, like we've talked, like just stopping and breathing or finding a mindful activity that you can do every week. Um so another thing that we struggle with too is that we are very overstimulated. We have phones, we have notifications coming off of our phones, we have endless scrolling, we call that doom scrolling. Um, and we also have multitasking. Um, this is why we have um so this is why we have a sign in the back of our studio where it says please like remove your gum shoes and cell phones because um those are all distractions. Like you have the noise from gum chewing, you have the sounds from notifications. And we even on the sign it says to silence your phone, but like there will be occasionally where we'll hear zzz zzz or ding ding ding. Like um, and some people um get affected by the sound of chewing gum.

SPEAKER_03 28:16

Yeah, well, it just it pulls people out, you know. Well, it's the same thing, even with the cars that drive by, that could be another hate that I understand. Absolutely, like because sometimes people romp on their trucks when they're driving by and it's just like it's all zen in here, and then it's yes.

SPEAKER_01 28:31

And I'm like, dang it, like that's so love being on the main street, but there is that condom being on the main street and totally valid.

SPEAKER_03 28:39

But at the same time, I'm like those distractions though. I mean, that's I mean, we're always gonna have distractions. But at the same time, it's like those distractions happen. You you get distracted, you bring awareness to it, and then you practice coming back.

SPEAKER_01 28:52

Love it. Um moving on to why meditation is so important. Um, for our nervous system, the meditation helps shifts us from fight or flight to rest and digest. It tells the body you are safe enough to soften. Um, we practice meditation for our mental health. Meditation is gonna help us respond to respond instead of react. Um, we're gonna notice emotions without becoming them. We'll build self-awareness and we're gonna cultivate compassion. Um, we use meditation for mental clarity. Meditation helps quiet mental clutter, uh, not by eliminating the thoughts, but by helping us stop chasing every single one. The practice of letting go. Because some of those thoughts we can just let go, right? Yeah. Um, we're also practicing meditation for self-connection. Meditation teaches us to listen inward in a world constantly asking, who should I be? Meditation asks us, who am I when I get quiet? Um, okay, so we keep telling, we keep talking, not telling, sorry. We keep coming and saying, like, oh, like you gotta come back, you gotta come back. Okay, so that's really hard because like a lot of people don't understand like what to come back to when our mind drifts. And so um, some ways that we can work with that is like you hear us talking about using the breath. It's stopping and pausing, or whatever the case may be, and that's gonna be the easiest anchor is using that breath.

SPEAKER_03 30:37

Yeah, because your body or like you can't be when you're intentionally breathing, like if you're trying to like, and I like to use numbers, I like to count. Like, if you're trying to inhale for a count of four and exhale for a count of six, like that's all you're focusing on. Yep, you can't your mind isn't wandering when you're paying some like intentionally breathing because it's something that we don't normally ever think about. It's an automatic thing, but it's the only thing that we can change from automatic to intentional. Yes.

SPEAKER_01 31:05

Um, some other things that we can use if coming back to the breath is not working, or you want to try something else, you can use a gentle word or mantra. A repetitive word gives the mind somewhere to land. Um, you can use words like peace here, let go, I am safe, just this moment. Or when you're inhaling, you can say I am, and on that exhale, you can say here, inhale, I am, exhale here, so I am here. Um, or you can inhale, let and exhale go, let go.

SPEAKER_03 31:43

I also, you're probably about to talk to about this in a second, but like the visualization, like I like to inhale like a golden or a white light and exhale the black smoke. Yes, you know, like inhale the fresh and clean and exhale all the heavy.

SPEAKER_01 31:58

Um, something else you can come to is you're gonna notice the five sentences. Um in class today, Kimmy actually did that in our opening meditation, which I get. Well, yeah. I was like, wait, that is so cool. How you just like tied that in there. Um, so this is a lot of people will actually do this if you are one that's already anxious or very distracting. When you come back to those five senses, it's very grounding and it's very helpful. So you'll ask yourself, what can you hear? What can you feel? What temperature is the air? What sensations are present? And this is gently pulls awareness back into the body. Yeah. Something else you can do is place a hand on the heart or the belly or both. The physical touch can be incredibly grounding, it creates a feeling of safety and connection, like a hug. Something else you can use is an anchor object. Um, you pick one thing to focus on, um, your breath. We keep coming back to the breath because it is like literally one of the most easiest things that you could do. For anybody that doesn't um, you know, like to close their eyes for meditation, you can concentrate on a candle flame. You're listening to music, you're using mala beads, um, that you can focus on a sound bowl vibration, um, the feeling of just simply sitting on the earth. Um, so you're noticing the distraction and then you're returning to your anchor here. So you're gonna notice it. Find your anchor and keep going. Um if you need to, you can also label the thought. Instead of getting caught in thoughts, simply name them. Um, examples. It could be planning, worrying, remembering, judging. Again, then gently return. This creates space instead of attachment. And sometimes we just need to stop fighting the thoughts. Um, sometimes bringing yourself back looks like, oh, my mind is really busy today. And you're gonna observe that without frustration. So meditation isn't no thoughts, meditation is awareness of thoughts. And a little analogy to kind of like go along with that is imagine your attention is like a puppy learning to walk on a leash, it's going to wander a lot. The practice isn't yelling at the puppy, the practice is gently guiding it back with patience and kindness. So be kind to the mind.

SPEAKER_03 34:48

Yes, be kind to the mind. I know. I was like, I mean, the shamanic drum journey that we did is is a form of meditation. And I I felt like I was not being kind to the mind because I just wanted to get there too. I know I was not being mindful. So be be kind to your mind. That's it's okay.

SPEAKER_01 35:06

Um, I think we just get so excited because we don't really carve out a lot of time for ourselves. So this was an opportunity for ourselves as well. And so it was yeah. I think the next time I'll be better. Next time. That's okay. All right, Kimmy.

SPEAKER_03 35:25

Do you want to do our note card? Yeah. So if you guys want to grab a journal or a piece of paper, if you just want to reflect on these questions, that's also okay. But we're going to do a call to action for the rest of your week. So um, we're gonna take all that we've learned today and make it attainable for ourselves throughout the week. So um, the first question I want you to answer, and you can write this down and then write your answer beneath it. What type of meditation works best for me? And we've gone through a couple of different examples. So your type of meditation might be breath work. That might make a lot of sense to you because it's free, it's it's not time consuming, and you can always bring your awareness back to your breath. So maybe breath work is something, a type of meditation that works for you. Um, maybe you're the type of person that needs a guided meditation. Maybe you need to listen to a meditation on Spotify or on YouTube, um, and that's also okay. Um, maybe a guided meditation is your thing. We also talked about walking and like movement meditation. So I've been seeing things on TikTok lately, which is really cute, like uh the mindfulness walks that people, it's like choose a color, try and find all the colors. Um, and you like take pictures of like all the yellow things or all the blue things that you see on your walk. Um, so you can just take mindful walks. Um, you can also do like mindfulness or like movement meditation, like qi yong or yoga or sun salutations, really anything like that. Um, you also talked about mantra meditations, which is that repeating of the mantra to keep you grounded, which you could um maybe that resonates with you. Um, maybe the type of meditation that really resonates with you, this is like you, Britt, but this is gonna be like the stillness and the silence of just like the you know, taking time to actually do that. Um, but maybe you're also the type of person that likes to write or like journal or things like that. And so that can be a type of meditation as well. Um, so what type of meditation works best for you? Is it breath work? Is it the mantra? Is it the stillness? Is it journaling, movement, walking? What feels good? And maybe all those sound good, but trying to keep trying focus on one or two. And you can pause to reflect on that. And if you don't know about any of those that I listed, I highly recommend that you look deeper into it. There's all sorts of free resources um online um if you just look up whatever type that you want to look up. Um, but the second question that you're going to ask is what is one realistic way that I can practice that this week? So this is your call to action. Um, so you're going to start off your answer with I will. Not I can or I might, I will. Um, so for me, like breath work really makes sense for me, obviously. So I chose breath work. Breath work is the type of meditation that works best for me. And one realistic way that I can practice that this week, I'm not gonna set in a like 30 minutes, you know, like that might not work for my schedule, but I do know that I can take three mindful breaths when I wake up every morning. Like that's so attainable. Like I can, it's not adding any sort of hindrance to my schedule already. I'm just taking the time that's already in my schedule to be more mindful. So, whatever type of meditation works best for you, if it's if it's that movement, maybe when you get out of bed or right before you go to bed, you do three stretches. Choose your favorite, you know? Yeah, and maybe instead, if if stillness is your thing, maybe you take the first five minutes. Maybe you're like set a five-minute alarm in the morning so that you can just take that first five minutes of your day just still, you know? Like just make it obtainable. And this is just our friendly reminder to you that meditation is obtainable. It doesn't have to be this huge, big, like scary thing, yeah. Um, because it has that stigma behind it. It does. But it's it's just being mindful of where you're at in the time, in the here and now, you know, um, and moving forward with that intention, moving forward. So that's your call to action, and I highly encourage that. Make a promise to yourself. You're gonna you're gonna make time to do that this week because we're not asking for a lot of time, we're just asking for a couple seconds. That's all it takes.

SPEAKER_01 39:43

And then your journey will begin from there. This is just the beginning. That's right. All right, guys. Whenever you feel ready, you can stop this and get settled in for our sound, our not our sound bath, but our meditation for today. Um, so go ahead, get nice and comfy. Take a moment to settle into stillness. Allow your body to become heavy against the earth beneath you. Nothing to hold, nothing to fix, nowhere else to be. Gently soften through the jaw. Relax the muscles around the eyes. Let the shoulders melt. Take a slow, full breath in through the nose, and a long, easy breath out.

SPEAKER_00 41:00

Again, breathing in and breathing out.

SPEAKER_01 41:10

As you rest or sit here, notice this moment. Notice the rise and fall of your breath. Notice the feeling of the air on your skin. Notice the gentle support beneath you. You don't have to quiet your mind. If thoughts come, let them come. Imagine them like clouds drifting across a wide open sky. You do not have to chase them. You do not have to push them away. Just notice and return. Notice and return. Return to the breath, to the body, and to this moment. Meditation isn't the absence of thought. It is the practice of coming back again and again, back to yourself. Perhaps for a moment, ask yourself, what does stillness feel like in my body today? No need to search for an answer. Simply notice what arises. Begin to deepen your breath. Invite gentle movement back into the fingers or the toes. Maybe you're circling the wrists or ankles. And if it feels good, you can reach your arms overhead, taking a nice big stretch here. And just take your time. And as you transition from stillness back into this moment, notice if anything feels different. Maybe you're softer, clearer, or maybe simply more aware. And if you're laying down, bring yourself to one side and make your way up to a nice easy sit, however that looks like for you. And just go ahead and bring your hands to heart center. Leave today, remembering this meditation isn't about doing it perfectly. It's about returning, returning to your breath, your body, and yourself. Thank you so much for showing up for yourself today, Namaste.