Finding Joy in the Journey
Enjoy this ten-minute guided meditation on gratitude.
Just get comfortable, relax and listen to the soothing voice as you are guided toward a true appreciation of the blessings within. Enriched by the soft musical soundscapes of Rebecca Reads Recordings.
Please do not listen to while driving or similar activities.
Today in episode 9 we’ll bust the three myths of meditation and I’ll share my three favorite types. I also reveal what kind of meditation is the very best for your health. Plus, stick around because there is a bonus for you at the end!
00:01:10 Can you think of one person that has such a deep peace in their spirit that you feel calmer just by being around them? Finding that level of peace is something I’ve been working on lately. I've always thought one of the best things we can do for our friends and family during a time of stress is to have our own reservoir of inner calm, ready to share with others. If you’ve been interested in meditation but you have some questions, then its time to find out what’s keeping you from having this peace in your life.
00:02:35 Myth #1 It’s not going to work for me. There are many types of meditation out there; it's important to find one that syncs with you and your background. The best meditation is the one that you want to come back to, day after day. Just remember: Don’t Give Up. Everyone’s mind wanders during meditation, but if you bring your focus back to your breathing and keep moving on, you’ll see the results over time.
00:03:53 Myth #2 There’s no time; there’s no place. Meditation isn’t defined by a place, a pose or a practice. It can be as simple as just focusing on having a steady, slow breath for a few moments in the middle of a hectic day. There are many ways to gain this peace and calmness in your life, but my favorites have always been these three: walking meditation, controlled breathing and scripture meditation. If you would be interested in finding out more about my podcast on scripture meditation, you can go to restingintheword.org.
00:06:50 Breathe in… breathe out. Try a sample of controlled breathing and feel the difference it can make!
00:08:17 My other podcast is a guided scripture meditation to aid in sleep. You can find it at restingintheword.org
00:08:43 Myth #3 You can’t prove it works. Yes, scientific studies have proven that meditation does work to reduce anxiety and depression, heart disease, diabetes, improve sleep and your immune system. Want the facts? Here's the scientific research you need!
00:10:30 Gratitude meditation may be the best meditation to have all the health benefits like focusing your mind, calming your spirit, and thinking more clearly.
Gratitude is the world’s healthiest human emotion. It increases your immunity to sickness
~Pastor Rick Warren
Bonus! For your free, uplifting gratitude meditation click here.
Welcome to episode 8 of Positively Life After Fifty, and Day 2 in my quest to podcast for 30 days straight, in honor of the National Podcast Post Month of November.
Am I ever getting off to a rocky start! In fact, if you were able to hear my podcast yesterday, you are one in a million. In fact, you and I both know that you are already one in a million whether you listened to my podcast yesterday or not because there is no one quite like you.
My episodes will be shorter, but another reason why this show is so different is that I don't have any opening music today. I also don't have any quotes today because I am in the middle of a podcaster's biggest nightmare right now, at least it is for me. I worked on problems until 1 am and when I came back to it today, there were 20 more new bugs needing to be squashed. So today hasn't been different. Here it is almost 11 pm, and I'm still up writing this.
However, I did take some time out earlier and had dinner with a friend who is still teaching, still facing many of the same problems I used to have:As I was eating dinner with my former colleague I was listening to some of the things she is dealing with–not just in the classroom but also the committee presentations, her teenagers and also elderly parent issues. It all reminded me of a time, not very long ago, when I was still teaching. I was working 10 to 12 hour days six days a week and dealing with all those problems and more. So it kind of puts my current problems into perspective.
I also think about the news of the past months; all the shootings, fires, and floods, hurricanes, and tornadoes. I'm not trying to make light of this; it is a serious issue for so many.There are people without electricity and people who have lost loved ones. As I think about all these issues, suddenly my problems of getting my id3 tags onto my audio file and getting my media player to look not weird on my web page don't seem that big of a deal. Suddenly all those issues just don't seem important.
The work will get done, the problems will get solved or they won't, and I'll find a way to make it work somehow. What's more important is that I make time for friends, I take time for family, and I even carve out some time to take care of myself. To regain a needed sense of balance and perspective. And I'll tell myself that I'm worth it, because yes, in fact, I am one in a million.
And so are you, and so are the people you love.
And tomorrow's going to be a better day. It will.
I'll see you tomorrow. Until then keep looking up, and never give up.
Feel like a challenge? I do! I'm not running a marathon or climbing a 
mountain, but I might as well be! This episode marks the first of the 30 day challenge where I podcast every day for the month of November. I'm accepting the challenge at #NaPodPoMo to become a better podcaster, and to help celebrate the 10 year anniversary of the “birth” of podcasting!
You can join me! It doesn't have to be in podcasting, unless that's a goal you have, too. No, just think about this…has there been something you've been wanting to learn, a goal you've put off achieving? Well, do something positive for yourself, something that inspires you to be a better you…commit to taking your own challenge as I take on mine. Do that for the next 30 days and positively change the direction of your life.
We can do this!
Quotes included:
One day you will thank yourself for never giving up. Unknown
Set a goal SO BIG you can't achieve it…until you turn into to the person who CAN. Unknown