Are Your Thoughts Sometimes Clear As Mud?

This Week's Simple Tip

When you pour salt into a clear glass of water, and pause, the water will eventually become clear again in time. Interestingly, we can find the same kind of clarity in our minds.

The instructor at a retreat I attended this past weekend used a similar analogy to explain that "as you sit in stillness, the mind's murkiness (caused by stress and emotions) disappears and is replaced by clarity and direction." I've been practicing "stillness" or "meditation" for 5 years now, and find my mind blurred on the days I skip. I always hesitate to use the term "meditation" as people react to it as something mysterious and difficult, and something only certain people can do. In reality, ANYONE can do it, simply by stilling yourself in a quiet setting, and shifting your focus to your breath. This 2-minute, simple and straight-forward Meditation 101 clip does a great job of showing you how to get started, and some of the associated scientific benefits.

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This Week's Focus

This week, give yourself a daily gift of 5 minutes in stillness and focused breathing each day. I bet you'll want to continue when the week is over because you'll feel so much calmer and more productive. :) Click on the serenity sticky to print, cut and post on your bathroom mirror to remind you of this week's focus. Good luck!