Meditação semanal 2: Acalmar o corpo

Como é que correu a semana 1? Sentiu resistência ao pequeno compromisso de cinco minutos por dia? Foi capaz de a enfrentar de frente?

Ao criar espaço para um novo hábito ou prática na sua vida, é útil lembrar-se que o cansaço das decisões é real. Em geral, sou um grande adepto da abordagem moderada à maioria das coisas na vida, mas aprendi que é realmente mais fácil estar 100% empenhado do que estar 90% empenhado nas coisas.

Simply put: you take the decision-making out of it. When you’re 100% committed to doing something, your default answer is yes. When there is wiggle room, you have to consciously choose each and every time if you’re going to do that thing or not – whether it’s meditation, the gym, flossing, eating healthy or making that phone call. I try to keep that in mind when I’m working on a habit or trying to integrate something new into my life.

Another thing I try to remember: you can’t count on the idea of ‘the perfect conditions.’ Anyone with a dog, baby, cell phone, loud neighbors, or a crammed Google calendar knows that finding the perfect conditions for meditation can be hard. I do believe however, that there are a few things we can do to prepare ourselves for a good experience in spite of that. Beyond committing to even the smallest effort, I find taking the time to focus on stilling the body, calming the breath and finally stilling the mind is critical for a good session.

 
Esta semana, vamos começar por acalmar o corpo. O seu objetivo é concentrar-se em relaxar todo o seu corpo durante os cinco minutos que se comprometeu a fazer na semana passada.

(If you only did a minute last week, how about adding another minute or two?) Here’s what to do: Take a comfortable seated position – something you can settle into that won’t have you fidgeting or uncomfortable. Set a timer. Close your eyes and take several deep and steady breaths. Your goal in the next few minutes is to slowly scan your body from the crown of your head to your toes, searching for tension in your body and consciously releasing it with an exhale. For example, try sending your awareness to your head. As you exhale, relax your eyelids, your temples and your jaw. Relax your neck and your throat. As you inhale, send your awareness down to your shoulders. With an exhale, let your shoulders drop and gently roll away from your collar bones, feel your chest relax. In this way, scan your whole body and keep going until you reach your toes. If you have less time, focus on the bigger areas of tension, like temples, jaw, shoulders, stomach and hips.

Nota: Se a sua mente divagar (não se preocupe, isso acontece!), pare um segundo para se aperceber do que desviou a sua atenção e volte a concentrar-se suavemente. Lembre-se - a meditação tem a ver com persistência. Aguente firme!

Diga-nos como se está a sair e não se esqueça de voltar na próxima semana para mais um pequeno passo no sentido de construir uma prática de meditação.