The season is changing.  Finally, after a long winter and chilly spring we are seeing the sunshine again!  The earth is beginning to renew itself all around us.  The sun is shining, the animals are frisky, the flowers are blooming and delicate shoots of new plants are peeking up from the soil.  This is all possible because Mother Nature does a lot of advance preparation.  In the fall, the trees lose old leaves, making way for new ones come spring.  Now the animals shed their winter coats preparing for warmer weather.  Everywhere there is a clearing away of what’s no longer needed to make room for new growth.

As modern humans, we aren’t tied to the cycles of nature very much anymore.  But, some of us may have seasonal rituals, such as spring cleaning, or moving heavy clothes to the back of the closet.  Externally, we give attention to removing what we no longer need.  But what about our internal space?  Our minds are full of patterns, habits and coping methods that have developed over many years.  At one time, they were necessary, but our lives and circumstances change constantly.  What was once helpful may become obsolete, or even harmful.

Consider your internal landscape for a moment.  Are there any habits or thought patterns that are no longer serving you?  Have you felt blocked from taking positive steps in your life?  Like the earth, we may need to purposefully clear away the old, dead leaves to make room for new shoots to emerge.  Psychotherapy is the best way to become aware of outdated patterns, and to begin to create new, positive changes.  But we can shift our internal energy to create the right environment for new growth.

Studies have shown that we can create powerful new connections in the brain during meditation.  The technique below uses a combination of intention and mantra meditation, an ancient practice that calms the body and quiets the mind.  The object of focus during this type of meditation is a mantra, which is simply a meaningful word or phrase.

Meditation to Clear Space for New Growth

1.  Set aside 10 to 20 minutes for meditation practice.  First thing in the morning or last thing at night are traditional, but the most important thing is to create a routine so meditation becomes a daily habit.

2.  Find a quiet place where you’re unlikely to be disturbed, and take a comfortable seat.  You may sit in a chair or cross-legged on the floor, but try to maintain an alert posture to stay focused.  You may choose to set a timer, so you know when you’ve completed your meditation.

3.  Start by setting an intention.  Use your own words to express what you’d like to achieve.  Some examples are: “I clear away what no longer serves me.”  ”I am open to new growth.”  ”I release the old and welcome the new.”  Ideally, the phrase should be simple and easy to repeat.

4.  Close your eyes gently, and focus your attention on your breath.  Breathe in and out normally through your nose.  Notice the sensation of air flowing in and out of your nostrils, calmly releasing any thoughts, just feeling the breath for several moments.

5.  Now silently repeat your mantra along with your breath.  You may find it most comfortable to think part of your mantra on the inhale, finishing it on the exhale, or repeat the entire phrase with each part of the breath.  Do what feels relaxed and comfortable in your mind.

6.  Continue to repeat your mantra while sitting comfortably and breathing quietly until your time is up.  When your mind becomes distracted, know that it is natural and expected.  Release the thoughts without judgment and gently refocus on your mantra and your breath.  As many times as necessary.

7.  When your time is up, breathe quietly for a few more moments, noticing how you feel, perhaps giving thanks for this time to take care of yourself.

Change is difficult for most of us.  Be kind to yourself and recognize that old habits are deeply ingrained.  But, by offering your intention to change, you are acknowledging a willingness to accept new growth.  Watch for it in all areas of your life.  It may be subtle at first, before suddenly springing forth in the space you’ve prepared for it.

Bad days can happen to the best of us.  Through no fault of your own, sometimes plans go awry, schedules run behind and your new shoes get dirty.  Feel free to insert your own version of a lousy chain of events, but I’m sure you know what I mean.  Imagine your last bad day.  See it in all its glory, each disastrous circumstance and the thoughts and feelings you had about it.  Perhaps you can feel your shoulders tensing up and your mouth settling into a hard line.  The power of your imagination brought that bad day to life again.

Now think about a really great day.  One of those days where things go smoothly, everyone likes the dinner you made and your boss compliments your work.  Imagine how you feel sailing through a day like that.  You might notice a deep, free breath and a soft smile on your face.  This exercise clearly demonstrates that the experience of a good or bad day is reflected in both the mind and the body.  It’s also evident that we can re-create these thoughts and bodily sensations using our imagination.  We can use this to our advantage in a relaxation technique called Guided Imagery.

Guided Imagery is a form of relaxation that evokes peaceful images or memories.  The benefits of guided imagery are similar to those of other forms of meditation: it promotes deep relaxation and counteracts the effects of chronic stress.  It can also lower blood pressure, reduce performance anxiety and improve the sense of well-being.  It can be done by listening to a recorded script, or you can create a scene using your own words and images.

Below is a short self-guided script.  Like our good day/bad day exercise above, read the scenario first, then use your memory and imagination to bring it life:

Begin in a comfortable position, either seated or lying down.  Close your eyes and start to follow the breath for a few rounds.  Simply focus on the sensation of the air moving in and out of your nostrils.  Now bring to mind a beautiful place, either somewhere you’ve been or someplace entirely new.  Notice the details of the scenery: the colors, the things you see around you, the smell and temperature of the air, any sounds you might hear there.  Use all of your senses to bring this place to life in your mind, fully inhabiting this beautiful scene.  Picture yourself going about a relaxing day in this special place, enjoying yourself fully, with no worries or cares in the world.  Feel a sense of complete peace in your body and your mind, and bring a smile to your lips.  Allow the smile to spread to your entire face, lighting up your eyes.  Feel it flowing into your torso, expanding into your heart.  A radiant smile now permeates your entire body.  Allow it to expand, taking in everything within and around you.  Rest here as long as you’d like, in this sense of joy, breathing it in with your inhale, and sending it out to the world with your exhale.

Know that you can return to this place and this feeling anytime you want, simply close your eyes and breathe the feeling of an inner smile into your heart.

Things don’t always go the way we want them to.  At times, it may seem like everything is falling neatly into place, and other times it feels as if everything that can go wrong, is.  How do you feel when everything is smooth sailing?  Conversely, think about how you feel when life gets rocky.  There’s probably a big difference!  It’s natural to have ups and downs in our moods that correspond to situations in life.  The trick is how quickly we readjust and bounce back.

For a lot of us, the tendency is to evaluate everything based on our current circumstances.   A bad turn of events makes a good day suddenly terrible.  The mind turns critical, judging everything harshly: ourselves, other people, even life itself.  The mood can’t help but follow this line of thinking straight down into despair.  Then, even the future begins to look hopeless.  Let’s face it: stressful situations will always arise in life.  If you can’t be okay unless everything is perfect, you’re not going to be okay very often.

We live in a world that is largely out of our control.  The universe is just doing what it does, and our minds are just doing what they do: thinking, labeling and judging.  Luckily, we have some control over one of these.  We must find a way to accept that changing experiences, both good and bad, do not change who we really are.  Many ancient philosophers considered the True Self to be unchanging.  They called it Awareness, the Observer, or Pure Presence.  It is the part of us that is watching everything else come and go, while remaining calm, peaceful and serene.  The True Self knows that changing circumstances arise and eventually pass away again, but at our hearts we are always perfect and whole.

Connection to this place of Awareness is essential to riding the waves of life.  The best way that I’ve found to access it is through meditation.  Try this practice to access your inner source of equanimity:

Find a comfortable seat in a quiet place where you won’t be likely to be disturbed.  Softly close your eyes, bringing your focus to your breath.  Follow your breath for several rounds, feeling the sensations of air flowing in and out of your nostrils.  Then allow your attention to turn to your thoughts.  Let them come and go, watching, as you would clouds moving across the sky, without attaching to them or being pulled into a story.  Notice that the thoughts arise and pass by within your awareness.  Then ask yourself, who or what is observing these thoughts?  Feel back into Awareness itself.  Connect with it, and rest here for several moments, watching everything come and go across this background of Pure Awareness.

Throughout your day, in any situation, take time to reconnect with this place inside you that is unchanging, Pure Awareness, that is simply observing the changing circumstances of life.  Allow it to remind you that no matter what is happening, you are always whole and complete inside.

Inertia: the tendency of objects to stay in their current state unless acted on by an outside force. So objects in motion remain moving, and those at rest stay that way.  Don’t worry, I’m not going to talk about physics today.  But this time of year always reminds me of that scientific definition, because it seems people have two speeds around the holidays: super fast, or a dead stop.

Those of us who operate in high-speed tend to fill the calendar.  Parties, outings, shopping, there is something booked every weekend.  Then when there is finally down time, it feels uncomfortable to sit still.  If this is your tendency, maybe you’ve noticed your mind racing, checking off your to-do list and trying to fit in one more thing before you absolutely have to go to sleep.  This can make for a stressful holiday season!

On the other side of the coin are those of us that hibernate.  The short days keep us indoors and we have to force ourselves to get out of bed in the morning.  We may avoid social gatherings, and procrastinate on doing the shopping because we just don’t have the energy.  If you are slow in the winter months, you may notice it is hard to work up the motivation to participate this time of year.  The holidays can feel overwhelming!

In order to restore balance, we need to listen to what the body actually needs, rather than what the mind is telling us.  When we are stuck in high or low gear, it’s comfortable to stay there.  We may even deliberately choose foods or activities that maintain the imbalance because the mind wants to stick with what it knows.  So start by observing your tendency.  Then choose to counteract it in a healthy way.

If you are rushing through December, balance motion with periods of rest.  Stick to a regular meditation practice to quiet the mind and calm the body.  Before agreeing to one more activity, take a deep breath and check in.  A racing heart, scattered mind and shallow breathing mean it’s time to say no so you can enjoy the important things this holiday.

If you can’t get moving, balance rest with activity.  Stick to a routine bedtime and wake time, and avoid hitting the snooze button.  Start your morning with Sun Salutations or another gentle exercise to wake the body.  Commit to a few events that sound interesting, and ask someone to attend with you so you’re less likely to cancel.

Whatever your tendency, the best way to maintain balance is to practice staying connected with the present moment.  Look at the lights, taste the food, smell the air, listen to the music and feel the embrace of a loved one.  Breathe in and out.  Reconnect with the space between breaths any time you need to find balance.  It’s always right there.