Morning meditation: Why didn't I start doing this sooner?!

So, I recently got laid off—I actually started a whole separate thread about that on this forum—and I was desperately searching for something to take the edge off, whether that meant pills or meditation. Eventually, I stumbled upon this deep relaxation meditation online. It’s basically just some light ambient music paired with a guide who walks you through breathing exercises and progressive muscle relaxation. There isn't any heavy spiritual philosophy involved; I’ve dabbled in similar stuff before, usually doing my own thing or following along with a Yoga Nidra session...

But man, this is a game-changer. You can always squeeze in 15 minutes, whereas finding a solid 45 minutes for Yoga Nidra can be a real struggle when life gets busy. The guy's voice is incredibly soothing, and the soundtrack is beautiful...

Since then, I've made it a point to meditate every single morning before I even get out of bed. Now, instead of just mindlessly scrolling through my phone by the window or zoning out in front of the TV or laptop, I use that time for this, plus some Pilates and some morning stretches. Starting the day with this level of calm is a total shift from my old habit of just stumbling around the apartment like a zombie. Honestly, jumping straight out of bed the second the alarm goes off felt way too jarring for me, so this gives me a chance to collect myself, decompress, and actually stand up feeling composed and ready to tackle the day.

😲 😲 😲

FUCKING AMAZING!!!

Hey, would you mind letting me know where you grabbed that from? 🙄 🙄

Seriously, you wrote ten lines of praise but didn't include a single link?! Are you just trying to tease us?
GIVE ME THE LINK! GIVE ME THE LINK!
😁 😁 😁

Come on now, just drop that damn link already!

😁 😁 😁

Henry Wilson48 said:After I recently got laid off from my job—which I actually posted about on this subforum a while back—I really needed a way to find some peace, whether through medication or meditation. I ended up downloading this deep relaxation meditation online; it’s just some light music and a guide who walks you through breathing exercises and progressive muscle relaxation. There isn't any heavy philosophy involved—and I've done similar things before, either on my own, using a Yogi app, or following along with Yoga Nidra...

But this one is honestly fantastic—you can always carve out 15 minutes for it, whereas Yoga Nidra usually takes about 45, which can be hard to find in a busy schedule—the instructor is so soothing, and the music is lovely...

So now I've started meditating every single morning before even getting out of bed, and then I'll do it again during the day instead of just scrolling through my phone or watching TV, plus I've added some Pilates and Tibetan stretches in the morning. It’s such a wonderful, calm way to start the day, totally different from just stumbling around the house... Plus, jumping straight out of bed too fast used to leave me feeling totally frazzled, so this gives me a chance to collect myself, unwind, and wake up feeling steady and ready for whatever comes next...

😲 😲 😲

IT IS ABSOLUTELY AMAZING!!!

That sounds wonderful!

I'm just sitting here waiting for my meditation tapes and Tai Chi videos to arrive in the mail...

I can't wait... 🙂

electricdriver78 said:Oh, that’s wonderful news! Truly fantastic!

I'm just sitting here, waiting on those meditation and Tai Chi tapes I ordered to finally show up in the mail. It feels like it's taking forever, but I'm looking forward to it!

I honestly can't wait! I've just been sitting here thinking about it all morning. There’s just something about that feeling of anticipation, you know? It’s like when you’re waiting for a big package to arrive from Amazon or finally getting to see a long-awaited movie premiere. Just really looking forward to it! 🙂

So, where on earth did you manage to order that? I've been hunting around everywhere trying to find a place that actually carries it. Any idea where I can pick one up? 🙄

I’ve got quite a few books sitting around on my shelf, but honestly, finding the time to actually get moving and practice alongside all that reading is a bit of a struggle. It's one thing to study the theory, isn't it? But then you look at the stack of books and realize how much work it takes to actually put those ideas into motion. I find myself getting lost in the pages sometimes... just a little too much!

So, if you could just let me know when you have an update, that would be wonderful. No rush at all, really—just whenever it's convenient for you!

She’s completely forgotten all about us...

I've actually found a new Tai Chi instructor—he's Chinese! The guy is incredible. He doesn't speak a word of English, yet he’s somehow hacking away at his American, trying his best. He wants to explain how Tai Chi is beneficial for your internal organs, but since he lacks the vocabulary, he just tells us it's great for our "guts"! 😁

He is truly phenomenal. I know this isn't really the topic at hand, but it just popped into my head.

Henry Wilson48 said:I recently got laid off from my job (posted about that here once), so I needed something to take the edge off—pills, meditation, whatever. Anyway, I found this deep relaxation meditation online. It’s just light music and a guy guiding you through breathing exercises and body scans. No heavy philosophy involved. I’ve done stuff like this before—on my own, using a Yogi app, or doing Yoga Nidra...

But this one is great. You can always squeeze in 15 minutes (Yoga Nidra takes 45, which isn't always realistic)—the instructor is really soothing, the music is beautiful...

So now I've started meditating every morning before getting out of bed. Then during the day, instead of just zoning out in front of the TV or scrolling on my phone, I do some Pilates and some Tibetan breathing exercises in the morning. Starting the day calm is incredible... a total game changer compared to just stumbling around the apartment. Plus, jumping straight out of bed was hitting me too hard—this gives me a chance to collect myself, relax, and actually get up feeling steady and ready for the day.
😲 😲 😲

FUCKING AWESOME!!!

🙂 🙂 👍

Meditation is everything. 😉

Heading out to catch some sun and breathe for a bit... 😉

Sherry said:Hey, where did you order that from? Is there a general shop I can find it in? 🙄

I have a few books lying around, but honestly, it's just so hard to actually get moving using only those...

So let me know if you can help me out...

Well, I originally picked up some Pilates gear from a local shop and they were wonderful with all the instructions and everything...

But then I stumbled onto their website and ended up ordering a meditation video, plus one for lower body Tai Chi and another for upper body Tai Chi—all beginner stuff, of course... 😁

Here is the link for you Gaiam

My dear friends, there really isn't much you need to strip away or complicate here...
Just commit to a few yoga stretches in the morning followed by about 15 minutes of quiet meditation to center yourself... and suddenly, the day feels quite manageable. 🙂

hey Kenneth Ward8... people just don't get it. and even when they do, half of them fall asleep on the job..😁 😁

Honestly, it’s nothing groundbreaking; but since it only takes 15 minutes and requires zero effort, I’d say it’s actually worth it... I can't stand those useless routines where you have to flip your entire schedule upside down just to squeeze them in.

Also—now that I've started doing Pilates at home—I went ahead and picked up that "Pilates Body" book
👍

and paired it with some Pilates music from Solitude (that label that does the nature sounds and ambient tracks—you can find their stuff in any local record store) along with some Zen Yoga tracks.

I'm basically a total newbie.

Disclaimer: Since I started this, I've become way more aware of the specific issues that make me want to absolutely lose my mind at work; I can't just blissfully ignore my problems as easily anymore, but hey, it's a step in the right direction, right?😉

Look, folks, you really don't have to stress yourselves out over nothing... just kick off your morning with some basic yoga stretches and settle down with about 15 minutes of meditation... and honestly, the whole day just feels better.

I know plenty of people who meditate; but I’m just way too restless (especially first thing in the morning) to actually relax on command; I end up rushing through everything and I’m still stuck in limbo. If I stick to a routine for a few months, I eventually mellow out, but right now—after taking a break and dealing with all the chaos lately—there is absolutely no way I can pull that off on my own.

This is such a lovely suggestion...

Does anyone happen to know where I might be able to pick up a meditation DVD here in the States?

I'm looking for a specific shop or maybe just a general address if someone could point me in the right direction...

A meditation DVD? I don't know... I'd better hurry up and get it back to the States before I forget. 😉 😁 😁

I'm heading downtown this Saturday, and I'm really looking forward to just wandering around for a bit... though, honestly, you don't see much of that kind of leisure time left in

the US 😲 😲 😲

I mean, I’ll probably just bring my own method 😉 😁 😁

Look, what you find in those little shops... it's mostly just esoterica 😉

this link has a Yoga Nidra CD. Seems like it's from a solid Yogi, too. It's coming from Sweden though, so the shipping's a bit pricey

If only this weren't such a headache because of all the regulations over here in the States... I'll figure it out eventually, though. I actually just fired off an email to the Mayo Clinic to see what they say. Fingers crossed. 😁
Now we just wait and see if they actually have any sense of professionalism. 😁

Henry Wilson48, give me a break! You’re acting like you’ve been married to this guy for ten years already!
What kind of meditation are we even talking about when your husband is fast asleep right next to you? Seriously? And you still have to hunt for stuff online...
😲
If you actually want some deep relaxation, just jump on your big lion 👍 😁

Sherry said:If only it weren't for those European restrictions. I'll find a way. Just sent an email over to the Mayo Clinic... they should get back to me eventually. 😁
We'll see how professional they actually are.😁

The stuff above is for Europe. 😉 It’s all in English and everything, but nothing in American... 😉