I literally haven't blogged since I was traveling back in 2008. I'm ready to offer little bits of hope each Monday.

Introducing...Mindful Monday Moments
with Linnea Bjorkman

This one is coming on a Tuesday...but the rest will be Mondays :)

Song:

Put Down What You Are Carrying

Trevor Hall and Brett Dennen

Things that help (a section inspired by my teacher, Buffy Barefoot)

Find a healthy morning ritual, such as spending 5-10 minutes drinking a hot beverage out of a special mug. Really take the time to savor it and make it a special time in your day.

·         Some options:

o    Hot lemon water

o    Coffee

o    Tea

o    Cacao (this one is my favorite for heart-opening, inspired by Gisela -- you can make a big batch and drink a few ounces each morning)

§  Recipe:

·         Sprinkle a little salt into 32 ounces of water, bring that to a boil

·         Reduce the heat to low and add 6 ounces of cacao paste (the heart opener)

·         Mix/whisk until the cacao dissolves completely

·         Add cinnamon (for stability and nourishment), cayenne (to "keep the fires burning"), and sweetener (maple, honey, or mix of both - for appreciating the sweetness of life) to taste.

·         Once it's where you like it, turn off heat and pour into a glass container with a lid.

·         Each morning heat up 2-3 ounces, pour it into a special cup/mug - sit and enjoy with a smile

Practice:

Mindful Breathing - an exercise inspired by Thich Nhat Hanh

This exercise is simply to identify the in-breath as in-breath and the out-breath as the out-breath. When you breathe in, you know that this is your in-breath. When you breathe out, you are mindful that this is your out-breath.

Close your eyes if it feels comfortable

Recognize: this is an in-breath, this is an out-breath.

In order to recognize your in-breath as in-breath, you have to bring your mind home to yourself. What is recognizing your in-breath is your mind, and the object of your mind—the object of your mindfulness—is the in-breath. Mindfulness is always mindful of something. When you drink your tea mindfully, it’s called mindfulness of drinking. When you walk mindfully, it’s called mindfulness of walking. And when you breathe mindfully, that is mindfulness of breathing.

In this moment, the object of your mindfulness is your breath. Focus your attention on it. Breathing in, this is my in-breath. Breathing out, this is my out-breath.

The mental discourse slows, and maybe even stops. You don’t have to make an effort to stop your thinking; you just redirect your attention to your in-breath. Your full attention is on your breath. The in-breath can be a celebration of the fact that you are alive, so it can be very joyful. Bringing a smile to your face increases the sensation of joy. An in-breath may take three, four, five seconds, it depends. That’s time to be alive, time to enjoy your breath.

You don’t have to interfere with your breathing. If your in-breath is short, allow it to be short. If your out-breath is long, let it to be long. Don’t force it. The practice is simple recognition of the in-breath and the out-breath. That is good enough.

Enjoy your in-breath. You are breathing in, and while breathing in, you know that you are alive. Your in-breath is a celebration of the fact that you are alive, so it can be very joyful. When you are joyful and happy, you don’t feel that you have to make any effort at all. I am alive; I am breathing in.

The greatest of all miracles is to be alive, and when you breathe in, you touch that miracle. Therefore, your breathing can be a celebration of life.