Mindful Practice to Transform Negative Thinking: Finding Grace Within

Almost every spiritual tradition is rooted in the simple act of being grateful and seeing beyond our physical eyes. I remembered talking to a good friend who grew up under a different tradition. I asked this person what she does to overcome a negative mindset and pessimism in life that works 99% of the time, and believe it or not, it all revolves around the fact that whenever you feel down, that life has betrayed you, things don't seem to come around easily, or it's a pile of unfortunate events, You can intentionally shifts your attention to gratitude and appreciation.

Try this approach

We can stop the ruminating mind, by connecting inwards by bringing special attention to your heart.

Count for each bad thing that happened to you, 2 positive things, objects, people, events that you already have.

1 negative thing -equivalent to 2 good things. Start with 5 bad things, and counteract with 10 good things.

You can write it all down or create a beautiful image to focus on. Connect to your heart and let this visualization permeates and flood your entire being until you feel a mindshift.

Sometimes, we fail to make the most of our blessings because we invest too much time in dwelling on the negatives instead of the richness of life.

Scientists David and Bruce McArthur found that "Frustration creates a chaotic pattern in our heart rate variability, which is the speeding up and the slowing down of the hear rate. In contract they say, a deep heartfelt appreciation produces a balanced, ordered pattern that is generally associated with efficient cardiovascular function"

5 Steps Effortless Gratitude Meditation

Practice to focus on next time your self-critic kicks in.

Once you settle into your body, take a long deep breath and visualize your heart space, let your breath slowdown and soften.

1. Offer gratitude to your senses: To your sight, your sense of hearing, your sense of smelling, sense of feeling, sense of taste and to your intuition, your six sense.

2. To the people in your life: This includes everyone, your supportive relationships, the difficult ones, these are your teachers, people you like and you don't like, everyone is in your life to teach you something and if you adopt a new perspecive everything and everyone is welcome.

3. To your material posessions: Relinquish any guilt or sense of unworthiness and sincerely appreciate all the objects and gadget, books, clothing, that you posses to keep you advancing, to objects that have passed onto you and hold special meaning, to your house and vehicules and so on, thank all the abundance that is already yours.

4. To the experiences: Release all the animosity that you may hold against negative past experiences. Instead recognize that every experience is part of your unique journey and has take you to this very moment. Appreciate the good ones, the trips, school years, the heartaches. See the painful ones under the lens of compassion.

5. To the present moment: Be authentically grateful for everyone and everthing that is holding space to have this quiet moment just for you, as you are, no pressure, no expectations, not changing anything. Bring your hands to your heart center, offer gratitude to yourself and enter back into the scene with a deep sense of appreciation and thankfulness.

   
   

About Monica Daza

Monica is a wife and mother of two teenagers. Passionate founder of Zazen Meditation & Self-care Studio. She is a firm believer in the physical and spiritual healing of meditation. Monica shares her passion by empowering individuals in her community, facilitating workshops in Mindfulness, Holistic self-care and Emotional regulation. Under the umbrella of Mindfulness practices, Ayurveda Care, Yoga Therapy and Conscious Breath Work, Monica supports her clients by offering guidance in their healing journey.

Monica is trained in Akhanda- Hatha classical yoga , Ayurveda and Yoga Therapist, Restorative Yoga for emotional balance, Healing meditation, Mantra and Mindfulness based stress reduction. Monica is a strong advocate for mental health in her community to break the stigma.

If you're ready to deepen your mindfulness practice and explore holistic wellness, private sessions, and personalized programs, visit www.zazenme.com

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