Health, Beauty and Fitness

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Short visualization for self-acceptance

Ilove this little meditation. I first heard it from a guru in Varanasi, India. What I love about it is that it is so simple and universal and doesn’t require any philosophical preparation. The visualization exercise is also very simple and doesn’t require much concentration or mental gymnastics. You only need a mind and a body! It will take about 5 minutes to do, but you can extend it to as long as you like. I find that shorter meditations can be very effective, especially for us beginners. This meditation helps us to accept ourselves as we are, without being judgmental or harsh. When we treat ourselves with respect and acceptance, we find that we respect and accept others more easily. It’s a truly magical formula! Enjoy. 1. Sit comfortably on a chair or a couch. Take a moment to observe your body and adjust your position if need be. Slow down your rate of breathing a little, extending and refining the inhalation and the exhalation, breathing only through the nose if you can. 2. Slowly mentally scan your body starting from the feet and moving upwards, relaxing any muscles that you discover are tense, all the way up to the head. Feel the connection between your body and what you are sitting on. Relax the stomach and bring the breath more into the stomach, noticing how it rises and falls with each inhalation and exhalation.

by Rebecca Novick

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3. Close your eyes and imagine that in front of you is a fulllength mirror. See your reflection in that mirror, just as you are right now, with the same clothes. Take a minute or so to really stabilize this image of your own reflection in your mind. 4. Gently lift the corners of your lips into a half smile. At the same time, mentally offer a greeting to this mirror-self, with a sense of goodwill, understanding and encouragement. Feel these sentiments around your heart, like a warm energy, and continue to offer these positive feelings to your mirror self. Do this for a few minutes, returning to the visualization every time your mind wanders off, which it most probably will! Gently bring your attention back to the visualization (without berating yourself for wandering off to the garden or your plans for the day or wherever it went), and continue to extend these feelings of warmth and good will to your mirror self. 5. Now feel that your mirror self has fully accepted these sentiments with appreciation. 6. Then imagine that the mirror dissolves leaving only the mirror self which then merges into you and dissolves into the area around your heart. Feel that all these sentiments are now operating beautifully inside you. Warmth, goodwill, understanding and encouragement. Sit for a while, bathed in all these good feelings. Move out of the meditation slowly, taking your time, and move through the rest of your day with a more positive outlook.

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