Becoming aware

One of my favourite pastimes is to walk. Near our apartment there is a large waterfront and that really make my walk a lot more interesting. I usually have the company of the birds and ducks and looking at the animals and flowers relax me. I have been down with a slight cold and thus been cooped up at home. Today the weather was too beautiful to pass up so I laced my trusty shoes and went out. The warmth of the sun ray felt so wonderful. There was soft breeze and I could hear the sound of the vehicles in the distance.

As I walked, I sharpened my senses and became acutely aware of my body movement as well as my breath. I am grateful that all my senses are intact, that I am able to walk and see all that nature has to offer. I stopped to look at the flowers that were in bloom. There are so pretty!

I took a quick break and decided to stretch out in order absorb the sun. I closed my eyes and imagine the ray strengthening my body. Like the plant, I drew energy from the sun. As I took deep breaths I felt immensely grateful to be alive.

Try this exercise when you're feeling tired and depleted.

Stand in the sun and stretch out your hands. Tilt your head up and absorb the energy from the sun. Take deep and slow breaths. Slow down. Look at the scenery like it is the first time you're seeing it. Be grateful that you are alive.

How to...

uplift your (occasional) low mood?

Everyone has those days before. You wake up feeling a little out of sort and can't quite pinpoint what exactly make you feel so "weird". The worst thing is you engage in pep talk and you feel worse. What should you do next?

I discover that sometimes it is more useful to switch from a thinking mode to other medium when you are stuck. For example from thoughts (word) to images or audio. I used to subscribe to Webshots where I can download gorgeous wallpapers. After a difficult session at work, i found comfort in looking at the pictures. Somehow they took my mind off the situation that i was in and my mood improved. This tip actually came from a friend. She said that we must store "wallpapers" in our mind of beautiful places or pictures so that we can pull them out and remember those moments when we feel down.

I have several wallpapers that I like to extract whenever i feel a little down. Here is one of my wallpapers that usually does the work.



This picture was taken at Railay beach in Krabi, Thailand. We saw this beautiful sunset after a wonderful afternoon of rock climbing. I was feeling high from completing 3 climbs (first time ever) and was mighty pleased. As an icing on the cake, we were treated to this gorgeous gorgeous sight as we return to the beach to wait for the boat to take us to Ao Nang. Seated on the mat with a large backpack was our instructor who was really helpful and patient. I remember sitting on that mat admiring the beauty, wishing time would freeze. It was awesome.

As i recall this story now, the memory is so vivid. My heart rate slows down and I feel a lot calmer and at peace. I feel like I have been transported back to Railay.

This is an example of Imagery Relaxation