There are moments I can find myself trapped beneath the weight of internal conversations and “grey noise”.  You know…the noise that never seems to leave your brain.  The constant flow of thoughts that rarely pause to catch its breath.  Ever since the “take me away” commercial aired when I was a young girl, I have been in constant struggle to quiet the thoughts and relax.  Recently I began the following meditation and wanted to share it with you.  Hopefully it can bring you a little quiet and a lot of peace.

• Begin by sitting in a relaxing position. Loosen your belt, untuck your shirt or take off your shoes…the goal is to have nothing distract you.
• Close your eyes and shut out all of the intrusive thoughts around you. 
• Take in three long, deep breaths and focus on your lungs as they contract filling your body with air.
• Notice how you feel…how the air moves thru your throat while your shoulders lift and drop…like a wave passing through your body.
• Once you reach this state comfortably, shift your attention to your surroundings.  Heighten your awareness and hone in on the subtle sounds.
• Do this for two minutes allowing no other thoughts to derail you.
• Follow this by returning to your breathing for another minute.
• Opening your eyes, feel the control you have over your body and remember that feeling…and how easy it is to get there.

At first it may be hard to block it all out, but in time it gets easier.  And as your days fill up and the noise gets to be too much, close your eyes and take yourself away…if only for a moment.  In doing so, you’ll get a much-needed break allowing you to tune into yourself and tune out the world.