Meditation Archives - Madhu Bazaz Wangu
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Meditation

Thursday, 16 January, 2025

Posted on January 15, 2025
in Journaling, Meditation & Journaling at Ashby Ponds
4 Comments

It feels so good to empty all that anguish in your trustworthy friend, you journal. This writing exercise has two advantages. One, it lightens your heart and clears your mind. Two, when you reread it after one year or five, it feels different. You notice how it has lost its power over you. It turns into ash yet saves some energetic embers of ideas for you to use. What you pour on the blank pages of your journal can be compared with autumn leaves. The mountain of dried leaves of your mental trash is all biodegradable. It decomposes into mulch with a few seeds which sprout later. It often happens, that upon rereading your journal you gain greater insight into the things that had happened the previous year or many years...

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Tuesday, January 14, 2025

Posted on January 13, 2025
in Journaling, Meditation & Journaling at Ashby Ponds
4 Comments

The eminent social psychologist, James Pennebaker in his book, Opening Up by Writing Down, writes that not fully expressing negative emotions, suffering in silence and keeping secrets—swallowing or pushing them down—affects your heart, mind and body for the rest of your life. By hiding your fears, anger, and hurt from the world, you hide from yourself. In order to replace the mask of social “goodness” and “niceness” with authenticity you must first recognize the anger, hurt or fear buried deep inside you. The recognition must be followed by acceptance of the negative emotions. Some of us may require therapy or hypnosis to cleanse the system but most of us can do this by writing in various forms. If you like, write a letter to the one who emotionally hurt you or pushed you...

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Thursday, January 9, 2025

Posted on January 8, 2025
in Journaling, Meditation & Journaling at Ashby Ponds
5 Comments

The way we observe physical hygiene for cleanliness, we must cultivate emotional hygiene for mental clarity. What practices do you follow to cleanse your mind? Journaling is one. It clears your mind of the mess that is created every day. Writing it down lends an ear when you need it but can’t share what you have to say with others. It reveals possible solutions to your problems and heals emotional wounds. So if there is a problem on your mind or something is hurting or knotting your belly, why not jot it down on as many pages as it takes? Your honest outpouring in words carries an energy, it has power. Dump all that down and, depending upon the problem, watch how you come up with doable intentions and make resolutions...

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Tuesday, January 7, 2024

Posted on January 6, 2025
in Journaling, Meditation & Journaling at Ashby Ponds, Spirituality
3 Comments

When you shine the light of awareness on yourself, you begin to awaken to an authentic life. How does one become conscious of one’s own self? Partly, with the help of daily journaling. When you pen down the thoughts and emotions that run through your mind like a broken record, leave them behind on the pages of a notebook. They will washout and leave you with clear mind and lightened heart. Place the bubbling thoughts of bitterness, anger, resentfulness or sorrow triggered by a family or social event on the pages of your journal. Then watch the petty or vindictive thoughts, careless actions or unnecessary words get soaked up by the pages. So go ahead, pour your heart out in that notebook and watch how it cures you. Your private thoughts...

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Day 3, Friday, January 3, 2025

Posted on January 2, 2025
in Journaling, Meditation, Meditation & Journaling at Ashby Ponds
4 Comments

The cave you fear to enter may hold the light you seek.”—Rumi If you're new to this site, welcome! Perhaps you are not familiar with your inner Self. You may not have looked within or paused and asked, Who am I truly? Now is the time to begin. Choose a cozy and comfortable space in your home and with a blank notebook and a free flowing pen begin writing whatsoever is on your heart and mind. This is journaling, one of the five disciplines I plan to practice with you through 2025. These five include Journaling, Meditation, Reading, Walking, Yoga or any physical exercise and any Creative Activity you enjoy doing. I know many of you with the help of the Practice (called Writing Meditation Practice) have connected with your Authentic Self or...

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Day 361, Tuesday, December 31, 2024

Posted on December 30, 2024
in Journaling, Meditation
6 Comments

Three cheers for completing your year-long journey of mindful writing meditation practice! Today is a good day to journal! Here are a few prompts to get you started. How do you feel? Overwhelmed? Content? Proud?  How is your focus on daily tasks now compared to before you began this journey?  Do you find yourself going deeper into meditating, journaling, creating, and reading than ever before?  How has your writing/journaling skill honed?  How has your sense of awe and wonder over nature and the simple things in daily life changed?  Have you started to travel or have you become more mindful during your regular travels?  Do you spend time in solitude?  What small daily goals have you added?  What do you now view as your life’s purpose?  The year has passed by too fast but you have cultivated good daily habits. You...

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Day 304, Monday, November 4, 2024

Posted on November 3, 2024
in Being in Nature, Meditation, Nonverbal Activities
2 Comments

Inspiration Seeing There is sheer joy in seeing. Watch nature through the sun, the moon, the stars, the sky, the clouds, the ocean, the river, the waterfall, the lake, the flames, the crackling sparks. Whether you are a child or a ninety-year-old, you can never see anything better. How can one learn to use visual skills to the utmost? Start observing nature and art any day, any time. The details in painting, sculpture, architecture, and crafts will surprise you. Take in the sense of composition, color hues, gradations, and visual balance. See artworks viscerally. There is no logic to what you learn thus but you will begin to appreciate the world around you with new understanding. Whatever style or period of art charms you or touches your heart, keep looking at those works. Let them...

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Day 302, Saturday, November 2, 2024

Posted on November 1, 2024
in Meditation
8 Comments

Do you wonder sometimes how is my body connected to the mind? What is the benefit of Body Scan Meditation? (For this meditation to be effective, I would change 2-minute body scan as suggested in this Inspiration to 5 or 10-minute scan) In the Body Scan meditation we practice to be mindful of the sensations that we feel on our skin. This is because skin and brain are connected. As is evidenced by the map in our brain called homunculus (The little person). The regions of the sensory homunculus correspond to the surface features of the skin. In this map the hands, feet and lips are huge compared to other locations. This is because of the high concentration of sensory nerve endings in these particular regions. The map and the diagram of...

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The image refers to the blossoming of Self after ten months of practicing Mindful Meditation and Journaling

Inspiration: Unblocking Your Creative Flow

Posted on October 31, 2024
in Journaling, Meditation, Meditation & Journaling at Ashby Ponds, Online Mindful Writers Group
8 Comments

Day 301, Friday, November 1, 2024 Welcome dear Mindful Writers and Mindful Creators, This is quite an exciting morning for me as we begin a new phase on our ongoing creative and spiritual journey together. The goal remains the same only the Power Spot has moved. This month's (Month 11) topic is "Mindfulness, Awe, Wonder and Delight." from the book Unblock Your Creative Flow: 12 Months of Mindfulness for Writers and Artists. What a topic to begin with from our new home!We begin with today's Inspiration from Day 301; pp. 362 from the book mentioned above followed by the Journal Prompt and the Link to today's meditation. The time it takes to practice these is between 30-45 minutes. Enjoy the process! Inspiration Awe and wonderment are sacred emotions that kindle spiritual delight, tenderness,...

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Walking Meditation: 7:00 am, 62* F

Posted on October 25, 2024
in Meditation
6 Comments

My mind muddledI push the heavy garage doora gush of air blows in.The sound of fountain sprinkling over the pondshimmers, droplets dance. The waves ripple toward uneven edges where geese peck insects between wild grasses. Fisherman's Pond I breathebring attention to my feet.left right, left right, left right,Five hundred feet and Five hundred moremy attention clicks,the rest of the body not so. Magnolia Pond Step after step energy flows upward the lower legs, the kneesBend, bend, bend, bend,Thighs energize blood rushes to the lower back through the spinal cord, upper back, shoulders, blades. Cardinal Pond Tingling incites the fingertipsebullience wakes up the body. Senses animating the “auspicious pitcher,” the five coalesced in the head, mind at peace, heart open, awareness awakens.  One with all and all with One. ...

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