I read Your 3 Best Super Powers by Sonia Choquette just over a month ago. It’s stuffed full of different practices, but the one that intrigued me most was a meditation practice called Breathing in the Holy Spirit.
I read years ago that the key to successful meditation is giving the mind a simple, repetitive job to do, rather than try to wrestle it into stillness.
For example, in some meditation practices, the mind observes the breath as it flows in and out, or counts breaths up to a certain number and then starts over.
The job you give the mind in this particular meditation is to repeat a simple statement, “I breathe in the Holy Spirit; I breathe out what doesn’t serve me,” as well as observing the breath as it flows in and out of the body.
I tried it and liked it almost immediately. Even with the simple tasks to focus on, I find my mind calms within a few minutes, and then my body follows suit and becomes very peaceful. It’s like giving my insides a relaxing bath.
In the book, Sonia gives this meditation to a woman struggling to lose weight. After three months of diligent practice, the woman had lost 10 pounds without dieting. She was an emotional eater and turned to food to calm her anxiety. The meditation replaced the food as the anxiety-buster.
It’s a good example of the practical use of meditation. If you can’t see how a practice is going to help you, it can be difficult to invest the time and effort.
You might not be interested in weight loss, but if you struggle with anxiety, negative mind-looping, or holding tension in your body, you may find this exercise helpful, or one of the many others in the book. Pick one that you feel drawn to, which is what I did.
I do this exercise for at least 10 minutes every day, and longer when I have time.
Side Note: There are additional instructions in the book about placing your hands on your chest and belly, but I prefer to place mine in my lap.
Louise x
