Mind Tools & Inspirations: Summer fun
Summer gets more precious when fall is almost here.
In this 3-minute experience you take time to remember fun memories of summer when you were a kid. Perhaps you will awaken and re-experience some of those good feelings.
TRY THIS…
If you have time, let me guide you so you can focus on your experience.
HERE IS THE PRACTICE
Sit comfortably and close your eyes.
Have your arms down by your sides.
Exhale here.
As you inhale, raise one arm up towards the ceiling.
As you exhale, lower that arm down.
Inhaling, raising the other arm up towards the ceiling.
Exhaling, lowering that arm back down.
Continue moving and breathing like this, alternating arms.
As you’re inhaling, your raising your arm.
As you’re exhaling, that arm floats back down.
Have this be your last movement and then sit comfortably.
And invite a fun memory of summer when you were a kid to arise.
Just wait and allow a memory or sense of summer fun to show up.
As you inhale, raise one arm up towards the ceiling.
As you exhale, let that arm float back down.
Inhaling, raising the other arm up towards the ceiling.
Exhaling, letting that arm float back down.
Continue moving and breathing like this, aligning your movements with your breath.
Again sit comfortably.
Return to something fun about summer when you were a kid.
Connect with how it felt.
Be with that feeling of fun.
As you inhale, raise both arms up toward the ceiling.
As you exhale, let both arms float back down.
WHY DO THIS?
In the summer fun practice you allow long ago memories of summer fun when you were a kid to arise.
We go back to childhood because you and your life were so different then. And the memories are deep, probably not activated in a long time.
In remembering, your body and mind take on some of the qualities of that experience. Perhaps you were able to remember a sense of fun. Perhaps for a little while you embodied feelings of childhood fun.
You return to daily life with a slightly different perspective.
Mind Tools & Inspirations are experiences for busy, smart, curious people to help you operate your human system.
To access the full set of Mind Tools visit https://www.yogamindtools.com/mind-tools-inspirations
I add a new experience every week.
Kindly,
Carrie
Carrie Heeter, PhD
Yoga Mind Tools
Felt like I could use a little boost today :)
Before starting I thought for sure a memory at a pool or lake would be the first to make the strongest impression because the image was already pulling some from memory but, to no surprise to anyone who knows me, the memory that was the strongest (and almost immediately at that point in the meditation) was playing a video game I still love today but without any cares or worries or pressuring thoughts of the future or what ifs or whatever else can clog an otherwise enjoyable time for me as an adult today.
This is what I enjoy most about meditation, creating a lasting feeling inside you that you can carry with you for the day.