Mindful Mondays Podcast

Welcome to Day Two of 21-Day Mindfulness Challenge. Please go back to Day One if you are just starting. **Please also see Mindfulness Meditation Six (Mindful Sensations Relaxing Meditation). ** This podcast originally aired a few years ago, but still speaks to this crazy journey we call life! For my most current meditations, healings & guidance please follow me on social media: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/reiki_with_rachael TikTok: https://bit.ly/3jmX1AF YouTube: https://bit.ly/3iXaBuk You can also visit my website for extensive healing sessions: https://reikiwithrachael.com/ What to expect? Conclusion Congratulations on making it through the challenge! It is not easy to commit yourself to such a journey. You have now established a strong mindfulness base and with continued practice, you will regain control of your thinking, emotions, and your life. Situations that once frustrated you will no longer seem important. You will be able to savor life’s precious moments and be peaceful in almos

Welcome to Day Two of 21-Day Mindfulness Challenge. Please go back to Day One if you are just starting. **Please also see Mindfulness Meditation Six (Mindful Sensations Relaxing Meditation). ** This podcast originally aired a few years ago, but still speaks to this crazy journey we call life! For my most current meditations, healings & guidance please follow me on social media: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/reiki_with_rachael TikTok: https://bit.ly/3jmX1AF YouTube: https://bit.ly/3iXaBuk You can also visit my website for extensive healing sessions: https://reikiwithrachael.com/ What to expect? Not Thinking About the Future Today will be similar to yesterday, but opposite! Today you will not allow yourself to think of the future. What?!! This sounds crazy! How will you ever get anything done?? Yes, this may be the most anxiety-provoking activity so far, if you let it. Ideally, mindfulness is the consistent practice of being in the present moment which means there is no thought about the fut

Welcome to Day Two of the 21-Day Mindfulness Challenge. Please go back to Day One if you are just starting. **Please also see Mindfulness Meditation Six (Mindful Sensations Relaxing Meditation). ** This podcast originally aired a few years ago, but still speaks to this crazy journey we call life! For my most current meditations, healings & guidance please follow me on social media: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/reiki_with_rachael TikTok: https://bit.ly/3jmX1AF YouTube: https://bit.ly/3iXaBuk You can also visit my website for extensive healing sessions: https://reikiwithrachael.com/ What to expect? Not Thinking About the Past There is peace in the present. The past does not affect you unless you remember it and associate feelings with it. The past is simply a moment in time. Today, practice living in the moment and not thinking about the past. Notice anytime a thought of a past experience enters your mind. This can be a situation, a person, a conversation, or a moment. Do not continue to th

Welcome to Day Two of the 21-Day Mindfulness Challenge. Please go back to Day One if you are just starting. **Please also see Mindfulness Meditation Six (Mindful Sensations Relaxing Meditation). ** This podcast originally aired a few years ago, but still speaks to this crazy journey we call life! For my most current meditations, healings & guidance please follow me on social media: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/reiki_with_rachael TikTok: https://bit.ly/3jmX1AF YouTube: https://bit.ly/3iXaBuk You can also visit my website for extensive healing sessions: https://reikiwithrachael.com/ What to expect? Mindful Bedtime and Sleep Prep As the final stage of the day-long mindfulness practice, you are going to focus on being mindful right before sleep. During this period, people like to replay all the events of the day, think about stressful situations in their lives, and plan and/or worry about everything they need to get done the following day. This is not beneficial and can be very detrimental to y

Part of 21 Day Mindfulness Challenge! Preparation: Sit or lie in a comfortable position. Take 5 slow, deep, calming breaths to get you into your meditative state. Body Sensations Focus on the sensations of your body as a whole. Feel its weight. Feel its temperature. Feel any sensations inside of it. Feel any sensations outside of it. Do not judge any sensation. Focus on your body being present in the moment. When your mind starts to wander, bring your attention back to the sensations. If it helps, you can pick one part (i.e. legs) or one sensation (i.e. the feeling of clothing against the skin) to bring your attention back when your thoughts start to wonder. This podcast originally aired a few years ago, but still speaks to this crazy journey we call life! For my most current meditations, healings & guidance please follow me on social media: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/reiki_with_rachael TikTok: https://bit.ly/3jmX1AF YouTube: https://bit.ly/3iXaBuk You can also visit my website for extensiv

Welcome to Day Two of 21-Day Mindfulness Challenge. Please go back to Day One if you are just starting. **Please also see Mindfulness Meditation Five (Mindful Mind Meditation). ** This podcast originally aired a few years ago, but still speaks to this crazy journey we call life! For my most current meditations, healings & guidance please follow me on social media: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/reiki_with_rachael TikTok: https://bit.ly/3jmX1AF YouTube: https://bit.ly/3iXaBuk You can also visit my website for extensive healing sessions: https://reikiwithrachael.com/ What to expect? Mindful Evening Just as you have done the previous two days, you will be mindful for a pre-determined period of time. Whatever time you stopped your mindful exercise yesterday, begin at that time today. Remain mindful for the entire evening. End the exercise before bed as that will be the focus tomorrow. Make sure you are mindful during eating, relaxing, all tasks, preparations for the next day, and during all con

Welcome to Day Two of the 21-Day Mindfulness Challenge. Please go back to Day One if you are just starting. **Please also see Mindfulness Meditation Five (Mindful Mind Meditation). ** What to expect? Mindful Afternoon Just as yesterday, you are going to be mindful in every task during a chunk of time. Pick the time you stopped the exercise yesterday as a beginning point. It may even be helpful to set an alarm for yourself so you do not forget. Also, pick an end time in the early evening (between 4-7 o’clock) to finish the exercise. Your mind will inevitably wander during this time, and when you notice it does, simply bring yourself back to the present. Be mindful during any relaxing, walking, eating, commuting, conversations, afternoon tasks, thoughts that arise, and anytime you experience emotions. You are equipped to be mindful in all these situations; it is simply time to put them together and practice. Notice if this time period is easier or harder than the morning. Often, we become tired in the a

Welcome to Day Two of 21-Day Mindfulness Challenge. Please go back to Day One if you are just starting. **Please also see Mindfulness Meditation Five (Mindful Mind Meditation). ** What to expect? Mindful Morning Focus on being mindful from the time you wake up until midday. Set an end time for yourself around noon and aim to be mindful for the entire chunk of time. Your mind will stray, but when you notice it does, simply bring yourself back to the present. Be mindful during any relaxing, walking, commuting, conversations, morning tasks, thoughts that arise, and anytime you experience emotions. You are equipped to be mindful in all these situations; it is simply time to put them together and practice. After the morning is over, reflect on how it went for you. Did you struggle during a particular time, with certain situations or tasks? Try to figure out what happened during those times that led you to become unmindful. Once you are aware of challenges, you are able to be extra mindful during these sit

Mindful Mind Meditation Part of 21 Day Mindfulness Challenge! Preparation: Sit or lie in a comfortable position. Take 5 slow, deep, calming breaths to get you into your meditative state. Head Focus For this meditation, you will focus on the sensations of your head. Typically we associate the head with a place where thoughts are constantly being fired off, but in this meditation, you will focus only on the sensations and feel what it is like to have a peaceful head space. Feel the sensation of the top of your head. Temperature, hair follicles, etc. Move down to your forehead and repeat. Next feel your eyelids closed over your eyes. What do you see? Move down to your nose and feel your breath moving in and out. Move down to your lips. Notice if they are closed or open and if they are tense or relaxed. Finally, pay attention to any sensations of your chin. Move now to the back of your head. What sensations do you feel? Is there pressure or weight? Finally, pay attention to the inside of your head without

Welcome to Day Two of 21-Day Mindfulness Challenge. Please go back to Day One if you are just starting. **Please also see Mindfulness Meditation Four (Mindful Focus Meditation). ** What to expect? Mindful Gratitude Expressing gratitude has been shown to drastically decrease stress, anxiety and a variety of other negative emotions. When we express gratitude we focus on what we have to be grateful for in our lives. This practice, combined with mindfulness, can drastically shift one’s outlook. For today, be mindful of everything you have to be grateful for. Often, our minds want to focus on negatives, especially in moments of agitation, but there is always something to be grateful for. Perhaps, be mindful that your heart and lungs are working efficiently, or you have full control over all of your limbs, or you are surrounded by people you love. Throughout the day, bring mindful attention to what you are grateful for in each moment. Any time you experience a negative emotion, anger, frustration, guilt, an

Welcome to Day Two of 21-Day Mindfulness Challenge. Please go back to Day One if you are just starting. **Please also see Mindfulness Meditation Four (Mindful Focus Meditation). ** What to expect? Mindful Awareness True self-awareness is a result of constant mindfulness. Through time, we have formed many habits that affect our natural inclinations, how we think, act, and perceive the world. Have you ever stepped back and really observed how you navigate the world? Today is your chance to break habituated patterns and discover natural tendencies. Focus on your routines, thinking patterns, conversation patterns, natural tendencies, and general outlook on life. Also, be mindful of the results your natural tendencies encourage. As with all the mindful activities, just observe. You can always work to shift certain patterns later, but you must be fully aware of them first. This podcast originally aired a few years ago, but still speaks to this crazy journey we call life! For my most current meditations, hea

Welcome to Day Two of 21-Day Mindfulness Challenge. Please go back to Day One if you are just starting. **Please also see Mindfulness Meditation Four (Mindful Focus Meditation). ** What to expect? Mindful Intent Today’s focus will be on your intentions. We all act with an intended purpose, yet we are often unaware what our true intentions are. For example, if you yell at your spouse for neglecting to take out the trash, the intention for yelling may not be as clear as you first think. With some mindful observation, you may find your true intent was to hurt him in an attempt to make yourself feel better. Or perhaps, you think if you yell at him he will never forget to take it out again. Or maybe, you are frustrated with him for other reasons and the trash incident was just a chance to express some built up frustration. Being mindful of your true intent can lead to more effective ways of handling situations or shed light on issues you have been trying to bury. In addition to observing your intent after an

Welcome to Day Two of 21-Day Mindfulness Challenge. Please go back to Day One if you are just starting. **Please also see Mindfulness Meditation Four (Mindful Focus Meditation). ** What to expect? Mindful Judgement Everyone judges, yet these judgments are rarely a true reflection of reality. We often have tendencies and subconscious biases that drastically affect our ability to accurately view our environment. Today, focus on every judgment you make. These can be judgments about yourself, other people, and situations. You likely will discover patterns. Many tend to judge others harshly; they naturally jump to negative conclusions. Some want to give everyone the benefit of the doubt. Others judge themselves harshly in comparison to everyone else. Our judgments affect our moods, actions, and well-being. Someone who automatically judges all situations as potentially dangerous likely suffers from high levels of anxiety. A person who suffers from perfectionism likely has underlying insecurities and self-do

Welcome to the 21 Day Mindfulness Challenge!! This is a time to push yourself, become open to change and see the transformation unfold. Every day there will be a new challenge, a description of the challenge and some tips and action steps. The daily challenges will build on each other and will gradually become more challenging. It is important not to skip a day so that you do not miss any necessary skills needed for future challenges. Mindful Hand Meditation Preparation: Sit or lie in a comfortable position. Set a timer for 5-10 minutes. Take 5 slow, deep, calming breaths to get you into your meditative state. Hand Focus This will be the first meditation that focuses on “being” without concentrating on different stimuli. During this, you will only focus on your hands. Begin by paying attention to the positioning of your hands and each one of your fingers. Note the temperature of each individual finger. Focus on the weight of your hands against the surface they are lying on. If there is anything coverin

Welcome to Day Two of 21-Day Mindfulness Challenge. Please go back to Day One if you are just starting. **Please also see Mindfulness Meditation Three (Mindful Sounds Guided Meditation). ** What to expect? Mindful Love Love is an emotion associated with the heart, not the head. The term mindful love may seem like a bit of an oxymoron, but the mind plays a much larger role in the feeling of love than may be apparent. Think now of who you love. (Partners, children, family, friends, pets). Why do you love them? Think of what you love. (The beach, chocolate, bonfires, wine). Why do you love these things? The mind can also distract us from fully experiencing love. How many times have you been with your loved ones and been distracted by your thoughts? For today, embrace each loving moment you spend. Try to engage in an activity you love or be around someone you love. This can be as simple as eating a piece of chocolate while sitting next to your loving cat. During this time, be fully present in your tho

Welcome to Day Two of 21-Day Mindfulness Challenge. Please go back to Day One if you are just starting. **Please also see Mindfulness Meditation Three (Mindful Sounds Guided Meditation). ** What to expect? Mindful Happiness When was the last time you thought about what truly makes you happy in life? In addition, have you ever asked yourself why these are sources of your happiness? Finally, how often do you experience happiness? Through mindfulness, you are able to explore what exactly makes you happy and ideally learn how you can increase overall happiness. It may also be quite eye opening how much of your day is spent in a state of unhappiness. There are three activities today. The first is to observe how often you feel happy and what you are doing when you experience this happiness. Second, pay attention to what activities cause unhappiness and be mindful of your thoughts surrounding those situations. Third, take some time to ponder what makes you happy and ask yourself “why?” Mindfully explore what

"Here is the true meaning and value of compassion and nonviolence, when it helps us to see the enemy's point of view, to hear his questions, to know his assessment of ourselves. For from his view we may indeed see the basic weaknesses of our own condition, and if we are mature, we may learn and grow and profit from the wisdom of the brothers who are called the opposition." ~Martin Luther King, April 4, 1967 Welcome to Day Two of 21-Day Mindfulness Challenge. Please go back to Day One if you are just starting. **Please also see Mindfulness Meditation Three (Mindful Sounds Guided Meditation). ** What to expect? Have you ever paid attention to how you perceive others? It can be our natural inclination to view others as they relate to us. We hear a horrific story on the news about a family being murdered and feel compassion as we think about it happening to our own family. A lack of compassion is also a result of our self-involved tendencies. You lack compassion for your best friend who is going through a d

Welcome to the 21 Day Mindfulness Challenge!! This is a time to push yourself, become open to change and see the transformation unfold. Every day there will be a new challenge, a description of the challenge and some tips and action steps. The daily challenges will build on each other and will gradually become more challenging. It is important not to skip a day so that you do not miss any necessary skills needed for future challenges. Mindful Sound Meditation Preparation: Sit or lie in a comfortable position. Take 5 slow, deep, calming breaths to get you into your meditative state. Sound Awareness During this meditation, you will only focus your attention on the sounds you hear. Pay attention without attaching any judgment (positive or negative) to them. For example, if you hear a loud dump truck outside do not label it as loud or annoying. If you, on the other hand, hear the sound of a bird chirping, do not label this as pretty or relaxing. The point is not to pay attention to “peaceful” sounds but to p

Welcome to Day Two of 21-Day Mindfulness Challenge. Please go back to Day One if you are just starting. **Please also see Mindfulness Meditation Two (Mindful Breathing Exercise). ** What to expect? Day 7: Mindful Meals Be mindful anytime you eat today. Do not engage in activities that distract your mind, such as watching TV, texting, or surfing the internet. If you are around others and engaging in conversation, make sure you remain mindful of the eating process. With every bite of food, taste the flavors, feel the textures and temperatures, and hear the sounds. Feel the food traveling to your stomach as you swallow it. Do the same any time you take a drink. Pay attention to how your body feels as you eat or any thoughts that may pop into your head. When do you notice you are getting full and have had enough nourishment to stop eating? You will likely find it takes you longer to eat this way and some people eat less as they notice they get full much earlier than usual. This podcast originally aired

Welcome to Day Two of the 21-Day Mindfulness Challenge. Please go back to Day One if you are just starting. **Please also see Mindfulness Meditation Two (Mindful Breathing Exercise). ** What to expect? Anytime you travel or commute today, plan to be mindful. This could be your commute to and from work, it can be driving the kids to school, it can be running errands or going to the gym. It also does not have to be when you are driving. If you bike or walk to places, be mindful during those activities. If you take public transportation, also remember to be mindful. During any of these commutes, practice all of the sensation-focusing exercises you used during your meditation practices. Do not listen to any music, news, or podcasts. Just let your mind become aware of all the sensations you are feeling, hearing, seeing, and smelling. If commute with other people, be mindful of all conversations during this time. Listen to everything being said without thinking how you are going to respond to it. If others a