Tag: practice

I thought I’d throw a little challenge your way. The idea came to me as I was grocery shopping with my son the other day. Standing in line at the cash, I overheard a father say: “if only I could find 5 minutes in my day to breath…” It got me thinking.

Our days are filled with “5 minutes”. There are actually 288 sets of “5 minutes” in one day.

The problem is not the lack of time, the problem is that we don’t know how to set that time aside to do something good for ourselves.

And when I say good for ourselves, I don’t mean sit in the break room for a cup of coffee or watch the latest episode of Master Chef. I mean good for our overall wellbeing.

So this week, I’m challenging you to find one set of 5 minutes (I’ll show you where those minutes are hiding) and do the following practice detailed at the bottom of this post.

At the end of the week, report back to me, either through email or by leaving a comment below, and let me know how this simple 5 minute daily challenge has changed the course of your week.

Now where are those 5 minutes hiding…

We often get so caught up in our day that we don’t realize how much time is actually available to us.

Here are a few examples of where you can find one set of 5 minutes to complete your challenge:

• wake up 5 minutes earlier (ok, that one was easy!)
• take 5 minutes out of your lunch break
• go to bed 5 minutes later
• take a 5 minute bathroom break (you may get a few weird looks at the office but you can handle it, you’ve got a challenge to complete!)
• sit in your car for an extra 5 minutes after you’ve finished all your errands
• take 5 extra minutes while you are doing the dishes
• cut down your office gossip by 5 minutes (not that you gossip much anyways, right?…)
• cut down your social media activity by 5 minutes
• cut down day/evening TV time by 5 minutes…

These are just examples but as you can see, there are plenty of moments in your day when you can put time aside for yourself.

I personally prefer to wake up 5 minutes earlier but when that’s not possible, for whatever reason life throws my way, I take time, right after I’ve put my son down to sleep. It is the quietest moment of my day and I know that whatever else I have to do afterwards, no matter how urgent, can wait an extra 5 minutes.

So take out your agenda and schedule a daily appointment with yourself, for one week, under the title Self Challenge.

The importance of intentionally setting time aside

You may start out with the greatest of intentions for this challenge, but things will get in your way. Life will try to derail you and throw you a few curve balls, so I encourage you to not rely solely on your good will and discipline but really schedule a time in your agenda and set an alarm  as a reminder.

And keep that alarm on repeat until you’ve completed your challenge for the day.

It is very important that you respect your appointment with yourself. Treat it like an appointment with an elite client or the Principal at your child’s school or your doctor.

You wouldn’t postpone those appointments just because you didn’t feel like going or because you found something better to do. You would honour those appointments.

I’m asking you to treat yourself with the same respect and importance as you do others. Your wellbeing is just, if not more important, then your client’s needs, the Principal or the doctor.

Onto the challenge!

Ok so you’ve set your 5 minutes aside, your alarm is on and you are ready to go.

1. sit, or stand, and take a deep inhale in through your nose and exhale out through your nose (be mindful not to bring your shoulders up to your ears as you breath in, but really expand your ribcage)
2. relax all your facial muscles:
   • start with your forehead, release all the tension in your forehead, let it drop;
   • then move onto your eyes, let them rest in a neutral position and release your eyebrows;
   • move your attention to your cheeks and let them drop;
   • next, your jaw, unclench your grip and let your mouth open slightly;
   • drop down your ears.
3. next, rub your hands together vigorously (this friction creates heat and vibrating energy)
4. close your eyes and rest the palms of your hands on your eyes for 1 minute to transfer the energetic vibrations
5. remove your hands and open your eyes
6. repeat the following sentences either in your head or out loud:
   • I am safe
   • God (the Universe) is by my side, guiding me
   • I am capable and worthy of all my desired achievements
   • I am Love
7. Close your eyes one more time
8. Take a deep breath in and out through your nose.

Your 5 minutes is up. You have completed your challenge for the day.

Why this challenge

You may think this is a very basic or simplistic challenge. And you are right: it is simple and it is basic.

The secret to wellbeing doesn’t lie in complex metaphysical theories or intricate physical practices.

It lies in the small steps we take daily to remind ourselves that we are Divine beings, that we have a Divine Light that shines within us and that if we are willing to take the time to acknowledge that Light and acknowledge who we are, we are capable of profound happiness and achieving our greatest dreams, regardless of how immense or crazy they are.

Do this 5 minutes challenge for 1 full week and notice the subtle changes in your attitude, your mood and your capacity to handle stressful situations.

Before long, I promise you, you will want to make this, a part of your daily ritual.

Now set your agenda, your alarm and a reminder to get back to me with your results in one week.

As always, I love hearing from you so if you have any questions or comments during your challenge, don’t hesitate to ask me.

Love

Eloise