Mindful Mondays|Week 18: Retreat

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Can your mind become a retreat? Can your own body be your safe haven? Let’s give that a try today. Go ahead and find your most perfect spot, in a position you like and can maintain and not fall asleep. Give yourself a little cuddle; remind yourself you are safe and well. Look around at your surroundings and see if you can imagine this being the most amazing retreat location your mind can conjure. What if all the piles of laundry were sandcastles? What if the broken end table had your favorite hot drink sitting upon it? What if the bland whitish walls were scenes of epic mountains sprawled out in front of you? What if this room was your very own private escape, and your body was there for all the sensations? If you can think it, you can create it. Soak it in; drink it down. Let out a sigh and close your eyes when you are ready.

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Settle into your perfect retreat and feel grounded in your own skin. Can you allow your thoughts to tuck away next to you like in a cove off your lounge chair? Is it okay to just be with yourself right now? Can you allow your mind to pick a point of focus and just stay with it?

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If your thoughts left their cove and have invaded your mind again, that’s okay. Remind your brain this is your safe haven for a few minutes and that all thoughts are welcome back shortly. Then just simply return to your focal point.

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If you need extra help concentrating, try finding your breath and staying with it more closely by counting your inhales and exhales. Inhale, pause, exhale, one. Inhale, pause, exhale, two. Inhale, pause, exhale, three. Keep going until your concentration has gone deep enough to forget about your worries for a few more moments.

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Welcome back to your reality and your body and your piles of laundry and missed phone calls. Congratulate yourself on coming here to your retreat today, even just for a few minutes of a safe, quiet place. Allow this space that you created to go with you wherever you take off to today; come back anytime your mind needs a bit of a retreat.