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Take a Breather!
Three Minutes to Ease: Exercises to Relax Your Mind & Body ~ Expanding Your Spirit
Take A Breather

Brandon Bannon

Listening for Stillness

“There’s a voice that doesn’t use words. Listen to it, as the personal self breaks open.”
~Rumi (as translated by Coleman Barks)

If you have a meditation practice—great! Keep it a priority during your wedding planning time—even if it’s only ten minutes a day of quiet solitude. If you don’t have a meditative routine, this is a perfect opportunity to create some planned stillness time each day—a practice that you can take into your marriage. It could be after a bath to continue your relaxation; or as an afternoon break in your busy day; or before bed to support deep rest.

Your few minutes of “listening for stillness” can be as simple as the exercise below, but the difference in your day may be profound. Start out with three minutes and ease up to twenty….just putting attention on your deep breathing as you relax and be still:
 
  • sit or lie down on some cozy cushions (or wherever you’re comfortable)
  • close your eyes, let your eyes relax into their sockets, like they’re floating
  • put your attention on your breath, taking deep slow inhales and long soft exhales; notice your chest rise and fall
  • relax your neck & shoulders; relax your arms, hands & fingers; relax your back & torso; relax your hips & thighs; relax your lower legs, feet & toes
  • allow your body to melt into the cushions
  • whatever thoughts come, just let them pass through, quieting your mind
  • continue taking deep breaths, find the pleasure in your breath
  • slowly rotate your eyes 360 degrees to the right; then 360 degrees slowly to the left; let your eyes fall deeper in their sockets
  • listen for the stillness and the message from your inner spirit that await.

When you open your eyes, continue your deep relaxed breathing, keep a soft focus to view a refreshed world, and listen for your inner voice of stillness.
 
This “Take a Breather!” is an excerpt from a new e-Book by Cornelia, Tips for a Sensuous Bride: 39 Calming & Naturally Fragrant Ways To Be The Bride You Want To Be. Stay tuned about how this gift can be yours.
 
 
Acknowledgement to my dear friends, Robert Petteway & Cynthia Zaal, founders of At Ease Technologies, LLC.
Their meditation CD series is a perfect gift for you and your partner—and anyone in your life—to bring an inner stillness into how you live your life. www.LivingAtEase.com
 
 
 
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