Happy Thursday, everyone! Hope you’re all doing well! It definitely has been an exciting and extremely busy time lately. So much going on with writing, working, scheduling a couple of upcoming events…… and getting my younger son prepared to go off to college in less than two weeks!!! That last part….. ripping my heart out!! LOL…. I feel the “empty nest syndrome” seriously coming on! But all is good. My son is moving onto a wonderful new chapter in his life! The waterworks have been well underway these past few days as we are getting the last minute details taken care of. He laughs at my reminiscing of the past eighteen years as I tell him how proud of him that me and my husband are and how inspiring of a young man that he is to us. With his kindhearted smile he says, “Oh, Mom…” …. I can’t help but to smile even more when he says things like that. Moments like that are sweet and precious to me. *sigh*  🙂

And since there is a lot going on right now, I’ve recently taken a hiatus from a few things including social media. I uninstalled all social media apps from my phone. I still have my profiles and can access them from the computer whenever I am on it and am very happy to do so. I will always love talking with everyone!

But I am taking this hiatus to focus on family time as my son goes off to college. Also, I’m taking this time as a “recharging time”, and let me tell ya, it has been absolutely wonderful!!! Not just on a “family level”, but also on a “personal level”. I’ve started meditating daily, learning new breathing techniques to help purify the body and channel positive energy, and making sure to go outside and walk barefoot to feel the beautiful Earth below my feet. As I’ve been doing that, I have brought my towel outside, got into a comfortable meditative position to become one with Nature. To feel the breeze gently blow around me, feel the sun’s rays on my skin and hear the birds. On Sunday there was even some thunder rolling off in the distance as the sun shined high in the sky with billowy clouds floating by…. pure serenity! I’ve also started listening to pan flute music while meditating, which is AMAZING!!! Highly recommend! Here are a few songs on YouTube that are beautiful!! I have to share with ya! If you meditate, incorporate them into your sessions. One word…. “Relaxing!” ❤

 

 

 

However, uninstalling from my phone certain apps to “disconnect”, I have discovered one app that I have fallen absolutely in love with! Here’s the link….

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.deeprelax.deepmeditation&hl=en_US

Just like the description says, “Deep Meditation: Relaxation & Sleep Meditation App”, and it’s FREE!!! I’ve had it since Monday and use it literally every single day. It’s extremely easy to navigate, and thank goodness because I am so technologically challenged. It does run very few adds, but not enough to be bothersome at all, and the adds never run during any meditation session. Only briefly for like a quick second when selecting a meditation option and no sound accompanies any of the adds. As soon as I see one, I just simply click it off. There is an option to pay for the app if one wants to remove the adds, but like I said, the adds are so few (hardly do I see one) that they aren’t a bother at all.

I love that the app has different types of meditation to choose from. Here are the ones in their selection: “Breathe”, Mindfulness Sessions”, “Deep Muscle Relaxation”, “Escapes”, “Classical Sessions”, and “Sleep Series”. The app also has awesome music to help relax one’s spirit, and throughout the day it sends little reminders of positive affirmation (that I love!). For example one will say, “If you want to relax, watch the clouds pass by if you’re laying on the grass, or sit in front of the creek, just doing nothing and having those still moments is what really rejuvenates the body.” or here’s another one… “There is a calmness to a life lived in gratitude, a quiet joy.”.

At night, I’ve been using the “Sleep Series” before going to bed and it really does work. It helps greatly in calming my mind and relaxing my body which helps me to feel so much more rested. Honestly, I fell asleep during last night’s session because it worked so well. With the “Deep Muscle Relaxation” category, there are the different timed body scans that last five minutes, or twenty minutes, or thirty minutes, or forty-five minutes, depending on how long the individual wants the session to last. The body scans peacefully target different parts of the body, focusing on sending breath to each location, helping the mind, body and spirit to become aware of our breathing. Phenomenal techniques!

Since I’ve started “disconnecting to reconnect”, I have felt so much more at one and at peace with my surroundings. There is such a beautiful calmness that I’m discovering during this time of transition. Even though my baby, the grown man that he has become, is going off to college, I am also taking this time to reawaken myself.

So, definitely beautiful and fantastic things are happening! I hope for you all as well!

Remember to stay positive, pay it forward and always know that you rock!!! Wake up each and every single day knowing how truly amazing you are! Take a deep look in the mirror and see your inner light emerge, allowing it to shine so brightly that it illuminates any and everyone that you encounter! Let your smile be what makes someone else’s day all the more enjoyable! Stay blessed!!!

 

Much Love & Light!! ~ Sheila

 

 

 

 

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