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Day 12 of the 30 day meditation. Mindful meditation.

"Water is the softest thing yet it can penetrate mountains and earth.  This shows clearly the principle of softness overcoming hardness." - Lao Tzu

The mindful meditation suggests that we do our daily meditations in the shower.  Why? To let the water wash away the troubles of the day.  When you float in the ocean, or a lake, or a pool, there is calm right?  Even if it is just for a moment, so imagine an entire shower of water running over you.  The shower is the one time in the day that we are alone with our thoughts.  For me, I come up with some of my best story idea's in the shower.  This exercise is to heighten your senses.  Breathe in the smell of the shampoo and the body soap, breathe in the clean and fresh feeling you get.  Breathe out any negativity.  It does not serve you well, so don't hang on to it. 

The meditation, after you clear your mind with your relaxation breathing, is about staying in the moment while the water cascades over you, washing the bad parts of the day away like dirt.  It's about feeling every sensation of the water hitting you, or the soap and shampoo running off your back.  How does the water make you feel? When your mind begins to wander, bring yourself back to the moment.   

Think of the shower like rain.  A few weeks ago my cousin stood out in the rain and just let it run over her.  When she texted me later, she was so excited and happy.  She told me she felt amazing.  Since we are in a drought in California, I had to limit my time in the shower, but I still managed to calm my mind and release the troubles of the day.  It had started out rough, but it turned around and by the end of my shower, I felt even more lighter. 

Despite sounding like a laundry commercial earlier, this exercise can heighten your senses and help you see the beauty in everything you touch, smell or see.

Until tomorrow...grab a loofah and allow yourself to open up (and please. try not to waste water).  

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