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Today, we will take a journey to meet our spirit guides. What is a spirit guide you may ask? You can think of them as a nonphysical presence assigned to help our soul attain its greatest potential on Earth. Spirit guides are of the highest truth and compassion working on our behalf to guide our thoughts and energy back into alignment with the love of the Universe. When you cultivate a relationship with your spirit guides, they will give you wise and loving guidance to help you in every area of your life. You can even think of them as that little voice inside of your head, the one most of us choose not to listen to. In this exercise, we will meet our spirit guides through a guided meditation. Don’t worry if you don’t meet them the first time you try this meditation. Remember, meditation is a practice and with practice, you will find yourself getting better at calming the mind and tuning into the breath. We encourage you to listen to this mediation more than once. You will learn something new about yourself and your spirit guides each time.

Cultures around the world have used crystals in healing and meditation practices for thousands of years. While meditation does not require anything but YOU and your commitment, tools such as crystals add an element of inner exploration that you may find quite rewarding and fun! After you purchase a crystal, or maybe it’s been a while since you have used your crystals, you want to clear them of any energy it may have picked up. You can do this by burning some sage or Palo Santo around it. You can also bathe it in moonlight on a full moon or saltwater overnight (just make sure it won’t dissolve if you use water). When you are ready to use the crystal, hold it in your hand and notice the energy it emits. If something feels “off” you may need to clear it again. If you feel content, or maybe even some heat building in your hand, it is ready to go! During your meditation practice, you can hold the crystal in your palm, place it on a part of your body while lying face up (maybe in alignment with a chakra) or place it near you on the ground. Visualize your goals or intentions for using the crystal and allow it to do its work. When you are finished, thank it for working with you and cleanse it again. Below we have listed some of our favorite crystals. -Selenite: Helps clear the mind, dispels negative energy and protects your energy field. Connects with the crown chakra. -Azurite: Allows inner travel and enhanced psychic experiences. Connects with the Third eye chakra. -Labradorite: Raises awareness, insight and truth, stimulates inner awareness. Connects with the Throat chakra. -Rose Quartz: Resonates higher frequency, promotes self-love and awareness. It emits is a strong vibration of unconditional love, joy, warmth and emotional healing. It can lower stress, bring happiness and soothe the soul. Connects with the Heart Chakra. -Rhyolite: Encourages you to move forward, so you do not remain anchored in the present and hold on to things and experiences that belong in the past. Rhyolite promotes self-esteem and acceptance of your true self. Connects with the Solar Plexus chakra. - Carnelian: This stone is grounding, activating and vitalizing. Carnelian works by uplifting, motivating and giving one confidence. It protects against negative emotions of other people such as jealousy and anger. Connects with the Sacral Chakra. -Black Tourmaline: Absorbs negative thoughts, feelings and emotions. It can absorb negative energy and transforms it into positive energy. Connects to the Root chakra.

Did you ever notice the long gorgeous strand of beads your yoga instructor wears? These strings of beads are actually a traditional tool of meditation used by a variety of cultures across the world. They are called mala beads and are used during meditation when you focus on repeating a mantra or intention. The mala itself traditionally has 108 beads and is used during meditation as a way to count breaths or repetitions of a mantra. For examples of mantras take a peak back at Day 2 of our challenge! Most malas have a tassel or guru bead, which marks the beginning and the end of your meditation. Malas are a helpful way to keep your mind focused and help guide your attention if your mind drifts. How to Use Mala Beads: Set yourself up for your meditation. Find a comfortable, quiet seat. Focus on the mantra or intention you will be meditating on. Using your right hand, drape the beads over either your middle finger or the ring finger. Repeat the mantra in your mind, drawing the mala toward you with your thumb. One bead equals one repetition. When you reach the guru bead, you have made it through one cycle. You can choose to stop here or maybe continue your meditation by rotating the mala and counting down the other side.

Learn methods to quiet the mind and stay connected to your breath (5 minutes is longer than you think!)

Today we learn to listen to the body to find stagnant energy and tension and how to let it all go.

Today we will learn how to use additional tools (crystals, oils, sound bowls) to enhance our mediation practice

Enhances Mental Clarity Increases energy Encourages a healthy lifestyle Reduces anxiety Reduces pain Increases self-awareness Improves sleep Evokes Happiness Improves memory Improves sex life Slows down aging

Sometimes when we tell ourselves to stop thinking about things and become quiet, our mind retaliates and goes into hyper-drive. You may even notice your thoughts become louder than before you asked them to quiet down. In this exercise, set a timer for 1 minute and allow your mind to think about everything and anything. Let your thoughts pour in for 1 whole minute. You can think about your stresses from your day or week, and all of the possible scenarios you have been obsessing over. When your timer chimes, STOP. You are done thinking about these things. You may notice that most of the thoughts that come to mind when you first start this practice are mostly negative, that’s ok; we will work on bringing positivity as we progress.

Our bodies can be restless, and when you sit to meditate, you will start to notice that restlessness beginning to manifest. The desire to shuffle around, itch, and rearrange your body into different positions can be difficult to meditate through. It may be challenging at first, but see if you can sit completely still. If you find yourself fidgety, you can also use your timer! Again, set a timer for 1 minute, and for that 1 minute, try to sit completely still. If you are successful, the next time, set the timer for 2 minutes. Work up in this way to increase your ability to sit still longer. When you move during meditation, you disturb the stillness of the mind. Like ripples disturbing the calm surface of a body of water, movement disturbs inner peace. If you can sit still, you will find your meditations deeper and more enjoyable.

Begin by noticing your breath, do not change or manipulate it. Notice if your breath is short and shallow or quick and sharp. When you have a good observation of your breath, then start to even out your inhales and exhales. You can inhale through the nose and exhale out the mouth or inhale through the nose and exhale through the nose. If a thought comes in, simply say thank you and return to your breathing. Your mind should begin to quiet. If thoughts continue to bombard you, you can turn your attention to saying “inhale” silently in your mind on each in breath, and “exhale” on each out breath. You could also visualize a cloudy sky and send those thoughts on a cloud to gently passing by, letting them know you will acknowledge them later. Try not to get frustrated if you end up down the rabbit hole of thoughts and loose focus of your breath, simply reset yourself and start again!

Remember that energy is constantly changing from one moment to the next; this is why our day-to-day lives can be drastically different than they were a day, a week or a year ago. Everyday we are exposed to a multitude of different energies. These energies can stem from the people we interact with, to the events and circumstances we are presented with, to the emotional and mental states that we experience. More often than not, when we experience a challenging, emotional, or traumatizing event, we can hold onto that energy in our body and focus tightly on it, and we may not even realize it. We often hold stress and emotions in areas of our hips and midsection, lower back, shoulders, neck and jaw. To help us live a happy and vibrant life, we must acknowledge that energy maintenance is required on all levels - physical, emotional/mental, and spiritual. If we hold on to that energy, over time, it can sit heavily in our bodies and even manifest into physical dis-ease, ailment or illness. It’s so important for us to surface, heal and let go of these energies on a daily basis. Here are some tips and tricks to help us connect our mind and body with our breath and live and happy and vibrant life.

Really focus on loving your body. Giving it gratitude, healthy food, exercise and lots of self-love. Release toxins in your body by limiting caffeine, sugar, alcohol, wheat, and dairy. Dance! Turn on your favorite tunes and shake that beautiful booty. Get outside and walk, bike, or run. As you move your body visualize the fresh air clearing out all the negative buildup that has been trapped in your body.