Sunday 7@7 Zoom Event - Sunday 8th November
Sunday @7pm Zoom Event
8 November2020 Sunday 7@7 Meditation 1 Remembrance Sunday and 5 November
Welcome to the first Sunday 7 @ 7 blog! The aim is to focus on the week ahead and from day to day as we move through lockdown and beyond. I hope to encourage us all to live positively in the present while being mindful of the past and hopeful for the future.
Today is a special day of Remembrance. The silence of the day echoes in our mind from the two minutes at 11 am to moments of silence that we have all experienced since then. When we are silent we can really listen and process what is going on. So let us enjoy this time together and allow silence and quiet to be our friend.
First let’s think back to Thursday 5th November when our lockdown began. Normally it is celebrated by fireworks displays and parties in the UK. This year we may have had a few sparklers in the garden or watched a neighbour’s firework display from a window. In your mind’s eye can you picture a firework catching light slowly and then suddenly sparkling bright in the dark night? The sight, the sound, the heat and the sudden explosion can fill us with wonder and delight.
Noticing how the shapes, movement and sound explode and then fade so rapidly is a key part of a firework’s ephemeral fascination. Perhaps moving a sparkler around and making lines in the night allows us to feel part of the light ourselves? Can you see yourself with a special sparkler? One that is shining safely with dazzling light and energising every part of you as you hold it safely in your hand? Can you in a moment of calm imagine how the light spreads like a positive force entering your body and mind with each breath? You are in no danger but instead experience calm and positive energy throughout your mind and your body. With each in breath feeling excitement and joy as energy spreads within you and as you breathe out gently exhale any negative or worrying feelings. As you are filled with this energy refreshing and renewing you, picture now the biggest fireworks display you have ever seen or imagined. Perhaps as big as the New Year celebrations around the world? Recall how these lights in the sky speak of hope and promise for all. Feel how your own body responds to the light and how it is glowing with positive energy from within.
Continue to breathe gently in and out at your pace aware of the light moving from the crown of your head to the soles of your feet. Notice how with each out breath any tiredness or negative thoughts are leaving you.
Picture now the week ahead. Each day we receive is like a firework. Starting small and smouldering with a simple action such as waking up each morning. See the day growing lighter and as you look outside see the fog or the grey skies or perhaps a beautiful sunrise followed by bright blue cloudless sky. Think now of your activities and your actions for that day allowing the light to grow stronger and perhaps for the week ahead. Think how you want to act. Do you want to be a damp squib and fizzle out each day or do you want to catch fire and dazzle with sparkling energy lighting up the darkness? The choice is up to each of us each day. Breathe in the energy and breathe out the damp negative thoughts.
If we see each day ahead as a gift then remember each day in November to say THANK YOU.
Giving thanks, research shows, allows us to be positive. People who are grateful are often less anxious and less depressed. They are more ready to connect with others. Understanding emotions allows us all to take control of our feelings and to think more clearly and make better decisions.
Your Sunday 7 challenge is to find 7 reasons to be thankful. These may be as simple as being thankful for your favourite programme or thankful for your home or people you love. Allow your mind this time of silence and focus on saying thank you for 7 things in your life and then continue reading this blog:
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You may wish to write down your 7 thanks and put them in a jar to pull out and read whenever you wish? It is very easy to be negative especially at this time but if we redress the balance with positive action then we can come out stronger and more resilient than before. Just like the light in the darkness, we can shine out.
If you would like to join in our Sunday 7 at 7 zoom meditation or listen to the audio accompanying this blog then send in your details using the contact page. Be sure to include a valid email address. The deadline for applications is Saturday 14 November at 12 noon..