Realign
Hi, Thinking Out Loud here :D
Welcome to Mindful Monday Week 18
Here is the link for this week’s playlist. https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4sl90iNXr4AR6ihidyDV2x?si=2fcf646e02904559
I hope you enjoy listening to it whilst you read, and I hope you find the music relaxing.
If an ad plays during listening to the playlist, please stop reading and wait for the playlist to play again. Hopefully, the playlist will be timed for you to read to the end of this blog post, with maybe one song running over after reading.
Get a drink, maybe even a snack, and find a comfy seat so you can relax. Let go of all worries and enjoy the next five deep breaths. If you have breathing problems, please take an extra mindful moment here. For those joining me in the breathing exercise, breathe out.
Now time for your first deep breath; take one deep breath in through your nose for five 1..2..3..4..5.. hold for 1..2.. breath out through your mouth for five 1..2..3..4..5.. Hold for 1.. Breath in for five 1..2..3..4..5.. hold for 1..2.. And out through for five 1..2..3..4..5.. hold for 1.. Breathe in for five 1..2..3..4..5.. hold for 1..2.. And out for five 1..2..3..4..5.. hold for 1.. two more to go; breath in for five 1..2..3..4..5.. hold for 1..2.. And out for five 1..2..3..4..5.. hold for 1.. last one deep breath in for five 1..2..3..4..5.. hold for 1..2.. And out for five 1..2..3..4..5.. hold for 1.. now go back to your regular breathing pattern. I hope you now feel calm and relaxed.
I sometimes use an app to give me ideas for these blog posts and realign came up three times, so I took that as my sign that I needed to write about realigning today. I don’t know where this post will go but let’s find out together.
I tend to associate align with yoga, and I have recently started getting back into yoga. I guess I have started realigning myself; maybe you also need to realign yourself with your surroundings, work, daily life, or workout routine. At first, realigning can seem daunting, but until we unknowingly start realigning as I have. The more we realign as and when we need to, the easier it will become. Hopefully, it will become almost second nature to us at some point.
I will be honest I don’t have any advice on how to realign any part of your life, nor am I in any way, shape or form qualified to give advice. So I won’t even begin to try, but I can encourage you, as sometimes I think we have to find our own way with some things in life, and your realignment, I think, has to be that thing that you find what works for you.
I can tell you to breathe through it, trust your instincts and take care of yourself, don’t push yourself too much, but those are things that we should already be doing anyway. I could tell you to stay calm and drink tea or coffee, but then I just become like a mug or coaster you can buy from a shop and, dare I say, get into the territory of being cliche. I could also say do yoga, but I know that isn’t for everyone. So I won’t say roll out a blanket or a yoga mat unless that is something you are genuinely into or want to get into doing.
I will say this: don’t fight yourself; let your realigning happen when it happens. Nothing works when is it forced; now, I know that in itself is a cliche, but it’s true. Have you ever tried to fit something into a small space that is clearly too big without first making some adjustments? Trust me, it is impossible. Make space in your life, and your realignment can begin. I guess that’s my advice to you, make some space, whether it’s physical or metaphorical or even mental, it doesn’t matter which one it is as long as you make space.
For some, realigning will mean your body, whether it’s a physical injury or realigning spiritually. Both are valid reasons to realign, but both are incredibly different. For a physical injury, I am going to say seek medical help, don’t try and realign something on your own, as so much can go wrong, not to mention the pain. If you have had a recent injury, I hope you have a good recovery, and whatever the injury is, I hope it heals well.
For realigning spiritually, it is a little easier; you need to find a space when you are ready, get comfy, and play a meditation video. I can’t stress this enough, as it won’t only give you pointers but will guide you more than listening to music. You can even do meditation with a friend if you think they might benefit from it as well. Or, if you are a seasoned meditator, play your favourite music and let go; let spirit guide you and do what it does best. At the end of your session, I hope you feel lighter, clearer, and, most importantly, realigned. This will be similar to yoga for some of you, so whatever your meditation looks like will help with what you need to realign.
For others, it might be work or just general daily life; for this, you might need to figure out what needs prioritising at the moment and what doesn’t. For example, with work, is there something that is taking longer than it should? Or is there a bit of a lul? Could you help someone out, or do you need help? Ask around and see whether other people feel the same as you; maybe this is what you need to do to realign. It could be that you need to help others and need reminding that sometimes other people like ourselves forget to ask for help when they need it.
For daily life, is there something you have been waiting for? Stop waiting; nothing happens from waiting. Get out there and get whatever it is you are waiting for. Or is home life just a little bit hectic? Life can get like this sometimes, but here I will say breath, ask those around you to help out, and find a balance that works for you. Take some time, and maybe even write a list of what needs to change or what needs to be dropped, even just for a little while, to make space for changes, so you can realign and be ready for the next thing that is coming your way. This can go for both work and daily life.
Above anything, I hope you have fun, don’t force it. If you get frustrated or it just isn’t working, walk away, accept that it isn’t the right time right now, and trust that your body will let you know when it’s time to realign. As I said at the beginning of this blog post, you might even realign without realising it. So for some, you will need to let it happen on its own accord, and for others, you will need to do something to get your realigning happening.
Again, if you need physical medical help, see a professional, don’t try and do it yourself. You could make an injury worse than it needs to be. It might seem easy; you might have seen a video on how to do it, but don’t risk making it worse to save a few bucks.
Let’s finish with a three-deep breath breather.
Take one deep breath in through your nose for five 1..2..3..4..5.. hold for 1..2.. breath out through your mouth for five 1..2..3..4..5.. hold for 1.. breath in for five 1..2..3..4..5.. hold for 1..2.. and out for five 1..2..3..4..5.. hold for 1.. final breath in for five 1..2..3..4..5.. hold for 1..2.. last breath out for five 1..2..3..4..5.. no hold here you can now go back to your regular breathing pattern.
As always, thank you for taking the time to read this week’s Mindful Monday. I really do appreciate everyone who takes the time to read them and listens to what I have to say.
Love always
Thinking Out Loud xx :D
Breath, let go, trust in timing, trust in yourself and trust in the greater universe that your version of realigning will happen.
