photo by Moyan Brenn from Anzio, Italy |
Kit Frazier is an award-winning mystery author whose books have been Mystery Guild
Book-of-the-Month selections and who was named Author of the Month at Barnes
& Noble. Titles include Scoop and Dead
Copy, among others. A former journalist, Kit
lives on a working cattle ranch outside of Austin, Texas. Learn more about Kit
and her books at her website.
10 Minutes to a More Creative Life
By Kit Frazier
I know it seems counter intuitive to spend time to save time, but
hear me out on this. I had a hard time meditating when I first started because
I can't get my brain to shut the hell up. But I've found you don't have to
completely shut down, and for me, setting a specific time on my meditation doesn't
work; i.e.--I must
meditate for 20 minutes--no I don't. I meditate as long as it's beneficial, and
the more I meditate, the easier it is.
Part of the beauty of meditating is teaching
your mind to be patient with itself.
Yeah, I know. Gah!
A recent study from Harvard
University and the University of Sienna found that the powers of meditation go way
beyond the whole self-awareness and improving concentration-thing--we've all
*know* meditating helps the heart and bolsters the immune system. But
consistent bouts of *small* meditation also cuts anxiety and depression--clouds
that seem to haunt writers and other creatives.
My Morning Meditation is simple. I call it The Bearable Lightness of
*Being*
Find a quiet place to sit and relax. Turn off
your phone, put it away and dim the lights. This is your time. A time for total
relaxation and inner stillness.
Take a moment to make sure that your clothing
is loose and comfortable and that you are seated and comfortable. Rest your
hands loosely in your lap.
Now, figuratively close your eyes and
understand that you are a Daughter of Creativity.
Take a long, slow, deep breath in . . . hold
it for a count of four, and then slowly exhale.
Allow any tension to melt away as your body
relaxes more and more deeply with each breath.
Take another long slow, deep breath in . . .
hold it for a count of five, and then exhale slowly.
Empty your lungs completely with your exhalation.
Take a third deep breath in. Take your time.
Hold it for a count of six and then let it go.
With the release of your breath, you can feel
yourself drifting into a state of deep relaxation and creativity.
Suspended above your head is a Golden Ball of
Light. It is warm, and gentle, granting you peace and shelter from all harm,
from all worry.
You notice and acknowledge that the Golden
Ball of Light is the Creative Spirit that lives within you. You welcome this
Light as an old friend . . .
You realize the golden light smells slightly
of honey, and you breathe it in, infusing your body with the scent of
warm sweet smell . . . your skin warms at the familiar scent . . .
As you continue to breathe, the Golden Ball
of Light slowly descends, streaming creativity as it barely brushes the tips of
your hair.
You welcome this warm touch as the glowing
light descends, flowing along and into your scalp, infusing its welcome
presence in every cell of your mind, sparking new ideas, completing old and
broken thoughts, and comfort comes in this new confidence . . .
You are Creative . . . acknowledge this
awareness, and that awareness brings you peace . . .
The warmth continues, and flowing down and
down, over and around your face, and you taste the honey of the light on your
tongue as it pours through your blood.
You swallow the light, delighting in its
sweet taste, as it feeds your mind and body and spirit and creativity . . . you
acknowledge the creativity . . .
The Light continues down and down, flooding
over your shoulders, you feel it streaming through the veins in your arms,
infusing your blood with energy and peace and the spark of ideas, flexing your
fingers as it sparks in your fingertips . . . there is power in this knowledge
and you know it all the way into the middle of your bones . . .
The light continues, illuminating your lungs,
filling them with deep breaths of fresh air, fresh ideas, fresh feelings
awaiting your call . . .
Breathing deeply this breath of life, the
Light fills your belly, bathes your organs in the soft glow, sends the light
rushing through your abdomen, coursing down your legs, carrying your weight on
the wind, on your breath . . . your body is weightless and anything
is possible . . .
The light courses down and down, running the
over and around your thighs, flexing in your knees and calves, down,
surrounding you with warmth and light, it surrounds your weightless ankles,
caresses the arches of your feet and you notice the Light’s tingling presence
in your fingers and toes . . .
The Light is Complete, it completes the
circle of energy that is your body . . . the Light floods you inside, filling
your body, it surrounds you from the outside, embraces you like a warm, gentle
hug and you are surrounded by creativity . . .
You are one with the Universe, and all is
possible . . . all is likely . . . all is coming to you, through you, around
you . . .
You recognize the light as an Old Friend . .
. it is as familiar as an old song . . .
Breath deeply, taking in the light . . .
You are vast. You are weightless. You are
timeless. Your path is Clear . . .
All is obtainable, you are able, you are
willing, you are one with the Universe . . .
You are ready to take on the World . . .
Now . . .Take a deep breath. Open your eyes.
And Write . . .
A MacKinnon
Christmas
Cauley’s
Christmas To Do List:
1. Identify
the Dead Guy.
Not the
usual intro to a Christmas To Do List but not so unusual for obituary writer
Cauley MacKinnon.
Her problem
is complicated by the way the dead guy died--he was gunned down while busting
up a convenience store robbery in an eerily similar incident that killed her
cop father, ten years before.
Adding to her troubles, she's preparing for her mother's Annual
Pre-Christmas Feast of Dysfunction, avoiding her Mama's Knock You Naked
eggnog--and she's got exactly 12 hours to make FBI Agent Tom Logan fall in love
with her . . .
9 comments:
Lois--thank you for the opportunity to blog with you today! Creative sparkles and purple glittery glue guns to ever'body today ...
This is awesome, and I'll definitely try it. My situation is complicated because my office is right in the front of the house on a very noisy street (think booming bass and hip-hop). It's been an issue since we moved here, and not surprising, my output went way down, too.
I'm thinking some meditation might help. :-)
bobbi c.
Yes! Please do--it might be a bit difficult at first, but it gets better, I promise--you wouldn't believe how much it eases all the clutter out of your mind... when I do mine, I sometimes include my sister in my thoughts (she's having a rough time right now)--this does two things--it helps me worry less about her, and she swears she can *feel* it <3
An inspirational post. Thanks!
Wonderful idea. My golden ball is going to be silver and smell like lavender. Thank you.
(and I CAN feel it)
Thank you Angela and Sherri! I hope it's helpful <3
Fabulous! I need to tape it so i can hear it as i sit and let it wash over me. Then i read the book blurb at the bottom and had to have it! Love the phrases you used: knock you naked eggnog, pre-Christmas feast of dysfunction, identify the dead guy. ..and of course 12 hours to get some juicy guy to lick her boots. Yum!
Fabulous! I need to tape it so i can hear it as i sit and let it wash over me. Then i read the book blurb at the bottom and had to have it! Love the phrases you used: knock you naked eggnog, pre-Christmas feast of dysfunction, identify the dead guy. ..and of course 12 hours to get some juicy guy to lick her boots. Yum!
Well thank you, Di! You just made my day :)
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