Hello .

I want to foucs your attention on the topic of awareness. It means different things to different people. Plus we can speak of it in many ways. Yet unless we have a practise to help us stay self aware and mindful of what is happening inside us and around us it does not keep us as safe, happy and connected to self and others as we deserve.

When I speak of a practise of awareness I am speaking of what could be through:

• Walking with purpose or intent

• Walking in Mindfulness

• Exercise with purpose, i.e. Yoga, meditative swimming etc.

• Prayer done slowly with purpose and focus

• Audio or video calming practices

  • Like our Imagine Yourself audio programs that help the listen practise calmness and focus

  • Watching and listening to the Nature Nurture videos in our Imagine Yourself program

So with a practise that builds awareness and reflection we can be safer, calmer and live more in moment. Our worrying can and often decreases. Our quality of sleep often increases as well. Mental clarity can follow.

So my challenge to you is: What do you do to practise your awareness?

For me during the 3 months I have access to a pool every eyar I practise meditative swimming, slow calm under the water strokes. One length of the pool one breath.  I find it both soothing and relaxing. Other times I find power walking and taking my  camera with me to take a few pictures of what I see. The power walking helps with cardio as I was as fast as I can with out jogging, the picture taking gets me to 100% concentrate on what it is I wish to capture with my camera. Lighting, angle, frame of shot etc. all help me focus 100% on the subject matter. I very much enjoy it.

So those are two ways I invest time with myself to develop my awareness and mindfulness.  What do you do? When do you do it? For how long?

I highly recommend a daily practise. It helps us manage our mental, physical and emotional health.

Until next time I'm Michael Ballard. Imagine Yourself with more Resiliency for Life.