Make Your Damn Bed

I encourage you to implement a few minutes of this mindfulness and meditation practice into your daily routines, as often as you can, so you can start to see the rewards and keep showing up for yourself. If it feels like work at first, that’s because it can be a bit of work, at first. We have to remember that meditation is an active form of brain training. We have been lead to believe it’s inactive. Sitting and doing nothing - but it’s actually an active process of choosing inactivity to increase awareness of your own thoughts and feelings to get more comfortable within your own body and mind so you can manage negative symptoms that naturally occur to our consciousness.   Get bonus content on PatreonSupport this show http://supporter.acast.com/make-your-damn-bed. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

There is no such thing as “falling behind”. We can only fall behind if we disregard ourselves. When we ignore own wisdom and learning, we betray ourselves, and that’s the closest thing I can think of to falling behind. Honestly, if society says you’re behind, but you’re doing better than you were five years ago (or five minutes ago), I think it's safe to say society is very wrong and should mind it’s own dang business. Sometimes societal rules keep us and those around us, safe. Other times, they're trash. Get bonus content on PatreonSupport this show http://supporter.acast.com/make-your-damn-bed. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

If an 80 year old will take his first ice skating class, you can google something you are passionate about to see where it takes you. Get inspired by the people out there doing it. Getting out of their comfort zones, and recognizing that it’s only too late if you tell yourself it’s too late. And like I said yesterday, it’s never too fucking late.  Get bonus content on PatreonSupport this show http://supporter.acast.com/make-your-damn-bed. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Because it’s never too late to be bad at things. It’s never too late to try and to mess up and to try again. It’s never too late to quit and start fresh in a new way. It’s never too late to try and say, never mind, hated that, glad I tried it. Until you take your last breath on this beautiful planet, it’s never too fucking late.  Get bonus content on PatreonSupport this show http://supporter.acast.com/make-your-damn-bed. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Don’t ignore the shit that is bugging you. Anything painful, scary, or overwhelming, typically has something behind it that needs to be addressed. The more you build walls up around it, the more power you give that shit. Instead of building walls, build tables and invite whatever you fear or causes you pain to sit, ask plenty of good questions, get real, and see if anything changes. Get bonus content on PatreonSupport this show http://supporter.acast.com/make-your-damn-bed. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Even if the people we love desperately choose never to try to level up, there’s no shame in the lessons learned on the level they remain at. Their lessons will be much different than yours - but it’s not really your business. So, you can hold people accountable for the choices they make that affect you by establishing a foundation of safety in yourself. And you can  sustain the boundaries you establish to keep you feeling safe, regardless of other’s decisions, and that puts the ball in their court. You deserve respect from the people you spend your time with - and it’s okay to let go of those who are struggling with that.   Get bonus content on PatreonSupport this show http://supporter.acast.com/make-your-damn-bed. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We're in this together, whether we like it or not. We all must account for other’s potential miscalculations without losing sight of our own. We are first responsible for what happens inside our car, but we are equally responsible for what happens around and to it. And while we aren’t responsible for other people’s actions, we are responsible for how we react to them. Shit happens. Luckily, because we are all aware that shit happens, we can be on the look out so we can dodge that shit before it hits our windshields. Get bonus content on PatreonSupport this show http://supporter.acast.com/make-your-damn-bed. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

You can do pretty much any online activity, from bed. Research a topic you’re interested. Watch a ted talk or an online lecture while you color or do a craft. Meal plan with recipes and make a grocery list. Play games on a language learning app like duo lingo. Write a to do list. Budget and plan for tax season.  Low energy days are normal, and healthy for you. If you’re struggling to get back on track, that’s normal too. Start slow, gently, and realistically. And don’t force it. One day you’ll wake up with a normal burst of energy again and you’ll be grateful you weren’t so hard on the temporary down time.  Get bonus content on PatreonSupport this show http://supporter.acast.com/make-your-damn-bed. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

 I encourage you to lean into the often uncomfortable nature of being comfortable. Eventually comfortable will begin to feel comfortable in your body, once you prove it’s a safe place to sit.  Get bonus content on PatreonSupport this show http://supporter.acast.com/make-your-damn-bed. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As a gentle reminder, life is not about optimization. It won't matter who can make the most growth or gains or progress if we’re miserable throughout the entire process. Nobody looks back on their lives and wishes they had focused more on resolutions. And, ideally you will want to make healthier choices because you deserve to feel healthy. Ideally, you’ll want to move your body more because you deserve to feel stronger + less stressed. Ideally, you’ll want to create financial stability because you deserve financial stability. You won’t do this shit because you feel like you’re missing out or falling behind. You’ll do it because it feels good, and you deserve to feel good. There are appropriate, helpful, and healthy ways to accomplish any of your deepest foundational desires - but you have to get really intimate with them first. Then, take aim and upgrade your systems so you can get a little bit closer to those deep desires every day. The time is gonna pass either way, so you may as well be doing something worthwhile to YOU.  Get bonus content on PatreonSupport this show http://supporter.acast.com/make-your-damn-bed. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Make appointments and meetings with yourself. Show up for yourself as you do for everyone else. Become your own personal trainer, your own lunch date, your own at home spa appointments. And show the fuck up. You deserve it! Get bonus content on PatreonSupport this show http://supporter.acast.com/make-your-damn-bed. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ad free episodes (and exclusive merch and bonus content) now available! https://www.patreon.com/MYDBpodcastThe new year is approaching and if you are planning to make any resolutions, I want to remind you to be gentle and reasonable with them. If you choose to do no resolutions this year because its a fucking pandemic or just cuz you don’t fucking feel like it - that’s also valid and dope, but this is for those of us choosing to make a few changes and using the new year as as starting point. To make an effective resolution you must first take into account where you’ve been and how far you’ve come. Then you must, quite literally, show yourself some gratitude for surviving a pandemic and doing the shit you had to. And practice showing yourself grace and allowing a substantial amount of time to marinate on the feeling of everything you have shown up for in the past year and if it still feels like nothing, practice more grace. And know I am fucking proud of you. You should be too.  Get bonus content on PatreonSupport this show http://supporter.acast.com/make-your-damn-bed. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

I want every one of us to feel encouraged on a daily basis to get back in touch with that adorable baby who gave no fucks and just focused on the experience. The toddler that didn’t hide their belly and felt no shame if a booger happened or a fart came out in a public place. The kid that understood that laughing too loud felt good and didn’t worry about making themselves smaller or less or different only to make other people comfortable.  Get bonus content on PatreonSupport this show http://supporter.acast.com/make-your-damn-bed. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Consciousness is a beautiful gift, and if we learn to hone it, it can really become our superpower. We can learn to better trust ourselves, understand our intuition, and become more fulfilled and honest and peaceful humans. You are your own best resource. Don't be afraid to tap into it. Get bonus content on PatreonSupport this show http://supporter.acast.com/make-your-damn-bed. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today, just practice coming back to your breath. As it is now. Coming back to your body, as it is now. Practice consciousness. If your mind starts to wander and get lost in the sauce of chaos… come back to the way your body and breath feels in that very moment. You always have you to return to. Stay grounded in that knowledge.  Get bonus content on PatreonSupport this show http://supporter.acast.com/make-your-damn-bed. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This is a process and the practice is meant to enhance your life over time by improving your relationship with yourself. Don’t rush it. Don’t get frustrated. Some days will be harder than others. Don’t worry about doing well or doing bad, don’t cling to any expectations. And don’t start looking forward to some grand explosion of enlightenment. If you have brilliant thoughts, dope. Write em down, then go back to breathing. If you feel strong emotions, dope. Feel them and then go back to breathing. Simply breathe, sit, and relax into whatever the hell comes up for you. No matter what. Good or bad, weird or comfortable, calm or busy, It’s all human, which is the point of this practice. To simply embrace what it is to be human. Article cited in episode:  https://webspace.ship.edu/cgboer/meditation.html A Guided Meditation on the Body, Space, and Awareness with Yongey Mingyur Rinpoch  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5GSeWdjyr1cGuided Wim Hof Method Breathing https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tybOi4hjZFQ Isha Kriya: A Guided Meditation For Health And Wellbeing | 15-Minutes  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EwQkfoKxRvo REA EARTH: Self Love for Your Subconscious Mind https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NVcur3OPNvg Taming Your Wandering Mind – TEDxCoconutGrove https:// www.youtube.com/watch?v=Df2JBnql8lc&feature=youtu.be Get bonus content on PatreonSupport this show http://supporter.acast.com/make-your-damn-bed. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Almost 50 studies have been done further confirming the benefits of global meditation and its direct impact on everything in the world, according to results published in the Journal of Crime and Justice in 1981. We shouldn’t be meditating for the perks. But being aware of them doesn’t hurt. Clinging to the outcomes or the changes or the enlightenment will only hurt your practice in the long run - so go in with only the expectation to disconnect from the outside world and reconnect to yourself, which will in turn allow you to better connect to the collective without having to try so damned hard. Meditation is about being human and connecting to your own human-ness, for better or for worse. It’s about sitting with yourself, without expectation, and just being. Of course, as a result, it can absolutely become a way to tap into the energetic resources that live within you and share them with the world, but only by practicing the release of the need to do or be anything at all.  Get bonus content on PatreonSupport this show http://supporter.acast.com/make-your-damn-bed. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Forbes Article: https://www.forbes.com/sites/alicegwalton/2015/02/09/7-ways-meditation-can-actually-change-the-brain/?sh=76a285111465Official, scientific studies, as well as my own anecdotal experiential evidence supports the fact that meditation helps balance emotions, and increases memory, focus, and productivity. Studies show an increase on creativity, reasoning skills, and standardized test scores. It is also proven to decrease depression, stress, and anxiety while improving your pain tolerance. It’s not a cure-all, of course, nothing is but it’s an amazing resource for helping manage symptoms and improve your relationship with yourself and others.   Get bonus content on PatreonSupport this show http://supporter.acast.com/make-your-damn-bed. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

So, although the history can be incredibly off-putting, it shouldn’t steer you away from the practice. Instead, it should empower you to embrace mindfulness with intentionality to honor those who came before us and made it possible for us to do so.In reality, we should all be practicing mindfulness but so we can better our lives, not optimize them. It’s meant to increase our awareness, not numb it. and we should be meditating so we can improve our relationships, not just with ourselves, but with the rest of humanity.  Get bonus content on PatreonSupport this show http://supporter.acast.com/make-your-damn-bed. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Youtube channel of Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche:  https://www.youtube.com/user/MingyurRinpocheThe article I referenced: https://www.zerotothree.org/resources/3715-perspectives-defunding-mindfulness-while-we-sit-on-our-cushions-systemic-racism-runs-rampant  I could spend a whole season talking about the value of establishing a conscious mindfulness and meditation practice. I’ll spare you the full season but for the next few days I am going to be doing a series on how to get started with a meditation practice, even if you’ve never considered doing it before. The history of mindfulness and meditation is incredibly important and often overlooked, so today we’re starting there because honoring roots is a critical piece in learning and respecting cultures without appropriating them. Plus, if we continue to choose to skip learning the real history of things, we will end up perpetuating negative cycles and losing sight of the meaning of these practices that are meant to do the opposite. So, today, I wanted to start with touching briefly on the history of meditation.  Get bonus content on PatreonSupport this show http://supporter.acast.com/make-your-damn-bed. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.