Hello!  Thanks so much for listening and visiting the podcast show notes! :)

Don't forget to SUBSCRIBE to the podcast...

Follow me on Instagram @journey.within1 and Facebook at www.facebook.com/groups/journeywithinthrivingnotsurviving/

In this episode I interview Cindy Bedi Ralph, a mindfulness coach and guide of Sacred Pause:  @sacred.pause on Instagram.  

*Make sure to go back later when you have time and join in the guided meditation when you can set aside time and find a quiet space.

In 2009, Cindy’s 3 year old daughter had a serious medical emergency that shook her family.  The trauma from this event pushed Cindy into a cycle of replaying her painful experience.  She realized one day, while her daughters were playing that she didn’t want to replay the stories of her trauma any longer.  She wanted to be able get on the floor and play with her daughters.  Her trauma had caused her to close her heart to avoid the pain of sadness and anxiety, but she realized that by doing that she had closed her heart to feeling joy and excitement of life. She started learning about mindfulness, it helped her heal, and she then formally began taking courses and now teaches and coaches mindfulness to others.

Here are the takeaways from this episode:

• Closing your heart is natural and protective when you have gone through something traumatic 


• When your heart is ready to open, and the time is right, you will know.  It cannot be rushed, and only you know when you are ready.


• Striving for self-love and self-awareness are the first two goals Cindy recommends, without judgement and with empathy and compassion towards yourself


• Reactions are natural and practiced, we are rewiring our brain when we practice mindfulness


• Meditation can bring self-awareness of your thoughts and patterns that we get sucked into


• Mindfulness helps create a space between a stimulus and your minds reaction or response


• The space gets wider and wider as we practice


• When you feel like you don’t have time to meditate, or practice mindfulness, your probably need double the amount of time you set out to practice


• Mindfulness can be practiced formally through meditation.


• Mindfulness can be practiced informally all throughout your day. An informal mindful moment could be one in which you focus on what you are doing in that moment (ex.washing the dishes, paying attention to your senses, warmth of the water, the visual of the bubbles, texture of the sponge) and practicing staying present, not getting swept away by thoughts.


• Cindy starts her day with gratitude.  When she wakes before she even opens her eyes, she says thank you thank you thank you…


• Cindy’s book recommendation “A return to love” Marianne Williamson


• Cindy talks about how our journey’s are all unique.  We can plant the seeds of mindfulness through our own changes and raise our vibration, demonstrate self love, and how we respond differently and lead through those examples, but whether the seeds grow or not is not up to us.

Make sure to head over to Cindy’s instagram page @sacred.pause for daily mindfulness guidance and check out her virtual group mindfulness sessions which she currently offers on Sundays and Thursday.

• Have a beautiful day and remember to stay present and show yourself some non-judgemental self-love today.