Taking a deep breath...

I've now been in Korea for almost a year and in not too many hours we'll be counting down to 2012 - amazing! After the school semester finished, I felt pretty frazzled and ready to collapse and take a looong rest. Now I'm getting excited for the new year. Moving to a different country, starting a new job, looking after children, and throwing my old routine out the window has been tremendously liberating, fun, and adventurous. It was quite a shake up and now I am ready to settle down a bit more and get centered again. This seems like a good time to reflect on the past year and figure out what I want to fit into the new one.

1. Meditating
I used to think meditation was some exotic, unapproachable, mysterious activity that appeared humorous and soundly unnecessary. Then I tried it and felt incredibly good. Taking a few minutes in the morning to clear my head, consciously relax, and slow down my overly busy and cluttered thoughts is one of the healthiest and most energizing things that I can do. If I feel grumpy, stressed, overwhelmed, etc. I know this is what helps me most, but during most of this year I've neglected to take that time. The last few days I've gotten back into it and I feel sooo much better. It's like taking a luxurious bath for my mind haha...ahem, moving on now.

2. Cooking
Before I left Canada, I got pretty comfortable in the kitchen and really enjoyed cooking soups, stews, stir-fries, and dabbling in baking. The last few months have featured very little cooking by me. I have a cute, brand new kitchen and though it is small, there's no reason for it to go unused. It's time for me reclaim the lead role in the kitchen and let the rice cooker step down to an assisting position. I had lots of excuses not to cook much - lack of energy after work, unfamiliarity with the ingredients here, living in an apartment surrounded by lovely and cheap restaurants - but the truth is I love cooking and I miss it a lot. It gives me energy, grounds me, and makes me feel nourished and healthy. It's also just fun!

3. Studying Korean
This is something I must do. I'm no longer a beginner but I'm far from being at a conversational level and I really really want to understand what people are saying all around me. I want to communicate and feel at ease and be more independent. So, my goal is to study every day, even if it's only for a few minutes. One day, I want to have an actual conversation with my boyfriend's parents.

4. Spending time in nature
Living in a big city here is very different from living by the ocean, surrounded by trees and natural beauty. I realize now that I took nature for granted. I could just step outside and breathe fresh air and feel inspired by beautiful ocean views. Parks and gardens and hiking trails were everywhere, so easily accessible. There is plenty of natural beauty in Korea and hiking in the mountains here can be breathtaking. However, it takes more effort to get to the mountains or the countryside. I haven't made enough of an effort this past year and I'm craving nature badly. I live quite close to some beautiful mountains so I will try to actually pay them a visit at least once a month.

5. Exercising
So this is a boring one, but I do feel a lot better when I exercise regularly. During vacation it's not a problem, but it's hard to get motivated after a tiring day at work. So, even if I just hula hoop for ten minutes, do some jumping jacks, or pretend to execute some ballet moves, I will try to fit more conscious movement into each day.

The new year is just around the corner, and I feel excited, energized, and ready to celebrate! Hooray! :-)

Ommm...

And now it is time to sink into the present moment and contemplate the vast benefits of regular meditation :) In the past, this practice was mostly associated with particular forms of spirituality and probably wasn't considered to be a very mainstream activity in Western society. Nowadays, however, there is such a great need for stress reduction that meditation is becoming more and more popular, with classes and group sessions popping up all over the place. 

Our society features many characteristics of the Type A personality - fast-paced, competitive, time-crunched (with a constant sense of urgency), highly active, and aggressive. We are encouraged to always be productive, on the go, always push ourselves to the limit, even if we are sick, tired, or constitutionally not designed to function in such a way. In order to survive, many people rely on stimulants such as coffee, refined foods, energy drinks, cigarettes, and medications. This may give you a temporary energy boost, but it is like borrowing money that you do not have - later on you will feel even more tired than before. We can only borrow so much before crashing and arriving at full on adrenal exhaustion. While proper sleep and nutrition are absolutely essential in order to balance things out a bit and edge towards the side of health and vitality, meditation can also be a beautiful, grounding, rejuvenating part of our day that helps us to not only survive, but truly thrive in a world that can sometimes feel overwhelmingly hectic and stressful. Even people who are not super stressed can benefit greatly from integrating some meditation into their day. Here are some of these wonderful benefits:

• Stress Reduction - meditation lowers oxygen consumption, decreases respiratory rate, increases blood flow, slows the heart rate, normalizes blood pressure, decreases muscle tension and headaches, reduces anxiety, leads to a deeper level of relaxation, activates theta brain waves, lowers levels of cortisol (stress hormone)

• Brain Function - increases serotonin (the 'happy' neurotransmitter), detachment from thoughts, stillness of mind, improvement in concentration, increased creativity (arising spontaneously in the moment when the mind is quiet), deeper understanding of self and purpose

• Physical Health Benefits - helps relieve pain associated with certain illnesses, helps in chronic conditions like allergies and arthritis, enhances the immune system, helps with overall healing

Neuroscientists have also found that meditators actually shift their brain activity from the stress-prone right frontal cortex to the calmer left frontal cortex, and that there is also less activity in the amygdala (where the brain processes fear). 

Meditation is free and anybody can do it. The easiest way to start is to find a quiet, comfortable space and to simply focus on your breathing for a few minutes. I also like to do a body scan at least once a day - this is when you either sit or lie down and gradually concentrate on different parts of the body, allowing them to relax and letting any tension melt away. I start at my feet and move upwards. This exercise is also great for getting back in touch with the body. Raising our awareness of the body and reconnecting with it is essential to overall health :) 

I could go on and on about this topic as it is especially fascinating :) Meditation is so special - not only does it provide physiological health benefits, but it can also lead to great personal and spiritual growth. Mind, body, and spirit can all be integrated into this practice. Meditation can also mean something different to every single individual because it means going inward. However, it is also very unifying because it reconnects us to wholeness and grounds us in the earth. Even when the world seems overwhelming, meditation provides a centered place that is like your own rock - no matter what, it will always help bring you calmness, peace, and the power to accomplish anything you put your mind to!