Day 8

Day 8. I hope you have been able to find some time for rest, relaxation, replenishment and reflection from these daily activities. I invite you to do the following activities today.

1 – Strengths. Read the previous post about VITAL Signs for more info. Today we will finish up our strengths activity. We have done the ‘I am’ activity which is where we wrote out 8 positive words to describe our character. Today we are going to write out 8 strengths. Essentially 8 things we believe we are good at. It may be things we do at home, or in the community or at work – so it may help to think of each of those areas.
Strengths may be big or little things, such as I am good at recognising other peoples’ emotions, or I am good at public speaking, or I am good at cooking nutritious meals for myself/kids, or I am good at encouraging others. Start each line with I am good at, and they must all be positive things – no negatives thank you!

2 – Singing! (or humming). At some point today put on some music you like and sing or hum along. Singing and humming are great for clearing the throat chakra, and it is this chakra that allows us to speak our truth and communicate well – something we are likely to need as we enter the Christmas week. Try to enjoy it, and not worry about how you sound or what your neighbours may think. Embrace the feeling of energising your throat chakra and connecting to the music.

3 – Silence. At the other end of the spectrum from the singing I invite you to sit in silence today for 8 minutes. Set an alarm on your phone, and set it down out of reach. Then sit comfortably on the bed or sofa – sitting may work better that laying down so as not to drift off! Close you eyes and sit in silence. This may be the most challenging activity so far for those who don’t visit silence regularly. Try not to manipulate your breath or your thoughts too much, just let them be. But draw your focus to the breath. The in breath, the out breath, the rise and fall of your chest, the sound of your breathing, the gradual slowing of your breath as you sit there. Try not to open your eyes until the alarm sounds. When it is complete, take a moment to consider how you feel.