Relaxation Meditation

The Crime of the Century...why was it entitled this?? I found no reference to either crime or centuries in the meditation.
I am a very visual person and one of the passions in my life is food, I love it! So when I was envisioning the colors coming from myself I associated them with food - tomatoes, carrots, lemons, green peppers, ocean, blueberries and God (the Supreme Being in my life).
This is a meditation I could enjoy on a regular basis and it is also one I would recommend to everyone (client, family or friend) because it is detailed and there is a step by step process - so for those of us who have wandering minds, the narrator continues to bring you back to the exercise throughout the entire meditation ~ you can't wander off too far.
I have read a lot, taught a bit and incorporated much about breathing techniques and how they can be so beneficial to your overall health, the exhale correlates with our calming, relaxing, releasing ability. I find that many people take short inhales and equally short exhales, which does no good for wellbeing whatsoever. I have mastered the art of long, slow, luxurious exhale - it is a truly beautiful thing!

The Grand Scale...

If I were to rate myself on a scale of 1-10 in the areas of Physical, Spiritual and Psychological Wellbeing that would be a challenge...it seems to be that these are ever changing states and at any one moment I would change my rating from a 4 to an 8 to a 5 etc. But let's give it a shot, shall we;
Physical Wellbeing : 7 - I try to stay pretty physically active, this includes going to the gym a handful of times weekly, walking my 2 unruly dogs when the mood strikes and weather permits and keeping up with my children. The reason I only rate a 7 is because I am not as committed as I would like to be and I don't push myself to reach new limits physical (I have kind of plateaued and been hanging out on that plateau for about 6 months). I want to start pushing my limits and finding new levels of strength, balance, flexibility and endurance.
Spiritual Wellbeing : 9 - I am very satisfied with my spirituality right now! I have become active in a faith community and volunteer my time with children. I am working my way through the Bible and read it at least once a day (my aim is 3, I usually get 2), praying regularly and gratitude for all the blessings and great things I have been given in life. I find myself smiling at nothing at all and when I catch myself doing it, I smile even bigger because I know there are so many things to smile about.
Psychological Wellbeing : 5 - I am one of those people that is much better at giving good advice than I am at following it. I let the small things bother me and this is super disappointing to me. I feel that I have made great strides in the right direction but then something will set me off and I am stressed out and worked up. The disappointment comes in when I look back on that incident, whatever it may be, and realize "wow, there were so many more positive ways I could have dealt with that". I often remind myself that Perfection is not a realistic goal and I should focus on the Progress I have made.
Goals in these areas would be:
Physical : Schedule my physical activity and stick to a schedule
Spiritual : Pay it forward, I enjoy my reawakened spirituality, spread the wealth and good word
Psychological : Make good use of the relaxation techniques we have access to and use them daily

Journey On

I love guided meditation - I find that having someone else in my head telling me to let go and relax is helpful and prompts me to really force my mind to quiet down. This mediation reminded me of when I was little and had a hard time falling asleep I would talk my body into sleeping. I would first tell my feet to go to sleep and then my legs and body and arms and head (of course this was all done slowly and with some sort of methodology), if I was still wide awake I would begin again; only this time I would address smaller parts of my body - toes go to sleep, heels go to sleep, feet go to sleep, ankles go to sleep and on up my body. If by some crazy chance I was still awake after coming to the top of my head I would address each individual toe and finger as I worked my way from foot to head one last time. It was rare that I would make it to 3 rounds but if I did I had the method prepared. The technique in Journey On was very similar for me, in the same respect I was now telling the blood how to travel my body as I would tell my body to go to sleep as a kid.
Our minds are capable of controlling our bodies and they possess a great deal of power. Knowing this fact ~ don't you want to be sure you use your power for Good and not Evil ;)

Reflections

When I take a moment to sit and think of all the different hats I have worn in my life and the different characteristics of who I am when wearing each of these different hats the word that comes to mind is 'Incredible'. It is incredible to me that I, a single person, can at any point in time be many things to many people and myself. These last 12 years in particular have been such a huge growth period for me and I couldn't have imagined 10 years ago that I would be where I am today, and would not want to, because I have found that many times the unexpected things that happen in life hold the most wonder and joy.
In 1998 I graduated high school and immediately went to boot camp for the Navy - this was, obviously, a transitional time and I learned what it was like to be an adult, supporting myself in every way and discovering the world for the first time without the safety net of my parents.
In 2001 I started my family and now found myself figuring out how to support my son and meet the needs of another life, one that was dependent upon me for his every need. It wasn't long before my husband and I welcomed our second child into the world (2004), and I was no longer a military person but a full time mom - yet another transition. I have since discovered the path of wellness and with each new learning point on this subject I am grateful to have found it and want to learn more.
Today I am living life to watch as my children discover their worlds. At the same time I continue to discover and grow myself. I have found new ways to celebrate the other relationships in my life as a wife, daughter, sister, friend, colleague, classmate, volunteer, etc. and it is truly incredible!