Elizabeth Blaikie's Great Meditations

Elizabeth Blaikie with www.fragrantheart.com

Well, I'm a little late coming up with New Year's resolutions, but I'm committing myself to do meditation at least once a day.  I have to admit, it's actually difficult for me to sit still and focus.  But, as someone who used to meditate daily, I do remember my focus level increasing over time.  These days, we are just not accustomed to shutting off the chatter.  We get up in the morning, and we instantly prioritize a list of activities that need to get done for the day.  We mull over the details during the shower, anticipate situations that may arise while getting dressed, and try to calm our growing anxiety during breakfast.  Often times, this continues all the way to work!  If we took a look back at our morning, we'd realize we weren't present for any of it. 
Meditation helps with mindfulness.  It helps us stay in the moment more.  My friend once told me, "You are either Now-Here, or No-Where."  Notice that they're spelled the same!  In essence, that taught me to be aware of when I was worrying about things I couldn't handle at the moment, or anticipating conflict that was yet to arrive.  It robbed me of being present and experiencing what was going on in the world around me.
If you are feeling disconnected, distracted, irritable, out-of-sorts, anxious, depressed or hopeless, you could greatly benefit from meditation.  Fragrantheart.com has over 50 guided meditations led by Elizabeth Blaikie, a 5 day course on meditation, and best of all, it's free to listen to them.  You can even download the meditations for a nominal fee.  Just 10 -15 minutes a day will make a difference in your life.  I promise!