New Year’s Check-In Meditation

In two days, we will have finished January and entered a new month. What does that mean for you? What were your goals for January? What was your intention? Did you set any for the month? For the year? January flew by for Hungry & Fit and to be honest, we didn’t do great with our January goals, but we did alright on annual goals. Life works a little funny that way. It’s always push and pull like the tides. Just because you didn’t accomplish all 20 goals for your month (wow, might be too much?) doesn’t mean you are inherently bad. I want to guide you through a short meditation so that you can check in with yourself and be in tune with how you are and where you’re at.

[Suggested playlist: Tibetan Bowls]

May302018

Lunch Break Meditation

Hooray! It’s lunch time! Or even if it’s not, hopefully you have some break throughout your day for a bite to eat and a breather. You might have five minutes, thirty minutes, or an hour. Use some of that time to nourish your body with filling, healthy food. On top of that, I’m challenging you to also nourish your soul with a lunch break meditation. The day’s event can sweep you up into a tide of stress and imbalance. Maybe you haven’t really taken a second to step back and catch your breath or allow your shoulders to lower from your ear lobes.

Whatever your day is–work or not–it’s important to take a break. And one of the most productive breaks you can take is a meditation break. It will refresh mind and body. You don’t need to sit in the middle of your office floor, legs crossed, shoes off, and be humming an ‘om.’ You just need a quiet place where you won’t be bothered for a few minutes. Maybe that’s your desk, a conference room, a table outside, even the bathroom. Find a spot. You don’t even have to be seated. If it’s loud around you and you can’t escape the sound, listen to some calming music. I have a “yoga” Spotify playlist that has some wonderfully soothing tracks (such as Home Again by Drala). Try to block out the outside noise, but don’t stress if you can’t. This will only take a few minutes, but try to give it your full attention.

Nature is always a great place to find some peace

May012018

Alternate Nostril Breathing: An Easy Way Into Meditation

Meditation can seem quite a daunting thing. Sitting still for many long minutes and trying to quiet the mind? Good luck! However, if you break it down piece by piece and just try doing one thing, it can eventually lead you to the real deal. Just trying this breathing technique here or that thought pattern there can ease you into a meditation practice. It doesn’t need to be this scary thing. You don’t need to become someone who sits in the middle of a forest, surviving on meditative breath alone. That’s why, if I’m teaching a meditation class, I like to start with something simple like the alternate nostril breathing (which I’ve blogged about before).

So what is alternate nostril breathing? It’s really rather simple. The technique requires the use of your fingers so that you can breathe through one nostril at a time. Why is it effective? By doing something active with your breath (especially active due to the use of your fingers), your mind has to focus on it. Your mind has a much better chance of focusing if you are doing something active with it. Instead of sitting there, hoping that the buzz of your thoughts will quiet, you are taking your breaths with purpose. So, let’s get started–you only need a handful of minutes.

Mar022018

Meditate With Your Pets!

Animals are the joys of our lives and our constant companions. Whether they’re a cat, dog, or a snake, they’re usually by our side and present daily in our lives. However, when it comes to things like meditation, they can be a bit of a pest. Either they’re meowing in your ear, nudging your hand for pets, or jumping in your lap, pets can be darned distracting during meditation! You’re trying to find your breath and oomph there goes the cat jumping on your lap or the dog barking. Yeah, we love ’em, but pets can be annoying in situations like these. This meditation is to challenge that. The other day, I did a short meditation early in the morning before Hungry was awake. The animals were either on the couch next to me or somewhere close, hoping it was close to breakfast time. And somewhere between their pining and my peace-seeking, I found a balance and it was really great.

I focused on companionship. The unconditional love you can get from your animals is a powerful thing. When it feels like the whole world is against you and nobody really likes you, you can still get plenty of face licks from your dog. She will sit with you forever and never get tired of you. To me, animals exhibit and teach us true love and also how to love. We can learn a lot from observing them and reflecting on them. So that’s just what I did for this meditation. Even if you don’t have your own pet, think of an animal you love–that will still work for this meditation. This can be a short meditation if you wish it to, but don’t rush it if you can. Enjoy.

Feb052018

Hungry & Fit Meditation Series

This year seems to be full of fun changes and projects. One you already know about–LA’s Must-Visit Restaurants of 2018 series. After months of putting it off, we are finally bringing you another project that you can hopefully benefit from. I first got into meditation during college and, since then, it’s become an important grounding part of my life even if I don’t do it as much as I should. In the past, you’ve seen written meditations come from us. We taught you the basics of meditation, how to use it for positivity, and for love. If I listed all of the ones we’ve published, I would probably be here for a long time. If you want to look some up, just type in ‘meditation’ in our search bar to find them. We’ve heard great positive feedback from you on these meditations so we wanted to bring you something even better.

Jun082017

Meditation to Find Your Center

In this rough and tumble world, it can be exceedingly difficult to find grounding. Most of us live in an environment of stress where it feels like we are just bouncing along and unable to get a grip. The stress whips us up and it’s hard to find grounding and perspective. The tornado of stress is the center of our attention and everything else falls to the wayside. It feels turbulent, dangerous, and unsettling. There could be a myriad of factors that play into this: your work, your partner, your boss, family life, money, and so forth. Unfortunately, the list of stressors is a lengthy one.

I find that the meditation below helps calm the world around me down and reminds me that everything I need is already inside of me. I hope you find it useful.

May102017

Meditation for Peace

Life is tumultuous. It’s not easy and it’s certainly messy. Our own life can be stressful, and then add on all the events happening across the world. It’s hard to find clarity, balance, and peace among the mess. It’s hard to pause and take a moment to be, instead of stressing over this or over-thinking that. However, it’s paramount that we take a second and stop. We pull in the gratitude and focus on being in the present. We realize life’s not so bad and that perspective is important. I’ve designed this meditation to focus on peace. Try it out!

Jun092016

Visit These Yoga Holiday Spots

Please enjoy this article by Christopher Austin and Shaktihimalaya.com. Namaste!

Get a more meaningful travel experience with these Yoga holiday spots.

Yoga has become an increasingly popular pastime for many people. It allows you to still your mind and body in a hectic world and build you inner strength. It is something that many people continue to do whilst on holiday, however, it is actually possible to go on a yoga holiday; here are some of the best places to visit: