30 Day Mindfulness Challenge

Like most people, I began learning meditation during a challenging period in my life. I was utterly overwhelmed with running a business, being a single parent and selling my home. I was taking pain killers for chronic back pain and drinking myself to sleep most nights. I knew I needed something to not just help reduce the feelings of anxiety and overwhelm but to also prevent me from getting to tha...

Cultivating a Calm Mind 30 Day Mindfulness Challenge DAY 30 – COLOUR BREATH MEDITATION              Your challenge for today is to listen to this 5 minute Colour Breath Meditation which is a gentle but effective way to release any emotional energy that may be trapped in your body.   Host: Michelle Eckles ⁠Download the 30 Day Mindfulness Challenge PDF⁠ ⁠⁠⁠

Cultivating a Calm Mind 30 Day Mindfulness Challenge DAY 29 – TELL THAT THOUGHT TO F OFF              Your challenge for today is to tell a persistent or annoying thought or your inner critic to go away or f off.  As many times as you need to. 😊 Host: Michelle Eckles ⁠Download the 30 Day Mindfulness Challenge PDF⁠ ⁠⁠⁠

Cultivating a Calm Mind 30 Day Mindfulness Challenge DAY 28 – HEALING LIGHT MEDITATION             Your challenge for today is to listen to this 15 minute healing light meditation. Using visualising can be a powerful tool in releasing pain in the body or deeply relaxing your mind and body in preparation for a quality night sleep.      Host: Michelle Eckles ⁠Download the 30 Day Mindfulness Challeng...

Cultivating a Calm Mind 30 Day Mindfulness Challenge DAY 27 – BOX BREATHING             Your challenge for today is to practise Box Breathing or Square Breathing as it’s also called. This is a short simple breathing meditation used in the military and corporate world as it is very effective for enhancing focus and concentration. All you need to do is: Breathe in for a count of four Hold your breat...

Cultivating a Calm Mind 30 Day Mindfulness Challenge DAY 26 – SENSORY AWARENESS             Your challenge for today is to do this short Sensory Awareness exercise. Tuning into your senses is a simple yet effective way to: * Boost mindfulness by bringing you into the present moment * Manage stressful situations by getting you out of freeze mode * Improve focus and concentration   Sit with your eye...

Cultivating a Calm Mind 30 Day Mindfulness Challenge DAY 25 – MINIMISE WORKPLACE INTERRUPTIONS             Your challenge for today is to minimise distractions and interruptions at work. Avoid eating at your desk Turn off your email notifications Unsubscribe from spammy emails (not mine lol) Put your phone on silent when you are trying to finish a task Don’t take your phone to meetings For more wo...

Cultivating a Calm Mind 30 Day Mindfulness Challenge DAY 24 – ALLOW AN EMOTION            Your challenge for today is to simply allow an emotion. So often we either try to avoid feeling emotions or try to ignore them. But it’s already there! And emotions are just energy in the body that need to be released. Step 1 – recognise you are feeling an emotion and what it is. Step 2 – notice where you are...

Cultivating a Calm Mind 30 Day Mindfulness Challenge DAY 23 – WRITE IT DOWN            Your challenge for today is to get those distracting thoughts out of your head and on to paper. Some options: Write a to-do list – so you can stop worrying about all the things you need to do and trying to remember them all Write a letter – if there’s something you wish you had said to someone write an email or...

Cultivating a Calm Mind 30 Day Mindfulness Challenge DAY 22 – WALKING MEDITATION            Your challenge for today is to do a walking meditation. You can listen to a guided walking meditation if you need some guidance but all you need to do is: Choose a spot where you won’t be interrupted or feel silly   As you breathe in move one leg As you breathe out move the other leg Continue at this pace f...

Cultivating a Calm Mind 30 Day Mindfulness Challenge DAY 21 – MINDFUL BREATHING MANTRA            Your challenge for today is to practise this breath mantra 3 times throughout your day, e.g. before each meal or as a transition between activities to leave behind the previous task, e.g. when you get home from work before you get out of the car, before you go into a meeting, etc. As you breathe in sa...

Cultivating a Calm Mind 30 Day Mindfulness Challenge DAY 20 – MINDFUL EATING           Your challenge for today is to practise mindful eating and eat something with all of your senses. So often we just shovel down our food with even noticing anything about it. We may also be on our phone, watching TV or listening to music whilst eating. Choose one meal today and do nothing else but just eat using...

Cultivating a Calm Mind 30 Day Mindfulness Challenge DAY 19 – CHOOSE PEACE          Your challenge for today is to “Just Listen” when someone is talking to you or sharing a story. Maintain eye contact Don’t butt in Don’t offer advice or try to fix anything   Did the person you were listening to respond differently?   Host: Michelle Eckles ⁠Download the 30 Day Mindfulness Challenge PDF⁠ ⁠⁠⁠

Cultivating a Calm Mind 30 Day Mindfulness Challenge DAY 18 – CHOOSE PEACE          Your challenge for today is to “Choose Peace Instead”. Being right doesn’t make you happy so instead of arguing your point today choose peace instead..   How did you feel after consciously choosing to feel at peace instead of choosing to be right?   Host: Michelle Eckles ⁠Download the 30 Day Mindfulness Challenge P...

Cultivating a Calm Mind 30 Day Mindfulness Challenge DAY 17 – LET IT GO          Your challenge for today is to “Let it Go”. Choose a persistent thought you have been having lately and every time it pops into your head, simply say Let it Go. How many times did you have to do this challenge today?   Host: Michelle Eckles ⁠Download the 30 Day Mindfulness Challenge PDF⁠ ⁠⁠⁠

Cultivating a Calm Mind 30 Day Mindfulness Challenge DAY 16 – PROGRESSIVE MUSCLE RELAXATION         We go about our day holding tension in our bodies without realising it. If I told you right now to drop your shoulders and create a space between the top and bottom rows of your teeth, you would more than likely be able to do both, not realising you were holding your shoulders up or clenching your j...

Cultivating a Calm Mind 30 Day Mindfulness Challenge DAY 15 – COUNT YOUR BREATH        Focussing on your breathing is a quick and easy way to get you out of your head and into the present moment. It can also help reduce anxiety and increase focus and clarity. Here are a few different breath counting exercises you can try. Count each breath cycle up to 10 Count for the duration of each breath and e...

Cultivating a Calm Mind 30 Day Mindfulness Challenge DAY 14 – RELEASING THOUGHTS MEDITATION        Today your challenge is to listen to this 20 minute Releasing Thoughts meditation either first thing in the morning when you get up or last thing before you go to bed.   Host: Michelle Eckles ⁠Download the 30 Day Mindfulness Challenge PDF⁠

Cultivating a Calm Mind 30 Day Mindfulness Challenge DAY 13 – DRIVING MANTRA        Today your challenge is going to be to practise driving more mindfully. How often have you driven from A to B and not remembered how you got there? Or have you been driving on autopilot and gone the wrong way or gone somewhere you didn’t mean to, e.g. driven to school during the school holidays – Yes I have done th...

Cultivating a Calm Mind 30 Day Mindfulness Challenge DAY 12 – PRACTISE GRATITUDE       Today your challenge is going to be at the beginning of the day as soon as you open your eyes think of three things you can see that you are grateful for. Then at the end of the day before you fall asleep list three things that you experienced that you feel gratitude for.       Other ideas: At the dinner table a...

Cultivating a Calm Mind 30 Day Mindfulness Challenge DAY 11 – RESIST THE URGE TO SHARE YOUR STORY      Today your challenge is going to be to resist the urge to tell that “negative” story.   Misery loves company and sometimes we like to get validation from others to justify our reactions. But by repeating a story, more often than not, you are: Retriggering the emotions that go with it Setting off...

Cultivating a Calm Mind 30 Day Mindfulness Challenge DAY 10 – RELAX YOUR JAW     When you are in your head focussed on what you are doing throughout the day you don’t tend to notice tension in the body. By practising mindfulness and bringing awareness into your body you are able to: Increase self-awareness Notice where you are holding anxiety or tension in your body Prevent chronic pain It can be...

Cultivating a Calm Mind 30 Day Mindfulness Challenge DAY 9 – STRAW BREATHING       Today your challenge is to practise straw breathing. It’s a bit different to belly breathing in that you breathe in through the nose and then slowly exhale through the mouth (instead of the nostrils), as though you are holding a straw between your lips. Even better if you can practise it with a straw (steel, bamboo...

Cultivating a Calm Mind 30 Day Mindfulness Challenge DAY 8 – RELAXATION MEDITATION       Your challenge for today is to listen to this body scan relaxation meditation as you are lying in bed tonight, before you fall asleep. A body scan relaxation meditation focuses your attention on the body's physical sensations to relax both mentally and physically. It can be challenging to relax your mind i...

Cultivating a Calm Mind 30 Day Mindfulness Challenge DAY 7 – DISRUPT YOUR EATING HABITS       Today your challenge is to apply mindfulness to your eating habits by changing your meal routine. Some ways you can do this: When making a cup of tea or coffee stand and wait for the kettle to boil (don't run off and do five other things). If you normally eat your lunch at your desk take your lunch ou...