Let this just be an opportunity to quickly share how meditation and visualization can spark our creativity and manifestation. I trust it can inspire you like it does me. Before I shared about how you can go quicker into a deep meditation using cacao. Having cacao or not definitely shouldn’t stop you from trying this, but it makes it more joyful with more impact :-). This is what I like to do.
Start your meditation through breathing, a body scan or any other way that works for you, calming the mind. Observe which thoughts, feelings and emotions are present. Do you feel stressed? I’d like to invite you to research the cause why you feel stressed. For example, is it the workload, too much things going on at the same time or did someone hurt your feelings? This is just an example, but often the many things can become overwhelming and we get caught up in a web of thoughts, one triggering the other. This is actually not what I want to dive into now, but in general self research and understanding clears out many blockages and opens a creative and manifesting energy.
Listening to the silent place within yourself.
If you can let all thoughts, sounds, emotions, sensations just be without focusing on any one of them in particular, your mind becomes more and more calm. See it all as one big orchestra where you don’t focus on any musician or instrument at a time, but enjoy the whole as one big happening. Observing with curiosity instead of trying to solve anything.
One exercise I like to do for fun is to turn it around and focus on the silence within myself. Just listen really hard to where there is nothing to hear. Are you sure this is really silent? Maybe over there just around that corner it is even more silent! Almost like entering a maze into yourself. But at some point stop this pursuit and just relax everything without any task for the mind.
See what comes up
After you relaxed your mind out of daily little tasks and todo lists, you can let it run free. A topic might arrive that you’re working on for a long time or maybe something completely new. Try not to force your mind on an answer you desire. Don’t expect any useful outcome at all actually. Just see it as an exercise and have a little trust in yourself.
Whether ideas come up for writing a story, creating a workshop, finishing up that project or shaping a product or service to improve the world. It all benefits from your creativity and clarity to realize it. Ideas can start falling into place and you can visualize the outcome or realization of your goals. Visualization is used by athletes to increase their performance, sometimes even beating physical training! Actually everyone can use this method to manifest their plans, creations etc. If you visualize from a meditation, connected to a ‘deeper place within yourself’, it becomes more powerful. Realizing your goals somehow seems to go more easily.
Maybe you’ve heard the quote ‘Chance favors the prepared mind’. We simply don’t know what the future will be and different situations it will give us. But we can come prepared, with an open mind to ride the wave of opportunities in dynamic, complex environments. Meditation keeps our minds more resilient, seeing change as a chance. And funny enough, taking the time to relax your mind in meditation and visualization, makes you more efficient and effective in doing work afterwards. Saving time overall, a win-win outcome.
Normally I take about 10 to 30 minutes to meditate. This makes it easy to integrate regularly in your life. 5 minutes every day is more effective than 45 minutes once a week. See it as a muscle that you can train. Making time for yourself can be a struggle for many, myself included. I like to ask how much I find myself worth for taking this time and am always incredibly grateful afterwards.
Isn’t this place about the effects of cacao?
Well, at this point it starts to have less to do with cacao and it shouldn’t keep you from trying. BUT, if you got this far reading I’d like to share that starting a meditation with cacao goes quicker, deeper, more focused and with a very positive mindset. Preparing a cup of cacao drink is also a mental preparation towards meditating. It just doesn’t really work to switch into and out of meditation in a snap of a finger. Preparing something healthy, nourishing and delicious for yourself is the perfect buffer in between.
So, let’s start from the beginning, but now with making your favorite cacao drink! Use about 25 to 30 grams of cacao per person. Optionally mix with spices like ginger, turmeric, chili and cinnamon. Maybe add some honey or vanilla to make it an even more happier brew.
Much love!