Welcome to the 10-Day Meditation Experience

Hello! I am so happy you are here to participate in this 10-Day Meditation Experience. It originally began Wednesday, October 21, 2020. You can still participate at any time, the only thing missing for you will be the live Q&A session that was offered the first time around.

Let life happen to you. Believe me: life is in the right, always.

—Rainer Maria Rilke

Please set aside 25 minutes each day for these 10 days.

If at any point you would like to invite a friend to join this experience, the more the merrier! Please have them sign up to receive my newsletters at www.heidispear.com.

May this experience be the beginning of a beautiful ongoing practice for you.

Please scroll down to begin.

With a grateful heart for our time together and a big smile for you,

Heidi

Recommendations in preparation for the Meditation Experience

In these 10 days you can expect:

• Guided meditations from me with information including how-tos and troubleshooting techniques as you sink into a daily practice that you love and will want to continue.

• Different ways to meditate so you can choose what's best for you or simply enjoy the variety.

• Journal prompts to help you process what you experience and jot down questions you may have.

In advance, I recommend that you:

• Find a space in your home where you can sit undisturbed for 20 minutes each day. It's best if it can be the same time each day.

• Let your family members or roommates know that you'd like to be left alone for that time each day, which starts to set a clear message not only to them, but also to yourself that you deserve this.

• Have a notebook or journal and pen or pencil nearby for writing. This is a wonderful part of the experience for self-reflection and integration.

• Have cushions and a blanket so you can test out what's most comfortable. I will talk to you about different seated options.

Introduction Video

Please enjoy this welcome video before starting the 10-Day Meditation Experience. Then scroll down for Day 1.

Day 1

Welcome to Day 1. Here is the video for today’s practice.

For reflection after the practice, I invite you to review the questions below.

Reflection/Journal Prompts for Day 1

As you review these questions, remember that there are no right or wrong answers. These prompts are for diving more deeply into self-awareness. You could choose to read them all. Then, pause for a moment, and begin to journal. You do not have to answer them all or even answer them in order. They are here to invite contemplation and reflection. Let your own wisdom guide your pen.

What is the nature of the barriers within yourself that you have built against love? When did they start? Why were they useful? Are they still needed? How might your life be different if you spent some time observing with compassionate, curious awareness these barriers?

Thank you for your practice. I look forward to sharing Day 2’s video with you tomorrow.

Day 2

Welcome to Day 2. Great job setting aside time for a second day! Here is the video for today’s practice.

For reflection after the practice, I invite you to review the questions below.

Reflection/Journal Prompts for Day 2

Begin with the statement “What I experienced during meditation was …,” and complete the sentence in any way. Continue to let the writing flow without needing it to go in a specific direction. You might note if you had certain kinds of discomfort, specific moments that felt calm, or anything else you noticed or that you feel now.

I look forward to sharing tomorrow’s practice with you.

Day 3

Welcome to Day 3! I am so glad you are sticking with this! Here is the video for today’s practice.

For reflection after the practice, I invite you to review the questions below.

Reflection/Journal Prompts for Day 3

I love the way David Whyte writes about “alone” in his book Consolations: The Solace, Nourishment and Underlying Meaning of Everyday Words. In today’s video, I share an excerpt from the book which includes this: “to want to be alone is to refuse a certain kind of conversational hospitality and to turn to another door, and another kind of welcome, not necessarily defined by human vocabulary.” When you really pause and consider your own concept of “alone,” what comes up for you?

Thank you for being a part of this experience. I look forward to sharing tomorrow’s practice with you.

Day 4

Welcome to Day 4! By now, you have tested out a few practices, and I hope they are helping you take time for yourself each day. Here is the video for today.

For reflection after the practice, I invite you to review the questions below.

Reflection/Journal Prompts for Day 4

What came up for you today, as you were holding the object and paying closer attention? What has the topic of energy brought up for you?

The excerpt I read today is from Jill Blakeway’s Energy Medicine. To learn more about energy in our bodies and the chakras (wheels that help energy flow) you could pick up my book My Pocket Chakra Healing (if it’s not at your favorite bookstore, they can order it. It’s published by Simon & Schuster, and it is also available online).

Thank you for practicing with me today. I look forward to sharing tomorrow's practice with you.

Day 5

Welcome to Day 5! You are halfway through the ten days! Congratulations! Here is the video for today.

For reflection after the practice, I invite you to review the questions below.

Reflection/Journal Prompts for Day 5

How did it feel to practice meditation using a visualization technique, imagining you were in the forest? Do you have another place you could imagine that helps you feel safe, comfortable, and relaxed? What are the details of that place, and can you describe how you feel when you imagine being there (in that real or fictitious place)?

Thank you for practicing with me today. I look forward to sharing tomorrow's practice with you.

Day 6

Welcome to Day 6! I am so happy you are here. Today’s practice is via audio recording.

For reflection after the practice, I invite you to review the questions below this audio clip. Simply press play for today’s practice.

Reflection/Journal Prompts for Day 6

How did you feel before and after this practice? Also, what about the people who came up for you in your mind today: is there anything about any of them you want to reflect on more? What about someone you love so dearly, someone you don’t know as well, someone who needs extra care, someone with whom there is a small conflict? Did anything surprise you about who came to mind? At the end of your journaling, be sure to hold yourself in compassion for whatever arose today.

I look forward to sharing tomorrow’s practice with you.

Day 7

Welcome to Day 7. Here is the audio recording for today’s practice.

Thank you for your practice! More tomorrow …

Day 8

Welcome to Day 8. Congratulations for making it this far! Here is the audio recording for today’s practice.

Reflection/Journal Prompts for Day 8

As you practiced tea meditation, what did you notice about the experience of drinking tea when you slow it down? And can you slow it down more next time? Did you have any memories come up of times in the past when you used to drink tea with others? Has tea or has another warm drink played a role in your life, and what has that been?

I look forward to sharing tomorrow’s practice with you.

Day 9

Welcome to Day 9! Here is the audio recording for today’s practice. (Day 10’s practice will be via video, the last day.)

Reflection/Journal Prompts for Day 9

What has been a pivotal experience in your life that you can still remember today and feel the impact of emotionally and perhaps physically. Who is in that memory that you have? Did it create a positive feeling in your body or a negative feeling? Can you describe the physical impact it had, or still has, when you think of that memory? If that memory is a negative one, can you now think of a positive one: a time when you felt loved, seen, and heard? Or a time when you achieved something you worked hard for? Or something else that gives you a positive feeling? Describe that and notice how you feel as you replay the memory. Notice how energetic these memories are and how connected they are to physical sensations.

I look forward to sharing tomorrow’s practice with you, via video on the last day.

Day 10

Welcome to Day 10! You did it! Here is the video for Day 10. I hope you have enjoyed this practice. Please do feel free to send me an email to tell me how it went for you, and I hope to see you soon at an upcoming event or workshop when we can meditate together. Stay tuned to my newsletters for details about more ways you can continue your practice. I wish you a wonderful day.

For reflection after the practice, I invite you to review the questions below.

Reflection/Journal Prompts for Day 10

Today would be a great day to sit down with your journal, take a deep breath or two, close your eyes and sit in silence for few breaths before writing. Then, you might want to use these prompts in your journal:

• I started this meditation journey because …

• How I feel after today’s practice is …

• A challenge for me lately is …

• A benefit of this practice has been …

I hope you feel inspired to continue. You can return to these videos and audio recordings, you can practice on your own, and you can share the practice with others. Thank you, again, for joining this experience. May you feel all love surround you.