Judy Hall - Crystal Mindfulness: Still Your Mind, Calm Your Thoughts and Focus Your Awareness With the Help of Crystals

JUDY HALL

CRYSTAL

MINDFULNESS

STILL YOUR MIND, CALM YOUR THOUGHTS AND
FOCUS YOUR AWARENESS WITH THE HELP OF CRYSTALS

CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION

You may have heard about mindfulness and how learning to still your mind and live as much as possible in the present moment can help you to get more from each day and bring tranquillity, peace and joy into your life, as well as a real sense of wellbeing. You may have already tried to practise mindfulness, whether in formal meditation or simply by trying to be present as you go about your everyday life, but perhaps have found, like many others before you, that this apparently simple concept can be surprisingly challenging. If you find it impossible to stay in the present moment and your head is full of if onlys and maybes, youll always be somewhere else perhaps worrying about the future or regretting the past. You may toss and turn at night, going over the events of the day, or wake up with thoughts racing. If any of this sounds familiar, then crystal mindfulness is just what you need. Crystals can help you to find physical, emotional, mental and spiritual calmness, simply letting the past and the future be. They anchor you in the present moment and help you to enjoy every minute of your life.

A softly attentive mind is an essential component of mindfulness. Compulsive obsessions and overthinking are common and breaking the cycle can be challenging. A state of what is known in Zen Buddhism as no-mindness, in which your mind is not fixed on any object, thought or emotion and so is open to everything, can be difficult to achieve without prolonged training. But mindfulness doesnt mean having no mind. It is awareness in the moment a quiet mind rather than one that is full of background chatter. Lightly focusing your attention on a crystal or a crystal reflection (see ) is an easy and effective way of instantly stilling your mind.

I sleep with an Auralite 23 under my pillow so that my chattering mind doesnt kick in before Ive opened my eyes. I cherish that moment of stillness when my brain wakes up clear and calm. Thats the moment of my greatest creativity. When ideas float in unannounced, I dont judge them as being good or bad, stressful or dynamic, I simply observe them, flowing with awareness but no haste. It is a beautiful mindful moment that I enjoy daily.

Mindfulness is something that you are rather than something you strive to do. And your crystals can really help you as you try to be mindful in all things and live each moment in your daily life to the full before flowing on to the next. If we can live this way, unfettered by thoughts of the past or future, we begin to feel more peaceful and are more likely to notice those many small moments that bring joy: the fresh buds on a tree; a childs smile; a phrase or sound that resonates with us. Mindfulness also brings increased creativity and more self-confidence, as increased awareness of the present moment replaces our autopilot. Ellen Langer, who has studied its impact on a range of fields from behavioural economics to psychology for over four decades said this about making decisions, When youre mindful, mistakes become friends.1

Gently focusing on a beautiful, inspiring crystal, such as Spirit or Rose Quartz, gives the mind an opportunity to rest quietly in the moment.

The opening section of this book introduces the rich tradition of mindfulness, exploring some of the research that has been done into the many benefits of this practice, to help you appreciate exactly what mindfulness can do for you. Youll learn how to work with your crystals to become more mindful, including how to use the crystal referrals that youll find in .

) before you begin.

Stromatolite, one of the oldest crystals in the world, with Smoky Quartz, Malachite and Preseli Bluestone. All crystals can help to focus attention in the present moment.

In , A Directory of Crystals for Mindfulness, youll find descriptions of the qualities that each of the featured crystals offer to support your mindfulness practice, together with practical exercises that can help to manifest those qualities in your life.

At the simplest level, you might choose to flick through the directory until a picture catches your eye and then work with the crystal as suggested. In this way you can allow your intuition to assist you. Or, you might prefer to target your crystal mindfulness more specifically by selecting the appropriate crystal energy and tuning into the crystal through the exercise. None of the exercises takes more than 15 minutes and some as little as a minute or two. Some people will notice an immediate effect on their state of mind, while for others it may take a few days. Just remember that mindfulness requires practice to perfect. You can use your crystal as described in the exercise once or twice a day or carry it with you until you notice a change after which, of course, theres no reason why you shouldnt continue to enjoy your crystal contact daily. Simply focusing on a crystal as you practise mindful breathing (see ), for example, is an easy way to return to the now that can be done at almost any time.

After a while, you may want to move on to dissolving another barrier to stillness. If so, simply turn the pages until you find the next appropriate crystal. And do bear in mind that crystals have other healing properties that could well make themselves known as you continue to attune to these stones.

Practised for more than 2,500 years, mindfulness has its roots in Buddhist spiritual teachings of the East, although more recently it has found popularity in the West as a secular practice for wellbeing. Thich Nhat Hanh, the Vietnamese Buddhist monk, peace activist and author of many books on mindfulness, defines it as the energy of being aware and awake to the present moment.2 Traditional mindfulness practices include formal meditation, as well as disciplines such as yoga, chi kung and tai chi. However, you do not need to take up any of these activities to bring mindfulness into your life, as mindfulness practices also include simple breathing exercises, mindfullly doing daily tasks (such as washing the dishes or walking), saying mantras or focusing on an object, such as a crystal. In other words, mindfulness can be any practice in which the aim is to stay present to whats happeing in the moment. In , youll find a range of exercises to create a mindfulness practice in your life.

As you focus on the present moment without judgement of what is happening, either inside your mind or in the outside environment, mindfulness brings a more peaceful way of being. And when your mind quiets and settles on the present moment, you may find you enter a more creative state of mind, often described as being in the flow, and so life starts to feel more dynamic and joyful. You may have experienced this flow state when absorbed in a task that you enjoy. Practising mindfulness you can bring this state into every action.

Mindfulness focuses your mind on what is being sensed and experienced