Being fit, healthy and mindful does NOT have to cost money...

It is not necessary to pay money for a lot of "things" that many people are convinced should cost money.  I've been around a lot of health minded women who place value on "things" according to how much these "things" cost.  For instance, I was once in on a conversation about back and hip pain and that in order to alleviate this pain one must see a chiropractor.  And that the chiropractor would, in addition to adjusting the spine, give some exercise ideas since movement is the key to controlling back pain.  In seeing the demonstration of the exercise I exclaimed, "That's a lot like the T'ai Chi I teach!"  I went on to try and elaborate a bit on the subject and was met with angry looks, rolling of eyes and scoffing at what I was trying to share.  I had been shunned and I felt angry.  But it only got worse.  Later with the same group, I overheard the conversation which was all about how to increase one's circulation in the legs in order to offset unsightly veins.  I really don't have any unsightly veins (I'm almost 50!) but I did when I was pregnant.  I had read that elevating the legs daily can increase circulation and even reverse varicose veins in the legs.  So, I got into this habit of elevating my legs for at least 10 minutes per day.  WOW!  It really worked!  And I did not have to pay a penny.  I felt I had to share my experience due to the fact that one woman was telling another woman that she paid a massage therapist $100 to give her a very special leg massage to help offset and alleviate varicose veins by increasing circulation...That's $100 per week!   She also claimed that this was the only method that worked and that, although it was expensive, it was worth it!  So, I chimed in with my opinion on the subject only to be met with more scoffing, "Oh right!  You naturally have perfect legs, so just shut up!"  My anger got the best of me at this point...  I said something like, "ARE YOU KIDDING ME!  YOU THINK ALL OF THIS COMES NATURALLY!  YOU THINK I DIDN'T GAIN 35 POUNDS WITH MY 4TH PREGNANCY!  AND DEVELOPED VERY PAINFUL AND UNSIGHTLY VARICOSE VEINS!  I WORK VERY HARD EVERY DAY TO BE FIT AND HEALTHY! ALL I AM SAYING IS THAT YOU DO NOT HAVE TO PAY $100 TO A MASSAGE THERAPIST!  THERE ARE OTHER WAYS TO ACHIEVE RESULTS WITHOUT PAYING SO MUCH MONEY AND I AM LIVING PROOF!" At that I walked away and have never brought up the subject again with this particular group of women.  However, I feel the need to blog about what I feel passionate about.  I am nearly 50 years old and I have kept fit and healthy without expensive diets, chiropractors, exercise equipment, personal trainers, etc., etc.!  The list goes on and on and that's why it's a multi-billion dollar industry.  So, now the "thing" with this same group of women is meditation and how it's important to pay for proper training!  I find this so absurd!  Why should I pay money to someone to train me how to sit quietly and notice my breath?  And when my mind wanders and I am aware of it wandering, I go back to noticing my breath.  That's it!  It takes a lot of practice to actually quiet the mind but that's all it takes...practice!  To pay someone to teach you how to meditate is, in my very humble opinion, a waste of money.   There is a discipline involved with meditation that won't happen just because you found an expensive teacher! It must come from YOU!  It happens when YOU are determined to continue with a meditation practice even when it feels like a waste of time or that it is doing nothing for you.  It requires a daily intention to just sit and breathe and to practice loving kindness with yourself even when you cannot quiet the mind.  The important thing is to keep practicing!  Meditation is wonderful because you can practice it anywhere!  There will always be distractions but learning to relax and breathe through them is a wonderful feeling.  And of course there are many ways to meditate.  T'ai Chi, Yoga, coloring, knitting - just to name a few.  Find your way but PLEASE, don't pay a penny for it!