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## <center> Did you miss the previous post about my book launch? If so, you can [Click Here](https://steemit.com/story/@ericvancewalton/the-perfect-pause-meditating-your-way-to-the-ultimate-you-chapter-two) to read it. </center> ##

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Please join me this week as I post excerpts of my new book on meditation. The posts will culminate on the final book launch date...Sunday, June 25th.  I hope you enjoy this first part of chapter two. If you missed chapter one please click the link ^ above ^ to read it. 
 
Each chapter of this book has a section entitled *Putting It Into Practice* that gives you practical prompts on how to apply what you’ve learned in each chapter to your personal life and a *Notes* section to help you track your progress.
 
 
# <center> Chapter Two (continued) </center> #
 
**<center> Three Steps </center>**
 
                    
Each of us, whether we’re conscious of it or not, are living our lives in a desperate attempt to find a way back to that perfect state of joy. Unfortunately, many people choose harmful paths to achieving that peaceful state like ingesting mood altering substances, chasing adrenaline-inducing thrills, seeking approval or praise from others, working too much, overeating, or spending beyond their means. All of these things are merely temporary triggers that release a flood of the naturally occurring “happiness chemicals” in our brains including endorphins, dopamine, serotonin, and oxycontin. The trouble is most of these triggers are unhealthy and eventually lead to a downward spiral of addiction and misery.
                    
Meditation will provide a better outcome with no harmful side effects. It truly is the “perfect pause”, the one true path back to our soul’s natural state of rest, and our perfect state of happiness. In the coming chapters I offer you a way to return to your natural state. Side effects may include: sound sleep, lower blood pressure, increased productivity, better focus and memory, longer attention span, decreased anxiety, more creativity, and increased compassion.
                    
## PUTTING IT INTO PRACTICE ##
                    
Like an anchor, our breath is what tethers our soul to this physical world. How you breathe will tell you a lot about your current physical and mental state. Are you breathing rapid, shallow breaths or slow, deep breaths?
                    
Take a moment right now to pay attention to the quality of your breathing. Proper breathing requires full expansion of the lower lobes of your lungs. Your belly (not just your chest) should rise and fall with each inhalation and exhalation.
                    
Spend the next few minutes breathing properly, making sure your belly rises and falls. Afterwards, use the Notes section found at the end of this chapter to document how you were breathing before and how you felt after a few minutes of slower, deeper breathing.
                    
Set a recurring reminder on your mobile phone to notify you a couple times per day with just the word “breathe.” When you see the notification, think about the quality of your breath and make a conscious effort to breathe more slowly and deeply. Over time you will reclaim your breath and retrain yourself to breathe properly. 
            
                           
            
                
                    
# <center> Chapter Three </center> #
 
**<center> Synchronicity: Noticing Life’s Hidden Messages </center>**


                    
Life is easy for most of us to understand in reverse. How many times have you thought about an event in your life that happened to you days, months, or even years after it occurred and had an “ah-ha” moment? You truly came to understand that the event was a lesson and it taught you something incredibly important.
                    
*What if I told you that this kind of thing is occurring in your life every day, in every moment, but most of us are too distracted to realize?* It’s true. A majority of our life lessons slip by unnoticed. It doesn’t have to be this way.
                    
*Have you heard of synchronicity?* It’s a concept popularized in modern times by Carl Jung. Jung’s theory was that our lives are a series of events, seemingly unrelated, that are what he coined as, “meaningful coincidences.” It’s these meaningful coincidences that we begin to notice once our minds are uncluttered and our souls begin to settle into their natural state of rest.
                    
When I find myself feeling lost or perplexed about something that happens in my life I’ve learned to always ask, “Why is this happening?” or “What is trying to happen here?” I’ve learned through my many years of meditation practice that this physical world is just like our schoolhouse and the events in life are our greatest teachers. The universe we live in is an interactive web that is trying to teach us lessons continuously in real time. Often, the lessons are small and harmless. Sometimes, especially if we don’t learn them the first few attempts, they can become more harsh and life altering. I’ve learned to view life as a theater production that is being performed for each specific person to learn from. I think William Shakespeare realized this when he wrote, *“All the world’s a stage, And all the men and women merely players; ey have their exits and their entrances, And one man in his time plays many parts, His acts being seven ages...”*
                    
Meditation sparks substantial shifts in your perception that open you up to subtler aspects of life. This process can greatly improve and deepen the quality of your time on this Earth. Once you begin to notice synchronicity and understand how it works, it will show you that our reality isn’t some series of random events but rather meaningful coincidences. After a while, you will come to understand that there’s either a lesson to learn or a lesson to teach others in nearly every moment. 

[Click here](https://steemit.com/story/@ericvancewalton/the-perfect-pause-meditating-your-way-to-the-ultimate-you-chapter-three)  to read the next post in this series!
                
            
        
    
            
        

                
            
        
 
                        
            
        
 
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## <center> Thank you for reading. Please join me here on Sunday, June 25th for the official launch of The Perfect Pause!  </center> ##
 
 
 
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*I am an American novelist, poet, traveler, and crypto-enthusiast.  If you’ve enjoyed my work please sign up for my author newsletter at [my website.](http://www.ericvancewalton.net) Newsletter subscribers will receive exclusive updates and special offers and your information will never be sold or shared. 
 
 
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