Let’s Talk Meditation…

Is it just me? In my recollection, our generation viewed meditation as hocus-pocus weirdo stuff.  It was something that strange people did. We didn’t understand it. 

We made fun of positive affirmations back in our day.  

I mean, I have to admit this still makes me laugh. The good ol’ days!

Part of my personal resistance to meditation may be that my alcoholic father, who jumped on every bandwagon from pot smoking to witch craft to chanting  and burning incense in a dark room in my childhood home, made meditation seemed odd and scary.  And, sadly, I didn’t have any respect for my dad, so whatever he did, I disliked.

Jump forward to now when I’m purging old patterns, cleaning out old assumptions and starting new. Learning for myself what works for me and not allowing old pain to affect the present decisions.

Meditation

intransitive verb
1: to engage in contemplation or reflection.
2: to engage in mental exercise (such as concentration on one’s breathing or repetition of a mantra) for the purpose of reaching a heightened level of spiritual awareness

Merriam Webster

I have always equated meditation with Buddhism, but meditation is practiced in cultures all over the world and all of the major religions have some form of meditation practice.

Did you know:

Meditation was brought to the west in 1920 by Paramhansa Yogananda

Long before Yogananda was born, a saint named Babaji lived in the Himalayas. One day, Jesus appeared to him, and told him that although Jesus’ followers still do good works, they have forgotten how to commune with him inwardly in meditation.
He told Babaji to send someone to the West to remind his people that the goal of life is to become one with God through inner communion. That person was to be Yogananda.

http://www.paramhansayogananda.com

“May Thy Love shine forever on the sanctuary of my devotion. And may I be able to awaken Thy love in all hearts.”

—Paramhansa Yogananda

I wonder why there is always so much resistance to spiritual and deep practices when spirituality has been part of the human psyche always.  Why don’t we embrace it?  Why do so many find it weird?  Is it fear?  Is it ego?

I’m asking myself this question as much as I’m posing the question to human kind.  What was my resistance to trying meditation all about? I can really only discover what this is for myself but maybe in doing so, others will answer this question for themselves, as well.  In my personal discovery, I’ve found that there is no harm in keeping an open mind and exploring the teachings of others who are trying to improve the quality of life.

So, whatever you want to call this mindfulness practice, I have enjoyed and gotten great benefit from dedicating time to it, every day. 

In simplistic terms, meditation for me is taking at least 20 minutes a day to clear my mind and/or focus on positive thoughts and manifestations. It’s not hocus pocus.  It’s not wierdo stuff.  It’s not witchcraft.  It’s connecting to the breathe and the self and the source.

In this chaotic world, with a whirlwind of thoughts non-stop firing in our heads, this practice is the space between the crazy.  It’s a gift to ourselves.  It’s peace.  It’s a way to honor ourselves and get in touch when we are distracted 24/7 from outside influences. 

What it all boils down to is this: It’s a great idea.  Just do it.  And who are we to resist this ancient and beloved practice?  No one has ever meditated and had negative results.

So how do you meditate:  Here’s a beginner’s way…

There are phone apps you can use to meditate.

Is it just me or does “Phone app” and “meditation” in the same sentence feel like a paradox?

Anyway,  the internet may be part of the culprit, poisoning our brains with too much stuff.  And yet, it also presents us with great tools and endless learning possibilities.  

Meditation apps:

There is one called Headspace and another called Calm. My favorite is Insight Timer.  It’s free.  Try it.  Within the app you can pick from many topics and it guides you through all different types of meditation.  If you’re struggling with confidence, there is a meditation for that.  If you’re struggling with depression, motivation, pain, you name it, there is a meditation. 

My husband Dave and I are both benefitting greatly from meditation.  We often listen to a sleep meditation together before bed and it helps turn off that overactive night time brain that prevents us from sleeping.

Sometimes we get a great laugh from it, too.  One night I told Dave that, while I was meditating earlier in the day, I chose a mediation about pain.  I suffer from chronic headaches. 

The meditation took me on a journey through my body to have a conversation with my cells.  It seemed perfectly normal when I was deep in meditation and it actually helped me relax my overly tense head muscles. 

But that night when I said to Dave, “My mediation really helped my headaches today.  I had a conversation with my cells and asked them to calm down and relax.” 

As the words came out of my mouth and Dave listened lovingly, we both burst into laughter.  It sounded so absurd!  Oh well…it worked so …whatever! HA!

Friends, try it.  You deserve some peace in your day.  It can’t hurt.  And, it may just help you with things you’re struggling with. 

xoxo Jill