Of all my personal growth endeavors, learning to meditate has been one of the trickiest. I think it’s partly because I had an antiquated notion that only the most evolved – almost saintly types were able to reach this nirvana-like state of mind and a mere mortal such as myself would never really be able to. And with an inner dialog like that, I never could.
As with almost anything though, once you relax and take your figurative foot off the gas, whatever issue you’ve been fretting about – the solution eventually comes to you with ease. The simple truth was / is that I was trying too hard. Huh, how often have you found that to be true in your earthly pursuits? I’d put so much pressure on myself to reach a ‘quiet mind’ – as I’d imagined was the key prerequisite to meditation – that it became less and less attainable. The more I tried to shut the mental chatter up, the more obnoxious and noisy it became, (the mind chatter can also come in the wee hours of a morning when I wake for some reason and lay there solving world problems while painting rooms and designing my outfit for the next social event and thinking about what I should have said to the rude gentleman in the store the other day) …
What I came to realize is that being present is the key … and it’s actually quite an easy process once you understand that being ‘present’ is simply being aware. You get laser-focused on the here and now – not on yesterday or tomorrow, only today. It is a moment, whether it be one minute or ten or 30 without any other thought. You give yourself time to be mindfully aware of what ‘is’ for you in this ‘now’ moment, not concerning yourself with anything that has already happened or will in the future. You let go of all the woes of the past and don’t dip a toe into the multi-tasking planning pool we all drown in from time to time for our futures. Plunging into your senses – the sights, smells, tastes, what you are hearing and feeling in this moment will also help to bring you to your now awareness.
And then breathe. Deep mindful breaths in and out as you are having this moment. Consciously inhale and exhale all the splendor that surrounds you in this perfect personal gift you are giving yourself. Allow Your Self to come to a calm and relaxed state of being and become attuned to the connection of the body / mind /spirit. Reflect and revel in all the love and gratitude in your life for as you acknowledge and express it in these meditative flashes of contemplative delight you will create more, isn’t that wonderfully brilliant?
What I’ve found to help me quickly glide into ‘right now’ mode is to sit outside and watch nature at work. From the birds that come to have a sip and a dip and a bite to eat to the little butterfly exhibitionists floating around and showing off their colorful wings to the lizards that climb up to the sunniest spot on my waterfall and begin the pushup dance. It mesmerizes me. And the sound of the water tumbling over the rocks of my fountain lulls me into a sense of serenity I find nowhere else. I always come away from moments I have spent in nature refreshed and happy with the most wonderful creative inspirations for my work. I am not a big walker but I’m sure any time spent in nature will reap the same effect. Once I let go of my previous biased thinking and understood that all I had to do was be in the moment it turned out to be so simple – what a delightful surprise to find that these outdoor sessions of mine were a form of meditating that I’d been doing for years – I no longer feel intimidated!
A motivating force for me throughout my journey of enlightenment has been to extinguish the fear that has engulfed me much of my life. I speak of this often and admit I have not always been so ‘right-now minded’. Hiding and running as far away from all that has scared me was the path I traveled for many years. Thankfully, I am a seeker of truths and wish to live a life full of miracles and so lifting the fear has been one of my deepest desires. I have found that chanting or reciting a mantra in these quiet moments can bring productive thoughts and helps my energy flow while calming my mind. A while ago I came across a beautiful prayer that spoke to healing fear-based thoughts. I wish I’d written it down but interpret it as follows
Remove my guilt from yesterday and all worry for tomorrow so that I may have joy today.
I love the comfort I feel when I recite this little chant. I also think of all the things I’m thankful for – from the biggest to the littlest. I’m careful not to go too much further in the thought process though as I remind myself that the idea is to stay currently awake.
Of course there are many other methods and techniques for mediation which you can find when you do any research but keeping it simple resonates with me. The important thing is that we find ways to soothe ourselves naturally, learning to savor our minutes and hours and days. To regain our power and to keep in mind we choose each of our moments, whether they be calm and peaceful or chaotic and unpleasant. The alignment that meditation brings is just one more invaluable tool to add to your toolbox and assist us in living our best life.
You know who’s got this whole ‘live in the moment and not be concerned with the past or the future’ thing? Our pets … we could all learn a thing or two from these little darlings and how they live out each of their days with no thoughts beyond their current experience. As I type this, I am looking over to where my crazy puppy dog is chasing shadows the birds above are making as they flutter around in the trees. I don’t think he’s figured out that they are shadows – he really thinks they are something to catch (like when you see a cat chasing a light beam). He is quite intent on the chase and seeing this makes me laugh out loud.
And now I am not thinking about anything else …