Exploring
Meditation
by Robert Landau
Exhaustive research conducted over the last couple of
years has shown that meditation is an excellent antidote against stress,
hyperactivity, and fear related themes. It has been found to increase your
energy, as well as lower blood pressure and heart rate. Meditation can also be
used as a successful tool to accompany many medical, psychological and
alternative healing therapies. Last, but certainly not least, for centuries,
people like you and me have been using the art of meditation to control the
mind-chatter that so often interferes with our connection to inner peace and the
energy of the Divine Being that we are. So the question is, if meditation can do
all of this and more, how is it that so many of us can't seem to do it!? To get
the answer, let's explore all of this a bit further.
The definition of meditation is almost as broad as are the
numerous ways you can choose to experience the process. I have found that the
best way to define it is as follows; simply stated, meditation is what happens
between your thoughts.
Think about that for a minute. If you choose to read many
of the hundreds of books written about meditation, most will tell you that
unless you can control the oftentimes overactive thought process, then the
peaceful energy of meditation will elude you. As a matter of fact, many state
that one of the most common obstacles to experiencing a true meditative state is
mind-chatter/thought interference that all too often can occur moments after one
attempts to enter a period of meditation.
So what to do? First, it's important to note that we
meditate more often than we consciously realize. The energetic state of
meditation is something that we engage in many times each and everyday. Anytime
you are focused on one thing and remain focused on that one thing without
thoughts of the past or the future, that can be said to be a meditative state.
It is the peace that can be felt walking along the beach, hiking through the
mountains, or jogging. The joy of hearing a beautiful piece of music, playing an
instrument, even brushing your teeth can be said to be a mindful meditation
because you are focused on one thing and while this occurs, there are no
distracting thoughts present. When you are totally based in the present moment,
then you are actively involved in the energy of meditation.
But how easy is it to stay totally anchored in the present
moment with no thought interference? Not very, it would seem, since this
phenomenon is said to be the number one pitfall to successful meditation. So
what is mind-chatter anyway? Many believe the phenomenon of mind chatter,
described as a constant battery of inner thoughts, effectively keeps us out of
the present moment and is closely associated to the energy of our ego.
Try this for a moment; close your eyes and see how long
you can stay totally within the energy of the present moment with no
mind-chatter interference at all. Most of us won't be able to go too long
without some thoughts coming in to cloud the picture. If you are the energy of
the clear great vast blue sky, then it would only seem logical that at some
point, a cloud, or series of clouds, might pass through to cloud up your
particular sky.
If mind-chatter can be thought of as clouds, the important
thing to remember is that the clouds will pass through, if you don't hold onto
them! This means that thought interference is not a bad thing. It is not
something that needs to be repressed or stomped out. It simply needs to be put
in its proper place. All too often we have honored our ego's mind-chatter to the
point where we think that is all we are. If you buy into your ego's chatter, if
you zero onto a cloud that wants to pass through your clear blue sky reality,
then you have let your mind-chatter go too far. Don't let your ego do everything
it thinks it should do! You are in control here, not it! In giving into the
energy of thought interference, you could very well be blocking the energy of
your True Self, your Spirit Self, the You that is so much more than your
thoughts or your physical body. To fully realize the Sovereign Being that you
inherently are, there must be a balance between the ego-self and the Spirit
Self. Without one or the other, we are incomplete, and too often this
incompleteness manifests in our lives.
If you can learn to flow with the energy of mind-chatter,
then you will be able to successfully meditate any time, any place, and it's
easier to do than you might think. Try this basic exercise. Close your eyes and
shift your awareness to your breathing process, that natural flow of breath that
you engage in every moment of your life. Let the breath begin to breathe you and
see what that feels like. Let the breath be the most important thing. Surrender
to it and do nothing else. Each breath can be said to contain the energy of the
clear vast blue sky and whenever a thought comes in, whenever mind-chatter jumps
into the picture, just let it, and acknowledge it (as if it were a cloud). Then
return to the breath and to the energy of the clear vast blue sky.
Whatever type of meditation you choose, let it become a
natural part of your life. If you but practice, the desired results can be
achieved! Remember, "It's the journey, not the destination that counts."
Recommended book:
Meditation For Dummies (Book and CD edition)
by Stephan Bodian.
Info/Order this book
Robert Landau, a fully trained, certified hypnotherapist and Higher
Self Facilitator, offers workshops, and private sessions to facilitate a
connection between you and your Higher Self so that a clearing, healing and
empowerment can take place. You can reach him at Higher Self Technologies.
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