Meditation

Meditation is practicing the art of noticing, in the present moment, all that is around you and everything that is within you. 

It's tough to find anyone who hasn’t heard of meditation– these days just about everyone knows that it's a good thing. The trouble is knowing what to do, how to start, and sticking to a regular practice. Whether alone or in conjunction with Yoga, it’s my pleasure to introduce the joy of meditation to my clients or bolster their current practice. I know my process will help you because I’ve struggled to find and keep a practice that worked. But now, 9 years later, I meditate daily.

My Meditation Practice

My meditation practice is a guided meditation centered around heart-healing and self-love. Last June I wrote a blog about my how I developed this guided meditation practice, which continues to evolve and grow as my life evolves and changes. Here's a bit of the beginning of that journey: 

I started with sitting on my bed, simply allowing my breathe to move in and out of my body. Sometimes I centered on a feeling, letting it span the spectrum, riding it's wave of highs and lows. Sometimes I said a mantra or sung a specific chakra opening/healing word. And then I would allow whatever thoughts, emotions, pictures or words to come to me. But I didn't know how to interpret those things. A fellow healer suggested I imagine myself in my safe space- the place I feel the most comfortable, the most at home, the most free. Another time she suggested I surround myself with my angels. From those suggestions, I began imagining myself as my most true potential, my highest self. Then I began to imagine my most trusted supporters in a circle around me. And they began to help me interpret those thoughts, emotions, pictures and words. I started to ask certain people, one at a time, to come into the circle with me- people I trust the most, people I felt most connected to, people who loved me unconditionally- asking them to share their thoughts with me, asking for their guidance in my life or with current challenges. Thus began my journey of heart-healing, realizing that my joy gives others joy, and that loving myself serves the greater good.

As the mediation continued to evolve, it developed it into a daily practice. I felt healing happen in my heart and in my thoughts, and I noticed a shift in my relationship with many emotions, like fear and pain, changing. The emotions weren't dissolving, per say; however, I noticed my response was different. I was understanding that to welcome emotions, even when it was challenging, was allowing me to heal, and allowing my heart to reopen even bigger.

My practice has led me to share my guided meditation with others, for heart-healing to happen for others. Below is an audio link for my basic 20 minute guided meditation. Enjoy. If it inspires you to journey deeper, I'd love to work with you individually, or in a small group, to heal your heart wounds, bringing you more self-love, and thus more love into the world. 

A little more about Meditation

Meditation is the act or practice of contemplation and reflection. It is a way of calming, settling or transforming the mind, body and soul, which allows for deep concentration, clarity, and/or peace. 

Mediation takes many forms. There are focused attention meditations that ask the practitioner to focus their concentration on their breath, a sound, an object or a visualization. Open monitoring or non-attachment meditation allows the practitioner to be open to any thoughts, sounds, visualizations, or feelings as they come up, and to follow them without attachment or emotion. Effortless practice or self-transcending takes the practitioner to their pure presence or pure consciousness, where the object of focus and/or open monitoring fall away, and the mind is empty.

Within each category of meditation there are many styles.  Here's a quick guide to a few styles of meditation: http://liveanddare.com/types-of-meditation/

Why Meditate?

For hundreds of years, people who practiced yoga have used meditation as a way to connect to their higher selves, developing more self-awareness and deeper insight into their lives and the world around them. They also used it as a way to communicate with the higher "God" presence in their lives.

Originally, the whole point of practicing yoga poses was a vehicle for deeper meditation. Practicing mindful breathing with movement- yoga poses- got the body and mind ready to Sit in meditation. This allowed the practitioner's spirit or soul the opportunity to enter a peaceful state, where they could work through a problem or challenging situation to find resolution, gain new understanding into their life, or train the mind to be more calm and positive. 

According to over 20 years of scientific research, the overall benefits of meditation can lead to positive effects on our health, wellness, and well-being. Research has shown a link between meditation and increased immune function and pain management. There is evidence that meditation can decrease anxiety and stress, and help meditators cope with depression. The National Institute of Health, along with medical and psychological schools across the country, are studying the effects of meditation on changes in the physical structure of the brain, for the better. For example, they are noticing an the increase in grey matter, as well as the increase in cortical thickness in areas related to paying attention in brains of people who meditate.

It's estimated that about 10 million Americans practice meditation most often to manage stress and anxiety, get a more restful night's sleep, feel more clear-headed, and cultivate more self-awareness. 

How to Meditate

There are many ways to develop and maintain a meditation practice because there are many forms of meditation. One way is not better than another. What's most important in building and sustaining a meditation practice is finding something that resonates with you depending on your goal. The best meditation is the one that works for you at this stage in your life. Know that it may evolve over time, and be willing to observe the journey. A quick Google search will garner a quiz to help you determine which style if best for you at this moment. Here's two I like: http://www.beliefnet.com/Wellness/Quiz/Meditation-Style.aspx     http://www.goodnet.org/articles/whats-your-meditation-style-quiz

Once you find a style that you enjoy practicing, set aside some each day to practice. Start slow, and don't beat yourself up if you forget or don't find enough time each day; even one minute of mindful breathing can be a meditation. Before finding a place/space where you feel comfortable sitting or lying down, move the body while focusing on intentional inhales and exhales. Then, Sit, and breathe, and find some peace in your day.