Meditation for Health and Vitality
"Meditation is a process of lightening up, of trusting the basic goodness of what we have and who we are, and of realizing that any wisdom that exists, exists in what we already have. We can lead our life so as to become more awake to who we are and what we're doing rather than trying to improve or change or get rid of who we are or what we're doing. The key is to wake up, to become more alert, more inquisitive and curious about ourselves."
- Pema Chodron
There is so much that we can get from meditation, which is simply more of what we already are at the moment, but somehow are not aware of it. Pema hits it right on the head when she says that curiosity is HUGE part of meditation. Whether sitting, standing, or lying down, it is simply about letting yourself be curious about what might transpire. That is very hard to do in a world of busy, busy, busy with lots of different distractions and demands of our time. Many people say to me that they can't meditate. It is simply too hard to sit still for 5, 10 or 15 minutes and let the mind go quiet. I think that is the biggest myth of meditation one in which you need to stop thinking. Well guess what...that is the job of the brain- to think.Your job in meditation is to be curious about the spaces between the thoughts and when the thoughts overwhelm you, to find an anchor to support you like the breath.
I invite you to try something now. What would it be like if you simply took 2 minutes to stop reading this and get curious about your breath as if you are observing it for the first time?
Reflect on the following:
What can you notice that is different? It is a deep breath or a shallow one.
Does it feel like there is an emotion connected with it?
Can you simply notice this emotion without attaching to it?
Can you expand the breath more?
Can you simply smile and be happy to be in this space?
Guess what? You have just meditated. There are so many forms of meditation, but the most important part is that you are trying to allow yourself to be even more authentic. It isn't about judgment or hatred or righting a wrong. Everything is as it should be. Now hopefully you can find out the lesson(s) attached to it.
