Life is a story we
weave together from the thoughts, feelings, and emotions we experience each
moment. Yet we live the majority of our life in the memories of our past and
the expectations of the future. Rarely do we live in the purity of the present.
These past memories and future expectations that we embrace throughout the
course of our lives are what breed the stresses we feel in each day. In fact,
the average person is a bundle of conditioned reflexes and nerves that are constantly
triggered by situations and circumstances. Often the circumstances are simply
the ups and downs of living each day. But there are times in our lives when the
stresses, pressures, disappointments, and anxieties can seem overwhelming.
As we weave through
life, some people find themselves in relationships that have become toxic or
end unexpectedly; in other instances, life-long careers stop being nurturing or
stop all together; and there are even times in our lives when imbalances in our
health and well-being can suddenly start to manifest themselves as states of
dis-ease. So often we have defined ourselves as the roles we play in particular
relationships or jobs. For example, “I am a mother,” “I am a wife,” “I am a
manager,” “I am a vice president.” When, for whatever reason, these roles and
aspects of our lives—which we have used for so long to identify ourselves and
to bring us self-esteem—stop satisfying our needs, we can feel a sense of loss,
emptiness or confusion.
Fortunately, there is
a timeless way to recapture this connection to our true self: the practice of
meditation, which allows us to experience our own source. With this experience,
we realize that we are not the patterns and eddies of desire and memory that
flow and swirl in our consciousness. Although these patterns of desire and
memory are the field of our manifestation, we are in fact not these swirling
fluctuations of thought. We are the thinker behind the thought, the observer
behind the observation, the flow of attention, the flow of awareness, the
unbounded ocean of consciousness. We spontaneously realize that we have
choices, and that we can exercise these choices, not through some sheer will
power but spontaneously. Through meditation, we gradually bring harmony,
laughter, and love back into our soul and, in the process, rediscover our
unconditioned self, which can never really be lost.
By gently washing
away the stress, tension, fear, and confusion that often accompany one who is
at the crossroads, we can regain our connection to a calmer, more peaceful
life. And from that moment on, a life filled with joy, harmony, balance, and
peace is ours for the asking.
When the Student Is Ready . . .
Over
the years, I have often been approached by people who tell me that after they
had developed a meditation practice that lasted weeks, months, and even years,
for some reason they just stopped meditating. In some cases, the routine of
their lives took a new direction and they no longer felt they had time for a
ritual that would connect them with stillness and silence. In other cases, they
began a new job and they chose to commit all their time and energy to it rather
than their meditation practice.
Some have complained
that they found themselves falling asleep or getting frustrated with the lack
of progress they were experiencing. Of course, this is all part of the process
of releasing the thoughts and stresses that will ultimately connect us to pure
consciousness—the magical bliss of the gap. But without proper instruction,
there are those who misinterpret restlessness as an impediment rather
than as a positive part of the process.
Then of course, there
are those who have waited their entire life to begin a meditation practice and
have now come to a point where they are ready to reduce stress, ease anxiety,
bring calm to the chaos, experience peace of mind, and connect more closely
with their inner voice on a path to higher states of consciousness. There is an
ancient Buddhist expression: “When the student is ready, the teacher will
appear.” This is very true in the context of meditation.
Whether you have: 1)
meditated and enjoyed it but haven’t developed a regular practice; 2) taken a
hiatus from meditation and are ready to return; or 3) have never before tapped
into that stillness and silence within you, today can be the first step on the
path to discovering your soul. Once you have glimpsed your soul, everything
else that happens in life seems to shine with the brilliance of bliss.
How Does Meditation Work?
We
are all engaged in a continuous internal dialogue in which the meaning and
emotional associations of one thought trigger the next, usually without our
being consciously aware of the process. Buddhist psychology describes this
process as samskara, which can be seen as grooves in the mind
that makes flow thoughts in the same direction. Our personal samskaras are
created from the memories of our past and can force us to react in the same
limited way over and over again. Most people build up their identify on the
basis of samskara without even realizing they are doing this.
In meditation we
disrupt the unconscious progression of thoughts and emotions by focusing on a
new object of attention, whether that is a mantra, our breath, or an image.
Meditation is one of
the best ways to loosen the grip of sticky emotions and connect to our true
self, which isn’t limited, angry, or fearful, but is infinite, pure
consciousness. Meditation brings us home to the peace of present-moment
awareness and gives us an experience of profound relaxation that dissolves
fatigue and long-standing stresses and – as countless studies have shown –
promotes both physical and emotional healing. The benefits of meditation
include:
•
lowered blood pressure and hypertension
•
slower heart rate
•
decreases cholesterol levels
•
reduced production of “stress hormones,” including cortisol and adrenaline
•
more efficient oxygen use by the body
•
increased production of the anti-aging hormone DHEA
•
improved immune function
Beyond these
significant health benefits, the greatest gift of meditation is the sense of
calm and inner peace it brings into our daily life. When we meditate, we go
beyond the mind’s noisy chatter into an entirely different place: the silence
of a mind that is not imprisoned by the past or the future.
With a regular
practice, the expansive awareness you enter during meditation begins to
permeate your life outside of your meditation sessions. You might experience
flashes of elation and notice feelings of well-being sweeping over you at
unexpected moments. You will begin to walk with more buoyancy and feel a warmth
and peace in your heart. Your thoughts, actions, and reactions are infused with
a little more love and mindful attention. All of these are signs that you are
living harmony with your true spiritual self, and the result is a deeper
appreciation and a profound awareness of the divine quality of existence.
Welcome my dear to
share and if you know the issue of meditation rather than this comment give us
opinion and comments if needed arises.
Lusako Mwakiluma
Motivational &
Inspirational Speaker
