This weekend I decided to learn a new form of meditation to possibly deepen my practice. I have been meditating twice a day for a few years now, but I always feel like I have more to learn and know that every (good) teacher can give you a unique gift.
At times I have definitely had a challenging relationship with meditation. Sometimes I have felt that I am not good at meditation or have had a hard time sitting with things in myself. It takes a lot of persistence and willingness to be with yourself through the hard times, the good, and everything in between. It is a commitment to yourself and the Divine that says you are willing to be present for light and darkness, to heal and be intimate with all of life.
I wanted to share some reflections about meditation that I am sure can help others out there going through similar things in their meditations:
-Relaxing into the present moment is basically what the spiritual path is all about: The more we relax and unravel the tension in our nervous systems the more we are able to open to peace, our True Self, and the Divine. That being said, it takes time and can feel complicated and difficult. A lot of healing work can be involved.
-Be compassionate and patient with your thoughts and your emotions. Everything will unravel and relax in its own time. I find that compassion towards your inner experience helps to relax and heal things much faster than resistance towards what is coming up. If you have something particularly difficult come up, see a therapist/healer.
-Don't compare yourself with the experience of others. We all spiritually unfold in different ways; each of our systems are wired for a different experience so it is impossible to compare anyway.
-Meditating with others (even online) actually helps your nervous system to relax because knowing you are in the company of other like-minded humans subconsciously sends a signal of safety. Also, we are likely picking up on the meditation vibes of others, exchanging energy and synergistically deepening each others' meditations.
-I've often heard people say they are "bad meditators". I firmly believe that there are no bad meditators. I actually think it is impossible to be a bad meditator because all meditation is, is sitting with your own experience, so how could one go wrong? I think when people say that they are a "bad meditator" they are actually saying they are not having the expected or desired experience.
-If you remember anything in your meditations, remember this: EVERYTHING YOU ARE EXPERIENCING IS OK! :) Everything you are experiencing is what you are meant to be experiencing in that moment, so there is nothing ever going wrong.
-Lastly, sometimes when you have a lot of trauma or an overstimulated nervous system it can be difficult to sit still, so I have learned that it is OK to move around during meditation if you need to. You can also do yoga or any other form of exercise before meditation or as a moving meditation to replace a sitting meditation.
I would love to hear from you about your meditation joys and challenges. Comment or email me :).
Happy Meditating!
Comments