How in the world was last week already Thanksgiving? This year has zoomed by (but thankfully, not on Zoom every day, lol!) I took some much-needed time with family and friends to reflect on all that we have to be grateful for. I hope you did the same. Gratitude is good for the soul. While […]
Meditation is not about ridding yourself of your thoughts, since that's virtually impossible for anyone to do. Meditation instead, is literally about noticing that your mind has drifted into thoughts and then practicing bringing your mind back to a place of stillness - over and over again. The noticing IS the practice.
Through the practice of meditation, you develop what is known as “witnessing awareness” which allows you to observe your thoughts, feelings and stories with greater objectivity and distance, rather than getting pulled into the drama and emotional reactivity. Over time, you will begin to notice that some space has been created around difficult emotional states. You will start to see that there is more to who you are than your moods or thoughts, and you may also observe that the sensation associated with the negative feelings dissolve altogether. I like to say that you begin to develop a sense of responding as opposed to reacting.
People often feel intimidated by meditation, thinking there is a perfect way to join in this time-tested practice. But that’s simply not true. Each person’s practice is a reflection of their unique personality and mind/body connection. The biggest support for working with our minds in meditation is our body. Generally, I don’t think most of us are sensitive to how much our body can support our mind in meditation.
You certainly don’t need me to tell you how stress accumulates in your body. The way we eat, drink and live takes its toll on our bodies, minds and well-being to be sure. Deep relaxation meditation is an opportunity for our body to rest, to heal, and to be restored. Today, I offer you a […]
ON THE PATH One of the most essential spiritual lessons we can learn is how to differentiate between the situations we actually experience and our mental commentary about those experiences. So you might be asking yourself, "How can I begin my spiritual path?" The thoughts about a situation and the situation itself are sometimes difficult […]
Many mistakenly believe that meditation entails sitting still for ten minutes or so in some kind of contorted pretzel position and stopping all thought. These are actually two of the biggest misconceptions of the practice of meditation. They’re also the primary reasons most people give up meditating all together.
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I’m doing things a little differently this time around. I have recorded a new meditation for you to practice called, “I Am Present Everywhere.” It’s roughly ten minutes long. All you need is a quiet space to settle in and listen.
Some of us worry that because we get lost in thought, that means that we are not successful in our meditation practice. Just the opposite is true. The fact that you are noticing that your mind strays as you meditate is a sign of success. It means you are beginning to become aware and recognizing how much “stuff” passes through your awareness oftentimes without you even noticing it.