Meditation – the pathway to unlimited joy
No yoga practice is complete without meditation. Meditation is the pinnacle of a yoga practice but the part of our practice we are most likely to skip. And I agree, in this world of so much choice and the pressure that we should be ‘doing’ something all of the time, meditation does seem unnecessary. But I promise you it isn’t. With a meditation practice your whole life can be transformed. Let me tell you how…
Meditation is not simply sitting down and trying to not think. Our mind is absolutely incredible and by thinking, it is just doing its job… it is why we have developed into the complex organisms that we are. So we don’t want to stop thinking, but instead we want to think with purpose. We want to shine a light on to our consciousness, giving us a deeper understanding of our self. By connecting with our true essence we are then free to access a deeper state of consciousness. This enables us to think and then act in a way that is in line with our soul rather than be influenced by societal expectations, our conditioning or traumas. This wisdom gives us the courage to live life how we truly would like to, from a place of complete joy and with zero regrets.
Meditation is not mindfulness. They both get used interchangeably for the same practices but are 2 distinct practices by themselves. Mindfulness is filling your mind with what is happening in the present. It is seeing, smelling, hearing what is going on around. It is being aware of how your body and breath feel. It is a beautiful way to prepare the mind for the deeper states of consciousness that meditation opens up for you.
Stages of a Meditation Practice:
Preparing for a meditation practice is a must. Unless you are an enlightened sage then there are a couple of things you need to do before you are able to meditate.
· The BREATH – a breathing practice helps you to become present and to begin withdrawing from your senses so that you can connect to the energy in your body. Ensure you are taking a deep, full breath in and a complete breath out. Connect with your breath and notice the sensations of the breath, when you feel ready you can introduce a breath count. Savitri Pranayama is a really simple but potent practice: breath in for 6, hold your breathe in for 4, breathe out for 6, hold your breath out for 4 and repeat.
· Get CONTEMPLATING – now that your mind is a little calmer and you have settled into your practice, we want to begin the journey to understanding our self on a deeper level. We want to know who we are away from how we’ve been raised and the environment we live in. What experiences have we had that have shaped how we think and act? What is the cause of my fears, confusions and self-doubt? Begin with a topic in mind or a question you want answering. A simple question such as Who am I? is powerful. Stay breathing deeply, ask yourself the question and come back to observing your breath and noticing how it feels. Now sit and watch the thoughts as they come up. Rather than link the thoughts together, just observe. Come back to your breath and how it feels any time your mind gets led astray down a thought path.
Over time, by sitting with your thoughts, past impressions start to come up. Things that we didn’t realise were bothering us, start to bubble up from our subconscious and into our consciousness. Now that we see the root of our emotional struggles we can process them and therefore be free of them. With continual practice, more and more blockages come up and your pile of ‘stuff’ becomes smaller – you are no longer carrying with you the weight of your past and so you feel lighter, every day stresses become easier to manage.
This continual getting to know of your Self means that rather than react on emotions we are able to act from a place of awareness. We have a true grasp of what is happening as we are now processing sensory input from a place of intelligence.
The more experiences you have repressed, the more there will be to uncover so don’t rush these preparatory stages. The more attention you give to these stages the easier it will be to become absorbed into a state of meditation
Now it’s time to get serious.
· Let’s CONCENTRATE. We want to bring our attention to a singular object, such as a mantra, and then keep coming back to it. Repeat the mantra with conviction but if you become distracted come back to it gently - with no judgement. Your mind will wander… that is all part of our practice. But as soon as we catch our mind wandering and come back to our mantra, we are connecting with a higher state of intelligence. Your mantra can be a quote, phrase or poem that you connect with. The more feeling you can generate when repeating your mantra the better, so choose something that really resonates with you. If you are part of a yogic lineage your teacher can give you a mantra.
· Blissful ABSORPTION. With practice, patience and consistency you will begin to access a deeper state of consciousness whereby you are fully connected to yourself and the world around you. You access your unlimited, infinite joyful potential and are able to live your life from this place of pure bliss.
Benefits
The benefits of meditation are endless and once you start to reap the rewards of your meditation practice you will look forward to practicing and feel as though something is missing when you don’t. Here are a few of the reasons why I am dedicated to my meditation practice.
- You become less affected by the world around you and regardless of what is happening, are able to stay peaceful and joyful.
- You are able to see what is truly happening around you. How you process events and situations comes from a place of intelligence and clarity and deciding how to respond becomes clearer.
- Your ability to focus dramatically increases, you are able to concentrate for long periods of time whilst performing optimally.
- You cultivate a deep sense of gratitude. You see the joy in the everyday and everything that you do has more depth and meaning to it.
Now I know what to do, how do I start?
- Decide on the time of day that suits you and how many times a week you can realistically commit to. You want your practice to be consistent, so 5 minutes for 4 days a week is better than 45 minutes once a month.
- Ensure that you are not going to be disturbed and also that you have the time to relax and get into it. Nothing kills the meditation mood than having to be somewhere important very soon. You can set a timer for the duration you want to commit to your practice.
- Set the scene. Ensure you are comfortable and warm. You can light a candle or some incense. Whatever inspires you to sit and practice!
- Simply sit down, close your eyes and begin.
- Remind yourself why. Your practice will probably feel hard at times so remind yourself of why you are doing it. During your meditation practice you may not feel calm or relaxed as being with yourself can be uncomfortable and confronting. But try to see it like brushing your teeth, you don’t necessarily enjoy doing it twice a day but you still do as you know that it is needed for optimal health.
- I really advise finding a teacher that inspires you. Like I said before, this path goes deep and can be confusing, so having someone who you can ask questions to and who can help to further your understanding is really important.
- Your own practice is sacred but joining a class, workshop or retreat is a great way to supercharge your meditative experience. These longer periods of self-discovery help you to access deeper states that you didn’t even realise existed before. Also, committing to a practice does take discipline and so surrounding yourself with like-minded individuals can be a great way to motivate you to continue on your path.
I hope I have convinced you to dedicate some time to a meditation practice, if not then no judgement from me! If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to get in touch. I am available for 1:1 sessions if you would like me to guide you on your journey to Self.