Meditation

 

There are many, many types of meditation and, aside from what may be classed as meditation, there are also such practices as mindfulness or positive thinking, in fact, any mental exercise could be described as meditation.  Even worrying can be described as meditating on what we don't want, (or praying for what we don't want).

 

Different exercises work for different people.

 

Some of the most spiritually mature people I know have told me that they have given up trying Transcendental Meditation as they just don’t get it.

 

Please don’t worry if you can’t get the hang of meditation - you can keep practising, or you can try something else, and either come back to practices you find difficult or stick with what works easily for you.  Very often I will start with one exercise and move on to another.

 

The key word here is practice.  Just as a physical exercise benefits you with repetition, so does a mental exercise.  I have been asked by people before, “why, when I have done so much work, do I still feel so icky sometimes.”  The answer is that like physical exercise, or brushing your teeth, mental exercises don’t stay done.  The good news is that I find meditation far more forgiving than going back to the gym, even if you’re out of practice.  When you sit down and meditate good things can happen.

 

Why should you meditate?

 

Well, some would say that we are meditating all the time.  By strengthening my ability to choose my own thoughts, rather than letting my thoughts run my life I can live my life less in fear and more guided by love.  (And I sleep a lot better too.)

 

Meditation is also a great accompaniment to massages and spa treatments.  Some people have told me that they don’t enjoy massages because, when they slow down, so many thoughts start racing round in their heads.  By taking control of your thoughts you can choose what you think of during your massage.

 

Despite saying that, recently I found that when meditating, clearing away the day-to-day thoughts, I felt huge swells of sadness coming up and I would end my meditation crying.  As I recently suffered a bereavement I think that I had been avoiding mourning.  I’m not sure, but each time this happens I feel that I am letting go, releasing some of that stored up sadness, so I think it's a good thing.  Whatever happens for you when you meditate please be kind to yourself.

 

I would highly recommend meditation to anyone and everyone. You can do it anywhere, even on a busy bus or train and it really can make seemingly stressful situations much easier to handle.  It has definitely improved my life, pretty much every single day.

 

For more on Meditation.