When you read the word above what did you think? Do you have a regular meditation practice? Do you pray, write, daydream? Then you already meditate!
Meditation is not just sitting on a pillow with your hands in om mudra, being silent for half an hour. My meditation practice changes almost daily. In the beginning it was hard to sit for even a few minutes and even today it was hard to sit for more than 10 minutes. Instead of feeling guilty, which I did in the beginning, I just simply tell my logical mind that my practice is what it is. No judgment, no guilt!
There are many types of meditation. My favorite is mantra meditation because it gives my logical mind something to do while my creative mind creates. An easy mantra to use while meditating is, “SO HUM”. It is used with the breath, so on your inhale you hear “so” and on your exhale you hear “hum”. When using a mantra we do not use our lips or tongue to say the mantra, instead we simply hear the mantra being repeated.
Mantra’s are vibration’s or sounds that are heard in nature, they have no real meaning! This is important to be aware of so that we do not attach any meaning to them, as mantra’s can induce specific vibrations in our mind. Mantra’s are known to be instruments of the mind and can be used to enter deep states of meditation.
What has meditation done for me? Meditation has been a life savor for me, keeping the stress over the last several years to remain at bay. It has allowed my mind to remain clear so when some of the big decisions were to be made, I could make them and not attach emotions to the decisions or the process.
My story begins approximately 10 years ago; although I have always meditated in one shape or form, stumbling upon mantra meditation has been the best for me. Around this time there were many changes in my life. I chose to have a career change, taking on more responsibility that I thought would be a joy turned out to be miserable. I was helping my aging parents make financial and medical decisions that were life changing not only for them but for all my family. They decided to enter the nursing home because my Mom had Alzheimer’s and my Dad was too sick to take care of her. I became their Power of Attorney, making all financial and medical decisions almost by myself. Shortly after my parents entered the nursing home my mother-in-law was diagnosed with lung cancer, had surgery and started chemo treatments. Only to discover two months later that my father-in-law also had lung cancer and his prognosis was grim.
My Father died in September, my Mother had a stroke the day after my father’s funeral and we were told she would probably not live more than a few days. Four months later, she passed. My Father-in-law passed about a year later. In the mean time, I had to help sell my parents house and all their possessions, clean out and sell all the possessions of my in-laws home and help with moving my mother-in-law to another town where she now lives with my sister-in-law.
My personal life was just as rocky with a major job change, buying and selling of my mother-in-laws business. And creating this new business, which I love!
I can honestly say that the one constant was my meditation practice! Of which I will never abandon. So when life throws you many curve balls, give yourself the gift of meditation!
Want to discover the benefits and joys of a daily meditation practice? Check out the Events page for upcoming classes and events or contact Angela to make a special request.
