I should never be surprised when I learn something new about myself~because it seems to happen a LOT! Yet, every once in a awhile, something reveals itself and I am stunned! Here is what I have recently learned. I have resistance, a bunch of stories and some limiting beliefs about meditation! Meditation of all things!!
The reason I find this so surprising is I have been meditating on and off for about 10 years. I was introduced to it through guided visualizations. And since I am very visual with an active imagination, I have experienced some amazing and powerful visual meditations!
I also have used meditations to connect with and as the stimulus for writing about crystals. Leading crystal class participants in meditation is a standard part of every crystal class (which have been going on monthly for over 4 years!). So I am no stranger to meditation!
We have been hosting Friday Night meditations for the past 3 1/2 years too. It is something where we rotate and shift the meditation leads. Many of them are sound meditations. Didgeridoo, Crystal Bowls, Angel Harp, and even occasionally gongs. These sound meditations are some of my favorites.
So, durning the last couple of weeks, while participating in the Friday evening meditation, (didgeridoo and angel harp). I had this overwhelming sense of gratitude for the magic and intimacy of these experiences. I felt so blessed to be there and completely opened too and let myself get lost in the gift of these two sound meditations! And right behind my joy of being in the experience was an awareness that I had been judging the crap out of myself and meditation.
It was as if I believed I wasn’t doing it right, or I wasn’t evolved enough or didn’t have the background or expertise to get the “true” meditation experience! I had all these limiting thoughts that just revealed themselves… While I was blissed out!
During both of these experiences I got a very valuable lesson! The true gift of meditation (for me) is the gift of time, solitude, quiet, unwinding, de-stressing, awareness of breath, boredom, excitement, relaxation, peace, joy, etc. It isn’t about doing it right; it is about surrendering to the experience and gifting ourselves with alone-time. Even when that alone-time is in a group!
How often do we compare ourselves to others or wish we had their experience, skill or training. Do we think someone is having a better or more meaningful experience. Or, perhaps they know what they are doing and we don’t! These are all just meaningless comparisons, and offer little or no indication of understanding what meditation does for each one of us personally.
It has been scientifically proven that meditation is healing to the mind, body and spirit. In terms of physical health and as a way to reduce stress, there is nothing better. And there are hundreds of ways to meditate. My lesson in this is just to enjoy the experience and allow each experience in meditation be enough… All by itself.
Find the types of meditation that work for you and gift them to yourself! Maybe you’ll discover like me, that this can be a huge blessing AND get to bust some old messages, stories and beliefs in the process!
With Light, Love, and Laughter
Charles