Meditation Master Credentials, Part II
January 9, 2008
The most difficult thing about meditation is remembering to actually do it!
Today I encountered a difficult emotion that made itself apparent in a dream right before I woke up. I had meditated before going to sleep last night. However, I woke up with anxiety around six in the morning for reasons unknown at the time. I did some breathing exercises and also put myself in the same position I use to meditate, which immediately relaxes me these days. I think the repetition of using the same position when meditating helps create an immediate sense of calm. I fell back to sleep soon after my self remedy for the inexplicable anxiety. The dream came right before waking and sadness engulfed me immediately, shedding light on the cause of my anxiety.
This point is critical. I allowed myself to fully embody and engage the emotions I was experiencing. The fact that I allowed the sad emotions to take over brought me into the beginning stages of what I call The Spiral of Negativity. The Spiral of Negativity can be much like falling down a flight of stairs- perhaps even stairs of the spiraling kind. I once lost my footing on the stairs in my old apartment. I was multi-tasking… walking, brushing my teeth, and turning on a light. Bad idea. I was able to stop myself from completely losing control. In a very brief moment I realized if I allowed myself to continue falling, I would be tumbling to a serious injury or death. I clamped my arms and legs down and pushed myself back onto the stairs mid-fall with all that I could. It was difficult, but I was successful at stopping myself. Well, I lost my “ground” today because of an unexpected emotional happening… much like not knowing when I was about to fall down the stairs and give myself a slight concussion! The trick about thoughts and emotions getting out of control is that there is no physical shock to it. It’s gradual and sneaky. I have to remain aware at all times about what I am feeling and thinking. There is no other way for me to be positive and remember to actually meditate. I figured things out after an hour or two of being withdrawn and hopeless. I wanted to cry. Through my self awareness, I was able to think and do the following:
“I will not allow myself to continue feeling this way. I recognize that I am experiencing a bad feeling. I have pinpointed the source of this bad feeling. I will send it away from me.”
I then took a few deep, cleansing breaths. With practice, this now has an immediate effect that puts me in a meditative state. I then went to a place in my mind that I learned about in a guided imagery class. I plan to write more on this at another time. It is a safe place to sort out questions and problems one confronts in life. That is exactly what I did. I experienced a very raw emotional reaction of sorrow when I confronted the source of my emotional turmoil. Then I sent it away from me. I turned my back on it. I rose above it. Discarded. Gone. I came back feeling totally free of the negativity I had been experiencing just moments before. You can do this too.
Being a Meditation Master is something anyone can achieve. I do not actually believe anyone will master meditation. It involves a constant process of learning, knowing, and growing. Everyone has different ways of meditating, some of which I don’t find to be as useful. In my experience, meditating really doesn’t require all of the rules people have created in order to do it. I believe some techniques deter people from ever trying. Look at how long it took me to finally practice meditation regularly. I recommend meditating daily, but I don’t always adhere to that myself. I can feel the difference when I don’t meditate, much like when I don’t go to the gym as often as I should. I believe the first step to meditation is to set the intention to meditate, and then actually do it.
I am finished writing about my non-existent credentials! I plan to write guides on how to do what I do and collect online resources for your perusal. I fully intend to write about other topics as well, however, I am sensing this is some sort of series I am inventing as I go.
In love and light my friends.
Posted in Meditation, Spirituality
content rss