Everyone Can Cultivate a Meditation Practice
It is a new month and I always think a new month is a great time to check in and to get clear on what small steps we can take towards what we desire for ourselves. With that being said this month I wanted to share in my thoughts on mediation and why I believe it can be the greatest gift you choose to give to yourself each and every day.
I truly believe so much transformation exists in the practice of meditation. I know I talk about stillness often and the power behind getting still. And I know the practice of getting still is not easy.
On the blog this month I will be diving into:
Why i think everyone can have a meditation practice and that there is no one way to meditate. I will be sharing some practices that have worked for me and most importantly why I believe meditation and a healthy relationship to stillness is the key factor to achieving lasting happiness in your life or what some of us like to refer to as success.
So let’s start with the obvious it is hard to get still. It is hard for people to slow down and to bring pause in their lives. Our culture is not designed for slowing down. There is always a way to obtain stimulation so as a result slowing down requires intention. I hear so many people say I can’t be still. I can’t stop my mind from racing. Meditation is not for me. And so they search for any and every distraction. What I will say I believe fully and completely is that everyone can have a meditation practice and not everyone is ready to have a meditation practice.
A meditation practice takes discipline. It takes a dedication. It takes intention. It takes compassion.
We have to desire it for ourselves and if you or someone else is not ready, they are not ready. It is that simple. Does it mean they will never be ready or that they don’t want to be ready? No it simply means in this moment they are not choosing this for themselves.
The practice I hold for myself is holding space for everyones path without bringing in my own personal judgements and desires.
The most important component for developing a meditation practice is that we find what works for us individually. What do you resonate with? Is it breathing, stretching, guided meditation, walks in nature, complete stillness? How much time do you have to make it consistent?
The only way you are going to truthfully answer these questions is through experience. Discovering what resonates with you. A true test to this is if you are willing to continue with something. Often times the reason why we don’t continue with someone is because it doesn’t work for us and we assume it is the only way to do it because someone else has told us the benefits and how successfully they have been in their way.
Our own experience matters. How you feel doing the practice and if you are willing to show up fully and completely to it matters most.
When we find our own way into a meditation practice it allows for continued consistently. I want to also say that this does not mean it will be easy or comfortable. When you experience discomfort in doing something it is worth exploring fully. So trying something once and saying it is not for me may not be fully and completely true. You may need to try it a few times or make modifications. You are the only one who will know if you are not doing something because it is slightly uncomfortable or if you are doing something because it really is not the right thing for you.
I do believe it is finding that place were you may feel slight discomfort and you are still willing to continue. Over time like anything you are building the muscle. In this case the muscle is the mind.
Learning what works for you and what doesn’t and this goes beyond the meditation cushion. This approach can stand true to anything we undertake. We must try it for ourselves. We must figure out the ways in which we respond. Our uniqueness is our brilliance and to believe that someone else has an answer for us is an illusion. It is the space in which we give our power over to someone else and we lose ourselves. We allow them to tell us how we should feel or what we should do and then when it doesn’t work for us we feel like a failure.
I do believe fully with all of my being that having a meditation practice and a healthy relationship to stillness is the key factor to achieving lasting happiness in your life. I am not saying that by having a meditation practice you will have happiness every moment of your life. We all know that does not exist. What I know to be true is we can have all the things we desire. Money, Career, relationship, travel, home, car and all of our needs met and still not be happy. What is that all about?
If we can’t be at peace with ourselves on the inside we are always going to suffer. We are wired to think negatively to want and to need and our thoughts matter. Learning to be aware of our thoughts and then choosing to change them requires stillness. If we don’t slow down it is challenging to know what we are thinking. Our subconscious thoughts are running in the background and often times these are not the most positive.
An exercise I encourage you to attempt is to sit down close your eyes and notice the thoughts that come into your mind. Write down the first five thoughts. Are they negative or positive. Do this exercise everyday for a week and see if you notice trends or patterns. This is your first step in awareness. To acknowledge where you are presently and to be aware of your thoughts. You could do this exercise for as long as you would like. See how it feels for you. Again what is your experience.
From this space see if you can how long you can still in observation without moving into attachment. For example if I have the thought of I am not successfully enough. Can I stay in observation without moving into well what does this mean? What is wrong with me?
I would love to tell you that for me meditation has gotten easier in the years that I continue to do it. What I can say is it has become more intentional. I have learned what works for me and what does not. I have more awareness to my thoughts. I am always learning to be in joy in the present. To not attach to outcomes and arrivals and to return to the present in every single moment. I do believe this is a life long practice and has required me to slow down. To stop creating distractions as a way to avoid myself. It requires me spending time alone and also requires me reaching out for support.
I invite you in to start where you are. To explore. To ask yourself what you need and to hold space for the answer to arrive. To find a way into meditation that works for you. That fully supports you. I am always here for support and to walk with you on this path.
If you need help getting started please do not hesitate to reach out. I have also started a monthly meditation circle that will be taking place the 3rd Monday of the month so our next session will be February 21st. The intent of this is to provide a space to share in collective energy and collaborate on best practices. There will be some guided meditation and journal work for reflection.