Finding Peace

I started meditating in a group setting.  It was guided meditation which means that the group is guided by a person who walks through the meditation process and calmly speaks while you meditate.  It was a very comforting feeling and the results were great.  My breathing became regular, my mind only wandered a little bit and the energy in the room gave me a calm feeling and a body devoid of stress.

When I tried at home, however, my results weren't the same.  Although I put on soothing background music, I couldn't seem to get comfortable, my breathing didn't become as regular and my mind wandered.  I brought my mind back over and over again, but it still wandered and I was very frustrated.

Practicing meditation is a lot like exercising.  The first day is miserable and difficult.  I wanted to quit early before the alloted time.  I wanted to have immediate results.  The key is to get into a regular routine and to stick with it.  The more you exercise daily at the same time of day, the more you will stick with it.  Meditation is similar.  Be it first thing in the morning, last thing at night and mid-afternoon, try to choose a regular time and stick with it.  Don't get discouraged and don't give up if results aren't immediate.  There are people who have meditated for years and continue to 'practice' daily, believing they can still improve.

Why do it at all?  As I mentioned in the beginning of this post, I have come away from meditating with a feeling of well-being, relaxed and stress free.  If it were only that feeling - that would be enough.

But the real benefit of meditation is the knowledge we gain about ourselves as people on a journey in life.  We are exercising our spiritual being.  We are connecting with our inner selves and walking away from the noise and havoc of the world.  Think about it.  How many times during any given day do we take time to stop.  To shut off the tv or take the ipod out of our ears.  To sit instead of heading to pick up the kids or go to the grocery store. 

The benefits of the quiet place inside brings more than peace for a few minutes.  It brings a relief from stress and slows down the day to put it in perspective.  You aren't as hurried.  You aren't as short with people.  Your body doesn't ache as much.  You find that you are not clenching your teeth or your fists.  Where else can you get this feeling for free?

When in a more relaxed mode, the true 'you' emerges and you will like that person.  I don't like the person I am when I am stressed and when I haven't taken a few minutes to meditate.  Personal well-being is the goal and twenty minutes a day will provide the solution.

Remember, don't give up.  Don't get discouraged with yourself.  I have meditated for years and I am still not very 'good' at it.  My mind wanders.  I forget to relax my entire body before beginning.  I start out by thinking of the many things I need to do and how I don't really have time for this.  But when I'm done, I am peacefully glad that I took the time to do it.

There are many ways to meditate.  I put on soothing music (with no words to distract me).  Then I sit on the rug, crossing my legs.  I close my eyes and relax my body starting from the top of my head ending at my toes.  I need to be aware that my teeth and my face are sometimes still tight.  I go back and relax my body from my head to my toes again.  It is probably the only time during the day that my body is this relaxed.  I am always amazed at how many parts of my body that I clench. 

I start to breathe regularly inhaling through my nose and exhaling through my mouth.  Then I try to clear my mind of EVERYTHING.  This is very difficult and I am not great at it.  I have the most success concentrating on my breathing.  I sit in this way for fifteen to twenty minutes every day.  When I am done, my mind is clear, my body is relaxed and I am motivated to keep my body free from stress for the remainder of the day.

Try it for a week and see how you feel.

The beginning

From the first day that I picked up the book Anatomy of the Spirit by Caroline Myss, I knew that I would be on a lifelong path to a better understanding of myself and of the universe that surrounds me as well as all people.  It was both a humbling and exhilarating experience to discover that I had been sleepwalking through life.  I immediately saw that most people were doing the same. 

Over the years, I have met many people who have been awakened by others or by the materials they have read or have listened to.  There is no greater feeling than to have a group discussion about spiritual ideas.  When others are on the same page as you, don't you get a great feeling?  Isn't it more beneficial to be with 'like kind' than to be slugging through the learning process alone? 

I want us to have a group discussion.  For those who sneer at the ideas I will express here and the feedback I will get from others on the same path, please try to open your mind instead.  When I use the term spiritual, I do not mean the word religious.  There is a great difference.  Spiritual is an individual path we must all take while most religions are structured and have a belief system that is predominantly inflexible.  Many get what they need from their religions and that is great.  For those that find that their religious beliefs or their lack of affiliation with a religion leaves them wanting, spiritual awakening can resonate with them and help make their lives more satisfying and meaningful.  It's a personal choice.

Once awakened, it is impossible to fall back asleep.  Like the saying 'I can't unlearn what I know,' I cannot forget (nor do I want to) the world that is now around me.  Pay attention to those around you.  If possible, find a spiritual group to join or go into a spiritual bookstore and talk with others about your eagerness to learn more.

Each of us learn in a different way, have started our journey on a different path and have a different amount of time to devote to spiritual growth.  None of that matters.  All that matters is that we all pursue the calling to greater spirituality.  We will all go at a different pace.  There is no 'finish line' for those devoting all their time to spirituality.  We continue to grow throughout our lives. 

Here's to a journey in sharing that will excite us all and help us all in making a more meaningful life.