One of my great teachers of yoga Baron Baptiste, puts it perfectly when he says in his book 40 days to personal revolution
“If you shower every day to clean the outside of your body, what do you on a daily basis to clean your mind? …Meditate!”
This is where I’d like to share with you, not only a deep passion of mine but also something that could have a mind-blowing effect on your life too. Meditation. From the very first time one of my teachers said to me:
“I’m not interested in reducing the stress in your life, I’m only interested in not having it there in an unhealthy way at all”- Baron Baptiste.
I took that on as my own mantra and have been playing with ways to do that ever since... a work in progress ;). My quest is to RELAX THE WORLD ONE PERSON AT A TIME! And it’s SIMPLE! We have these amazing tools called minds, “A beautiful slave – a dangerous master” - Osho. There are no complicated rituals or breathing exercises, no special clothes you have to wear or foods to eat, SIMPLY YOU, getting closer to the essence of who you are and what you are connected to in life, and living it. All it takes is a little bit of commitment and consistency, if 10 minutes a day is all you have, better to do it daily than a big hour once a week or once a month. Most people think they cant meditate and whilst it is a skill you will learn if you have a brain – you can begin by concentrating, meditation will come.
Having experienced glimpses of (the only way I can describe it) sheer bliss in my meditation, and also long stints of peace and balance where everything flows in the right way at the right time - for me, just feeling that I could not only cope with all life was bringing my way but also reach out, co-create and embrace it, keeps me going. I’m inspired to pass on and share some of the tools I was privileged to receive to help me on my journey so that YOU can start or continue along your path, to feeling better, healthier and happier, in as little as 10 minutes a day.
You will notice small things change at first, maybe the quality of your sleep or the food choices you make to nourish yourself, how you interact with loved ones and strangers, how you see and care for yourself.. And then as your practice continues as regularly as you can make time for it, things like old habits and patterns may surface for you to have a look at and transform or let go of completely ..Everybody is unique and different and so will our experiences be in meditation; the gifts we receive and the insights we have. Ultimately the less serious and more lighthearted we can be about ourselves and life, the happier and more open to others and life we will be. We can shine and in our shining we will give others the unspoken permission to share their shine too and meet us in an intimate, openhearted way. The only way to know the real benefits is to try …to put into practice what you are curious about and what inspired you to come and visit this site today…you just need to begin ..
“We must not be afraid to trust ourselves, to think our own thoughts, to decide what course to take and to walk gently and easily toward our goal. The one who is with us speaks not from a distance, but from within” -Anon
Why do we meditate?
Well, you can read lots of very conclusive and great scientific research on meditation (and if you’re that way inclined I have listed a few links to interesting articles on the benefits of meditation) but here are a few reasons why I meditate daily:
It feels good
It calms my anxiety
It puts into perspective (and washes away) my day-to-day stresses
I feel closer to my source
I’m happier when I do
I’m more creative and expressive
I make better choices for myself
I sleep well
My meditation journey
I originally began meditating because I went on a whim to an ashram in India, Sivanadana in Kerala, to learn ‘yoga’ and they told me if I wanted to stay I had to participate in ALL the activities whilst I was there. Yoga, (postures) pranayama (breath work) and meditation (mind work) I really wanted to stay! So every day I would participate in meditation and it was the thing I intensely disliked the most … I was un-comfortable, hot, couldn’t “still my mind” as everyone was telling me too, and actually just a little bit annoyed that I had to sit still, feel and come up against the crazy thoughts that circulated in my mind seemingly every few seconds! (I can tell you I won the lotto and spent it in detail more times than I care to remember!)
In the enforced discipline though, a beautiful thing happened to me… more and more I came to look forward to my “sits” - 30 min’s at sunrise and sunset we were required to meditate in the hall. Feelings of being at home and at ease with my-self and my world would envelope me and it was hard to leave these spaces that I experienced whilst in meditation. I cried a lot in these times as I realized how far away from my true self and the connection I had with my world was missing, and had been for most of my adult life.
In the end, it was the practice I continued consistently with joy when I left India, because without It just didn’t feel right (or balanced ) on the inside.
Years later through my metaphysical teacher at the time I experienced Yoga Nidra Meditation and understood the value of guided meditations and it’s what ill share with you here.
Today meditation is my anchor for all my practices and situations of my life. It connects me to my true nature and what I experience there guides and inspires my life.
Mel xo
