Meditation can be complex subject. Many people are selling it instead of teaching it as a progression of awareness that is supposed to set you free.
The main problem is that the practice of it often ends up the goal, instead of the state of mind.
Did you meditate today?
Is that what really matters?
The thing is that meditation, like physical or hatha yoga, is something that is designed to get you into a state where you let go of a certain kind of thinking.
You let go of a certain kind of thinking and experience the world as it is.
When you are experiencing the world this way you recognize there is
- happiness and sadness
- love and hate
- pain and pleasure
- peaks and valleys
- and everything in between
You realize that you can focus your mind, control your attention, and by doing so get a different perception of reality and your consciousness.
Unfortunately, meditation and yoga and prayer and spiritual systems can become a crutch. They are not supposed to be a crutch, they are supposed to be training wheels. When you reach a certain point you need to let go of the training wheels.
Like with training wheels how do you know you’re ready to ride on your own? You have to start riding naked. You have to start doing it without the training wheels.
If you’ve been meditating for years you’re ready to expand your meditation into your everyday life and try new approaches.
Don’t fall into the trap of thinking the practice is the doing. It’s not. Don’t fall into the trap of thinking you’re not ready. You are.
This week spend some time without the training wheels.
Try something that is a moving, waking meditation. Examples require staying present in the moment while remaining flexible and open.
Here are some possibilities: play hacky sack; play music with some friends free-style (not from a set song – in other words, jam); go somewhere for awhile and don’t know where you are going – make it up as you go along; meet with people with no expectations; just go with the flow.
If you don’t need to practice this… that’s great. But most meditators or spiritual devotees need to spend less time on a rigid practice and more on expanding that practice out into their life.
Either way, enjoy yourself. Watch it all coming and going.
That’s what should be your meditation: existence itself.
Exellent. That is great advice.
Some of the long term meditators can be quite smug about their practice, as if they are more evolved because of it, when they are simply being very regimented. No flow. I prefer flow.
Thanks, Lillea Woodlyns, I’m glad you liked my post.
Did anyone ever tell you you have nice eyes?
You’re welcome!
Thank you very much for the compliment.