There are so many ways we can connect with our inner selves or meditate. Some people prefer sitting still for 30 minutes a day and witnessing their thoughts and mental chatter -or joining a retreat and sit for 10 days – or focusing on the body sensations – or letting the thoughts go with the intention of a blank slate, with a job well done IF successful or perhaps walking meditation – gardening, listening to a guided recording – or just “being” truly present with oneself. I am sure you can think of many more.
I have tried so many of the ways meditation is taught over the past 30 years and the style of meditation that best suits me is Yoga Meditation – awareness of combining the breath with the postures. Also I enjoy connecting with nature – decreasing outside distractions like mindless chatter with ear plugs in and listening to my breathing. Chanting or prayerfermations sung to my favourite tunes is another sensory way of mine.
I experience these forms as fine tuning my inner vibration and connecting with myself in a world that encourages disconnecting. A huge distraction for me is technology and busyness – I can always find something to do – but today I ask myself to aspire for 10 mins morning and night (often this can morph into longer time permitting)
Yoga is an act of self love to listen and really hear my inner selves – give them a voice – some team work within me and most importantly I do not set my bar too high for further self criticism or lack of self love.
My understanding of meditation is to listen to my intuition – some may call that God – Wisdom – or even the gut – I aim to feel the sensations in my body – I use my breath as the bridge between my mind and body – creating connection and I use daily triggers to have some conscious long exhalations.
Yoga Meditation is free yet difficult to make the space / time to do.
The Yoga sutras – yamas & niyamas are what leads us to yoga (mostly unconsciously until we hear them) sustaining, nourishing and enhancing our lives.
The 8 steps Patanjali passed down and the Buddha the no 1 teacher of meditation focused on the 1,2,4,5,6,7,8 – not 3, the asana or exercise.
The Buddha gave detailed descriptions of many forms of meditation and mind control techniques. The mind & senses constantly seek distraction & naturally want to find a way out of the stillness – the mind & ego wants to move & change – so a new layer or meditation technique needs to be added to keep the mind still.
Recognition of our thoughts our physical sensations our reactions towards self and others is a noble path – to take responsibility for our actions and to understand our re-actions ( which often comes from our childhood templates ) can make the planet a better place.
