As human beings we are not just a body, nor are we what we think. We are spirit housed in a temple called our physical form with a conscious and subconscious mind.
Many of us nurture our body and mind through exercise, nutrition, rest, intellectual stimulation, enjoying loving relationships, intimacy, having fun, fulfilling achievements, etc. When it comes to nurturing our spirit though, many of us don’t find the time or even know how to do that.
Now is the time to relax the body & mind, and feed the spirit by taking a break to rest, recharge + renew so that you can go again. Taking time out of your busy schedule to just “be” can bring some welcome balance, peace and harmony into your life. One way to do this is to meditate and to meditate daily can have a profound effect on your general health and wellbeing.
The idea of meditation is to experience some quiet alone time where you go within and just “be” in the present moment. It can be as simple as closing your eyes and focusing on your breath for a period of 10 minutes, 20 minutes or much longer.
The challenge of meditation is to take the role of an observer, that is, to just observe your breath, any sounds you may hear, any sensations you may feel and your thoughts that will come and go. See these thoughts and feelings like clouds crossing your mind – allow them to float in and float out, just let them go, don’t be attached to any thought, just let it go.
In meditation, we are trying to find and remain in the present moment – not thinking about the memories of the past or the planning of the future. So, the trick is to recognize that you are having a thought, to observe it and then to bring yourself back to the present moment … until the next thought pops up and again, observe it and let is pass and then be here now in the present moment.
Someone years ago, shared with me the analogy of your mind being like a snow dome and each snow flake being a thought. So, when you sit to meditate your mind is possibly just like a shaken-up snow dome with thousands of thoughts swirling around in your mind. It’s when you settle into your meditation and don’t give attention to the thoughts that they eventually settle down just like a rested snow dome – the snowflakes are there but not swirling around all over the place. Similarly, I like to see my thoughts like clouds that float in and float out of mind.
Like anything worthwhile, practice makes you better and I encourage you to practice the art of meditation because the rewards are plenty.
Article by Bethrene McAuliffe