M is for Meditation

Meditation has become a very dear friend of mine as of late, especially Mantra Meditation. My saving grace. I could use Saving AND Grace every chance I get! I have fluctuated in my evolution/development on so many levels. I grew intellectually as I stagnated financially. I expanded creatively as I reverted emotionally. The scales of ideal balance are not as evenly weighed as I ideally wished them to be, after all I am human. Taken into consideration that I am human, I must tune up this balancing act with a tool kit which does not merely contain wrenches. I require the full gamut of survival and thrival tools.

 Being by the sea grounds and centers me. 

It astounds me when I think about my resources for living. 

I am blessed to have many creative resources and I cannot help but revisit many of them when I find myself struggling.

Fitted with scientific information describing the brain's function, I can remove severely emotive behaviors and replace them with cool, logical and factual understanding. Nurturing the creative spirit, I can focus on expressing tones of be-ing and translate them into a visual language which is tangible and accessible to me and my viewers. Gently removing the unnecessary commitments which drag me down or hold me back, I then can accomplish my own promises to myself and rightfully shine.

One of my favorite, yet not unchallenging tools for living is Meditation. Quieting the mind is no easy feat, not when you have racing thoughts and are a smarty, both of which I openly admit to. Discovering the discipline to train and contain this mental speedway takes plenty of practice, patience and time.

In the past, I have been a student of certain modalities of meditation. I practiced Transcendental Meditation for a chunk of time. I went and meditated with a group of Shambala Buddhists for another chunk of time. After seeking Guide-ance from beyond my humanness, I intuitively discovered ways to meditate that resonated with me very clearly. I found mantras. Yummy, peaceful mantras. Phrases or sounds which calm and restore my balance. Vibrational yoga, if you will.

By adding a new mantra to my mix, I found it easier to focus my breath and release tension and worry in a shorter period of time than without using a mantra. A mantra can be a simple syllable which corresponds to a specific energy center within your body or as complex as a sanskrit chant. Either way, you will be effected as you use intention to channel energy into peace of mind. 

 Once one realizes we are all connected, may we drive in the carpool lane? 

Whether you have a special sacred place in your home to meditate, go out in nature, meditate as you wash dishes or drive, it is the quieting of the mental chatter that is the main point!

If energy can neither be created nor destroyed, then what can you do when you are a bundle of nerves? Shift those currents from one path to another. Sure, it takes digging out a new course to travel on, and that pretty much is hard to do, but like any positive change, is worth it. I actually found quitting smoking less hard to do then changing my thoughts and mental behaviors- which I still work on daily. Our minds are always with us, urging beliefs based on perceptions and resulting emotions, but that does not render them real or worthy of buying into! When we do something obviously bad for us, like smoking, we see direct results from that behavior, so it is easier to commit to changing that habit. I am not saying it is an easy shift, but it is logical and obvious.

One thing I love so much about meditation is the space it created within me. I found there is this open, existential flow I surrender to when I meditate regularly.

My wits become sharper, my patience with myself and others' expands and I take much less personally.

Jackpot!