Meditation Is A Dinner Party
Meditation Is A Dinner Party
Try Not To Force Things Too MuchOften, when meditating, we try too hard to force a certain state of mind that we think we should have. We try hard to suppress thoughts, for example. This is just another thought, of course, and another obstacle to the peaceful state we are hoping for.So how do you make things happen that can't be forced? The question itself shows the need for another perspective. Some things can't be forced to happen, and all struggles to do so only take you farther away. There are times when all you can do is prepare and wait.The Dinner InvitationImagine a wonderful evening with new friends. You prepared dinner, bought a good bottle of wine, and cleaned the house. Now the guests are here, the conversation is great, and you are happy. Can you make this happen? Yes and no.You can prepare in every way to make it a pleasant event, but in the end, the guests can decline your invitation, or not arrive, or show up late, right? You can't force them to come, or if you try, you'll ruin the atmosphere or even the friendship.That is how meditation is, too. You do what is necessary to prepare for a good experience, but in the end, you can't force it. Work and discipline help, just like cleaning up and chilling the wine are necessary to prepare for a good dinner party, but there is no forcing the result. When the experience is a good one, enjoy it, but if it doesn't happen, just prepare again.So when you want to invite inspiration into your meditation, or into your life, don't try to push the guest through the door. When you are tempted to do so, turn back to your preparations, and concentrate on that. Just send out the invitations, prepare yourself, and relax.Steve Gillman has meditated and studied meditation for over twenty years. You can visit his website, and subscribe to The Meditation Newsletter at: http://www.TheMeditationSite.com/newsletter.html
The Relationship Between Meditation and Self-Analysis
The Relationship Between Meditation and Self-Analysis
These are two very powerful tools for self-improvement, but how can you use them in harmony? For example: Self-analysis and meditation cannot be performed at the same time. After all, multi-tasking runs contrary to what meditation is all about.So where do we start? Self-analysis will give many of your meditations purpose. The purpose of self-analysis is to objectively look inward, constructively, without judgment or regret, and to find solutions to ongoing problems.There is an instinctive fear to take start this task. Hence, the reason why there are professionals for psychological analysis. This leaves you with a decision from the onset: Whether to do it yourself, or with the help of professional guidance.If you elect to go it alone, that's fine, but be prepared to encounter more issues than you originally thought possible. At one time, we have all managed to disconnect with our inner being. This creates a fear of looking inward because of our reaction to what we might see and learn.Don't waste time with evaluations, comparisons, or judgments. These concepts only support our feelings of inferiority, and for most of us, those feelings should be purged from our inner being.You will need solitary time, when you can reflect on dilemmas, and take notes. You can do this in your car, but you will need a recording device. You will also want to make sure anything embarrassing is either encoded or hidden. Records are great, but they can be incriminating, so take the time to protect yourself from a potential invasion of your privacy.In order to meditate, you will need to set aside time, in the early morning, or at night. There is less activity in most households, at this time, and less of a chance for you to be diverted or interrupted.The quest for self-improvement is the purpose of this kind of meditation. You need to clear your mind and focus on one thought only. This should not be turned into a form of grieving, so you must look at it objectively and try to remove your personal feelings.Your mind will naturally "stray," a bit, unless you have been practicing meditation for some time. The straying aspect is actually good in this instance, because it allows you to come back with a slightly different perspective each time.The end result of all this work, will be discovering a multitude of self-improvement solutions and improve the quality of your life.Paul Jerard is a co-owner and the director of Yoga teacher training at: Aura Wellness Center, in North Providence, RI. He has been a certified Master Yoga teacher since 1995. He is a master instructor of martial arts, with multiple Black Belts, four martial arts teaching credentials, and was recently inducted into the USA Martial Arts Hall of Fame. He teaches Yoga, martial arts, and fitness to children, adults, and seniors in the greater Providence area. Recently he wrote: Is Running a Yoga Business Right for You? For Yoga students, who may be considering a new career as a Yoga teacher. http://www.yoga-teacher-training.org/index.html
Meditation Is Not Just for Men with White Beards
Meditation Is Not Just for Men with White Beards
What kind of picture comes to mind when someone
mention the word "meditation?"I don't know about you, but for me, I use to get a
picture of some real, health food nut, with a
white beard, sitting Indian style with his eyes
closed, palms facing up and making weird sounds.
Didn't seem like anything I thought I'd ever do.
In fact, they looked sort of crazy to me and I
didn't really understand it. In fact, I never
bothered to try to understand it either.That is, until I started learning about meditation.The reason I decided to start learning about
meditation is because every single self-development
book, seminar or workshop I would read, hear or
attend, always mentioned meditating.No matter how many times I heard the word
meditation, I simply ignored it because it
was not for me. I simply wasn't "corny"
like that. You would never catch me sitting
down Indian style and moaning-naannn, not me.But one day, I decided to read a book on meditation.I've tried to remember the name of the book,
but for some reason the name escapes me right now.The name isn't important. What is important is
that it opened up a whole new world for me.It made me realize the importance of meditating
and how meditating can help me to get in touch
with my inner self.OK, that sounds kind of corny, too. But, hey, it works.And, I've learned, that it isn't necessary
for me to grow a long white beard, or to
eat only healthy food (although that wouldn't
be a bad idea).In fact, what I learned was that I had been
meditating all the long.Have you ever needed to figure something out
and simply went somewhere you wouldn't be
disturbed, closed your eyes and let you mind
go blank until an idea popped into it?Well, hey, THAT's meditation.I use it all the time. And there is absolutely
nothing "corny" about it.Try this if you aren't already meditating.When you wake up in the morning, after reviewing
your goals for the day (because you did write
them down before going to sleep, right?)-close
your eyes and put the thought in your head that
you will accomplish all of your goals for the day.
Then, without forcing yourself, let your mind go blank.Do you know what will happen?You will receive a thought.That thought will be somewhat like a statement.That statement will be something that you will
have to do that day to make sure that you are
able to complete the things you set out to do that day.It might be a thought to contact someone.It might be a thought to take a different route to work.It might be a thought to wear a certain outfit,
write a paper, send an email.The thought could be anything.But it will be a call to action of some kind.Whatever the thought may be-BE SURE TO
TAKE ACTION IMMEDIATELY.Do you know that if you run your day using
this technique-everything will go smoothly
for you and you will find yourself closer
and closer to your goals.Seriously.Why?Because you are connecting to your spirit.
Your spirit, if you listen and follow it,
will never lead you astray.Trust me. Just try it.It's not necessary to sit Indian style and
it's not necessary for your palms to be
facing up. In fact, you could be laying down,
sitting in a chair-doesn't matter. The only
thing that matters is that you are comfortable
(and it helps that it is somewhat quiet).Let's say you are at work and a problem comes
up, you don't know how to solve it. Excuse
yourself and go to the bathroom. Go in a stall.
Think, for a moment, about your "problem."
Close your eyes. Clear your mind. And wait for
the answer to come. When it comes, go out and take action.You'll be surprise how meditation can fit
into your day and help you become the YOU
you've always dreamed of becoming.Dawn Fields is a motivational speaker, author and coach. She has an amazing way of reaching you with her down-to-earth style and her ability to make the impossible seem possible. Sign up for her FREE weekly newsletter by sending a blank email to dawn@dawnfields.com
with SUBSCRIBE in the subject line. Visit the web site at http://www.dawnfields.com. Be sure to tune into her weekly radio show Thursday nights at 9 p.m. at http://www.dawnfields.com/radioshow.htm