Meditation 101. Is this for you?

I first heard about meditating 4 years ago when I read the book "I want to Change my life. How to Overcome Anxiety, Depression & Addiction" by Steven Melemis. I attempted to meditate and followed the directions the book explained. I didn't know if I was doing it right and I attempted it 3 times, surely it wasn't effective because I wasn't seeing immediate results (aka repeat pattern of thought mind has been programmed to expect). Nor did I make a commitment to build meditation into my daily routine. It wandered out of my mind unless I would come across it in a rare article I was reading online. How different it is today in 2017. When I scroll through my Facebook newsfeed I usually read at least an article a week on mediating and the benefits to our mind, body and spirit. We are progressing in a positive direction and it energizes me.

My second dance with meditation was on my mountain retreat at Sacred Springs. Anjay, the Spiritual Leader explained how meditation works. I was so open to the experience and I asked many questions. What I learned is that meditation is simply stopping the flow of thought. If you pay attention to thought we have over forty thousand of them a day. Our minds are so busy "thinking" we rarely slow down or give it a rest. Even in sleep our subconscious is flowing. This is why we want to quiet the mind. When we stop a thought as soon as it comes to mind by releasing it and returning to stillness our mind is resting. Think of it on a level as healthy for you, as sleep is for your body.

Once I returned from my retreat I committed to set aside time for meditation daily. First thing in the morning before getting out of bed and the last thing before falling to sleep is what works for me. I found this amazing little gem on my Smartphone called Insight Timer. It is full of thousands of guided meditations that walk you through a meditation depending on what your mind and body are in need of today. When I was sick and in the healing process I listened to a woman by the name of Sarina Stone The Tao of Cleansing. It walked me through imagining my body as if it were being cleansed and healed. I went on to listen to this meditation for 40 days strait and I am thankful this was the time my re-occurring issue abolished. My other favorites are Mindfullness for Releasing Anxiety and the one I fall into trance before bed is Relax and Sleep Well. As I deepen my awareness I work on sitting in silence for 15 minutes with a beautiful bell sound when the time is past. I remember working in my office many of times using one of the guided meditations that was a three minute Short Pause helped get me through a stressful moment.

Any amount of time to start meditating is perfect for you and know that 5 minutes a day will make a difference. You can do it sitting up cross legged or lying down (be careful not to fall asleep if lying down). There are so many wonderful things that come about from meditation. I personally can speak that meditation brought me clarity, calmness, shift in mindset, oneness, deepened appreciation for nature and the beauty of life (Sunsets & Rises), and finally off of the anxiety and sleep medication I had been on for 10 years (repeat pattern of thought mind has been programmed to think I needed).

The community on Insight Timer is wonderful because it shows how many people in real time are meditating. After you mediate you can send individual messages to other people all over the World that you have meditated with, a special thank you message. I found this to be thoughtful and a nice surprise when you get a message. It's warms my heart to be part of a practice you share with some as far away as Gold Coast Austraila and reminds me we are all one. There are milestones acknowledged when you have consecutively meditated for more than a day. Since I joined this community over 2 years ago it has gone from 800 people meditating at the same time to 8000. There is no doubt meditating is becoming more important to mankind. If you try meditation I would love to hear your experience and if you want to become part of the Insight Timer community (it's free yay) and connect with me I am under Rebma in Plymouth. Be still my friends.

-Love and Peace

Amber

PS I hope you love the pictures I captured of the Sunset (above) and Sunrise (below) on a recent trip to Maui. My paradise on Earth.