Mindfulness Meditation: Creating A Life of Purpose and Harmony
I was just about to give up on my life when I was introduced to Eastern spiritual practices. I had studied everything that our Western world had to say about suffering and what to do about it. And the more I learned, the worse I felt. Out of desperation for a better way of life, I began a daily meditation practice. I studied and practiced a mindfulness practice called shamatha in which the attention is placed on the breath in a restful yet alert manner. This practice showed me very clearly what the problem was: ME! There was so much chaos and distraction taking place in my mind on a momentary basis that it made sense as to why I never felt right. The 'me' that I had come to know was indeed full of conflict, speed, and ambivalence. My thoughts constantly raced and pulled me in a million different directions. It was frankly appalling to see how frenzied my mind was. All of this mental chaos created a state of emotional inertia that kept me confined to a very narrow range of the the human emotional spectrum. Basically, I was so stuck in my head that I had lost contact with reality.
From a meditative perspective, everything in the universe is inherently empty. Our concepts and opinions are devoid of any inherent reality. We are convinced that we are real only because of the deluded nature of our own minds. We simply don't see things as they are. We see through the filters of our concepts and thoughts, which seem to be very convincing. If we buy into our mental projections of reality, we will suffer. Meditation is the practice of developing space around these constant projections. With regular practice, we become less and less convinced that we or anything else is inherently real and solid.
The irony here is that recognizing our own non-existence is the very basis of freedom, joy, and love. Our clunky, solid sense of self is what gets us in trouble. So, when I say that everything is empty, it may be tempting to see this as a negative statement. But even that is empty. When we flash on non-existence or emptiness, we see the ultimate potential in all things. Instead of being pinned down by our dualistic perceptions of good/bad, happy/sad, like/dislike, etc., we see that the universe is free from any kind of limitation whatsoever. This is the nature of genius and mysticism.
Have you ever lost yourself for a moment? Perhaps in your work, or playing with your kids, or watching an intense movie? That is like flashing on emptiness. You are free of your normal sense of who you are. There is no boundary between you and everything outside of you. In Buddhism, this is seen as the experience of Big Mind. It is a momentary flash on the infinite nature of reality from which we are inseparable. In mindfulness practice, this flash of awakening is deliberately maintained; everything that arises in the mind is simply a manifestation of universal energy. There is no 'I' in any thought or feeling. It is impersonal energy that arises and passes. When we taste this freedom from personalizing the constant arising of thought, it is like we can finally breathe and surrender to the beauty of life.
Regular meditation practice enables us to rest our awareness in this state of undistracted, empty stillness. Interestingly, this does not necessarily mean that the mind is quiet and obedient. We can still be thinking and have a recognition of this peace and openness. Over time, the mind does stop for periods of time. There is just absolute stillness. But as a beginner, the main point is to keep your awareness one-pointed on the present moment whether you are thinking or not. Don't try to stop your thoughts. Just stay focused on the moment and be still.
As your mind begins to become more expansive and present, your life will begin to open up in unforeseen ways. Old habits, fears, and harmful relationships will fade away. You will become genuinely invested in the ways that you can be of service to others. Why? Because the inside and the outside are no longer seen as separate. Instead of being preoccupied with this contracted version of 'I', the enormous energies of the universe call you out to offer your best to alleviate the suffering of others. This is the beginning of freedom. It is the beginning of living in spirit. Mindfulness practice is one the the vehicles that can take you there.
Kevin Doherty, L.Ac., MS is a licensed acupuncturist who has been practicing, studying, and teaching meditation since 1992. To learn more about Kevin and his approach to meditation, go to http://www.mindfulnesscd.net
Meditation Courses
If you are a beginner in meditation and you aren’t sure you are doing all you can accomplish, or you feel like there may be something distracting you, you will want to check your area to see if anyone offers meditation courses. By taking a course, you will have an experienced guide that can give you advice and track your progress. It’s possible that you will also be in a group that is learning the practice of meditation together. This is a good place to make friends and meet people you already have something in common with.
Where should you look to find meditation courses? If you live in a metropolitan area, you may be lucky enough to have a store nearby that sells specialty items that aid in meditation. These stores will likely have a pegboard for groups that meet to meditate together. There you will find any courses or information on instructors that are local to your area. If you don’t have a store that fits this description, try a health food store. Many people who practice meditation also try to live an all natural lifestyle, and they would frequently visit your local health food store as well.
If you don’t live in a high population center, you can still try an internet search for meditation courses. There may be someone who travels through your area on a regular basis and they stop to teach a group in your area. Or there may be a group already established in your hometown and you only have to call to join to them. Wherever you live, there are options available to you if you spend a little time looking for them.
You may also be able to find meditation courses on DVD or CD. These would include a group instructor giving you verbal directions while you are meditating to guide you to your fullest potential. The best courses would have a selection of lengths available, so that if you don’t have a full hour to devote to your meditation that day, you would be able to choose a shorter time, such as thirty minutes or even fifteen minutes.
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7 Highly Effective Habits for Stress Releasing
7 highly effective habits of stress releasing are outlined below. You as an individual can consider them and customize them to your own daily regimens.
If your goal is to improve your career, succeed at putting money in the bank, feel happier, and effectively use The Law of Attraction, this article may help you organize yourself and become more efficient emotionally and mentally. These 7 effective habits, or however many your most efficient version ends up being, will attract the life you want, if you can manage the stress releasing part.
The Abraham materials (Ester and Jerry Hicks) really cut to the chase. Stated simply, you have two feelings - you may feel good and you may feel bad. 2 different vibrations, each attracting more of the same. If you have stressful thoughts that cascade like a runaway train, you do need a method to switch tracks.
Number 1: just to slow things down a little, a few deep slow breaths. The sooner you employ this, the less stress chemicals will be flooding your bloodstream and brain, and the faster you'll recover your good feelings.
Number 2: eat if you are hungry, preferably no sugar. If you have passed your snack time or mealtime, you have set your nervous system up for a negative response to anything.
Number 3: ditto for hydration. Do you always have a bottle of water handy? At your desk, in the car, walking the dog, etc.
Number 4: daily meditation. (But I don't have time...!!) Here's a method. When your alarm goes off, hit the snooze button. Sit up, drink some water, and then for the next few minutes, deep breathe and count as you exhale. This is a focusing tool to get your mind off your early stressful thoughts. Just for a few minutes every morning, to make it a habit.
Number 5: develop the scenario of your desired outcome in life. Be it home, partner, finances, get the overall picture and express it to yourself, emphasizing how it feels deep inside. Exactly in the spot in your body where your stressful thoughts attack, you want to feel a deep peace, warmth, quiet thrill, energy, or whatever it is for you. Write this on an index card and keep it with you at all times. If you're not an expressive writer, do it in point form. This is an effective way to remind yourself of your outcome, as you run the gauntlet of your day.
Number 6: exercise. We are made to move and stress ourselves a little physically, every day. You know you can't park your car for a few months without something needing a tune up. What about your body? If you have physical problems, consult your doctor. If you're out of shape something like Slow Burn, a super slow motion method, is great. And whatever makes you feel good - walking, yoga, weight resistance. There are a lot of ways to learn for free if your cash flow is low right now. Library books, internet - there is a glut of info waiting for you. Biochemically, exercise is necessary to release endorphins, your feel-good chemicals. Not to mention the cascade of other healthy cellular events exercise triggers.
Number 7: if your stressful states are persistent, there are energy methods of reversing your nervous system's response to thoughts and feelings. Simple to learn and do in minutes. These will keep you on the path to be using The Law of Attraction to the max.
This simplification is deliberate. The simpler the better. Whatever you formulate to be your 7 highly effective habits to stress releasing and fullfillment, I wish you the best, and even better.
Dianne M. Buxton is a ballet teacher, and a writer. If you find these ideas useful, you can find out more about them here.
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