How to meditate

How to Meditate Effectively: Hint it’s not about emptying your mind!

How to meditate“Meditation is the tongue of the soul and the language of our spirit.”~Jeremy Taylor

There are many different types of meditation and choosing which technique(s) you prefer is personal.

Some may prefer meditating sitting cross-legged on the floor, while others might choose to meditate standing on their heads

Sitting in a chair with feet flat on the floor is my preference (and what I teach) but I also tend to incorporate other techniques depending on where I am or what I’m doing.

There is no right or wrong way to meditate but there IS a common thread and that thread is going within, connecting more deeply with ourselves and mastering the ability to calm the mind, and acknowledge the magic of our spirit.

It’s a Shift of Focus and Perspective.

There are a lot of meditation techniques which subscribe to “emptying your mind” but have you ever really tried to do that? It’s like telling someone don’t think about a pink elephant. What’s the first thing you did when I said that? You probably smiled and thought of a pink elephant!

“If we know the divine art of concentration, if we know the divine art of meditation, if we know the divine art of contemplation, easily and consciously we can unite the inner world and the outer world.”~Sri Chinmoy

What if emptying your mind does not enter into the equation? What if meditation was less about a silent void and more about shifting your focus inward to connect with that magical, mystical part of you and you are welcoming yourself back home? Meditation really is the language of spirit; the divine art of uniting our inner and outer worlds.

Shifting your focus by turning your attention inward allows you to take a step back from those outer circumstances that often consume the mind while in the middle of experiencing them. As you bring your attention back to you, you “remind” yourself you are not your circumstances. You remind yourself you are a divine, infinite spirit and in doing so, your perspective will change.

What do you do with all those “thoughts”?

The simple answer to that question is let them be there. If you resist the thoughts that come up I guarantee they will stay in your head. Meditation is not about “pushing away” or “trying”. Turn your attention within and from a neutral place, notice the thoughts that come up for you. The mind is a wonderful thing and the moment you stop trying to solve or fix the thoughts in your head is the moment you can release them and fill up with the magic that is you.

When you stop trying to control your thoughts, or anything else for that matter, you are giving yourself a break from “managing” those things you really don’t have any control over, there is a release and, more than likely, a sense of relief. Meditating effectively has less to do with blank thoughts and more to do with the divine art of non-resistance.

Caution! Meditation causes an awakening. 

“Your greatest awakening comes, when you are aware about your infinite nature.”~Amit Ray

As you journey within you become more aware of your divine and infinite nature. You begin to unravel and let go of untruths or negative beliefs (programming)  you may have held about yourself and others. You begin to see the “bigger picture.” You awaken and begin increasing your awareness of what is you and what is not. You awaken to truth.

Why the caution? The caution is because once you start to see the truth you can’t “un-see” it. If you truly want to meditate effectively you must face (and own) what comes up for you. This is not always an easy thing to do but in doing so, you are choosing YOU. You are choosing to uncover and discover YOU. You increase your awareness of yourself and others.

“Half an hour’s meditation each day is essential, except when you are busy. Then a full hour is needed.”~Saint Francis de Sales

Meditating effectively comes down to choosing to meditate. It’s about allowing your thoughts to “be”. It’s about release. It’s about owning and connecting with your magical, and infinite spirit. It’s about stepping out of your circumstances into your own personal and lovely inner sanctuary. It’s about grounding into your abilities and the miracle that is YOU. Welcome yourself back home.~Shine Your Light Debbie

Ready to begin a meditation practice or enjoy a guided meditation? CLICK HERE for meditations currently on my website or email me at debra@spiritlightinsight.com and I’ll send you a FREE stress reducing meditation.

©Debra Taitel 2015 All Rights Reserved

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Dig In and Uncover the JOY!

Dg in and heal“Sorrow prepares you for joy. It violently sweeps everything out of your house, so that new joy can find space to enter. It shakes the yellow leaves from the bough of your heart, so that fresh, green leaves can grow in their place. It pulls up the rotten roots, so that new roots hidden beneath have room to grow. Whatever sorrow shakes from your heart, far better things will take their place.”~Rumi

Those who choose to take an inner journey are truly courageous. There is nothing comfortable about doing inner work and sometimes we get sidetracked at the exact time we need to dig in.

The most uncomfortable place IS where we need to go yet it is all too easy to glaze over the pain we deeply buried long ago. In order to heal, release the energy and expose what’s keeping us stuck we need to brush away the surface and look deeply within. We need to look at those things we don’t want to see.

Each of us has the ability not only to dig in but to uncover the spark of spirit so we can grow that spark into a flame. One could say that when we dig in, we do so to find home. We dig to uncover the foundation and make space for more of who we are.

As we dig we often meet uncomfortable “truths” that unfortunately may have guided us in the past. The good news is, by uncovering them we soon realize the “dirt” is not who we are and once we see that, the dirt is easily brushed away.

Think of it this way, if you live in a glass house and you never wash the windows there will be a time when you are no longer able to see clearly. Everything you see will be filtered through the dirt and grime that attached itself and everyone that tries to see YOU will see you through the dirt and grime.

The funny thing about dirt is that often times it doesn’t want to be cleared away. It sends a message that if cleared away we will be vulnerable and exposed. Do not let that deter you from your work for it is that very vulnerability that allows us to shine from within. It is in our vulnerability we find our power and the joy of being home.

Every tempest of sorrow helps us dig and although it may feel overwhelming while we are digging, the treasure we uncover will far out-weigh what we had to go through to find it.

Dig deep and allow yourself to feel what you feel, see what you see and experience what you experience; Soon you will find you have cleared out the old roots and made space for new ones to grow. You build upon a new and stronger foundation and you discover the joy that was there all along!~Shine Your Light Debbie

©Debra Taitel 2015 All Rights Reserved

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