Does it seem paradoxical, the notion that stillness is active?
Maybe on the surface. Still, this is the foundation of not only meditation, but perhaps it’s the bed upon which peace rests. I say this knowing full well that meditation is often seen as a relaxation, a sometime escape from the chaos of daily life. But consider that experienced meditators often view meditation as a deepening into moments, an attunement to the present, a honing of awareness anchoring into now. This is why many describe meditation as a way of being not a doing. Because the stillness cultivated by meditating is dynamic within us, grounding us deeply in the present.
It is active.
The constant engagement of deliberate focus – understood as meditation – interrupts the mind pattern by requiring our brain to be fully on the task at hand. As with many things, meditation is as simple or complex as we make it (there’s that Einstein again).
On the simple side – meditation is the act of sitting in silence.
Easy enough.
But the complex side is deep when we dive in.
Should we quiet the mind or watch it chatter? Are we able to quiet it if we try? What if it won’t stop going? Can we watch it go-go-go instead? Will we be here until dinner waiting for it to. . . wait – what was the plan for dinner? Forgot the asparagus at the store. . . And so the mind pattern loops on.
The next few posts will breakdown the action of meditating. Consider this as meditation in bite sized steps with time between postings to practice. Little nibbles on the journey to mindfulness – NOT a full meal. The spiritualist path is not one that can be defined for you. Many will try. Give yourself the joy of discovering what works best for you – through the refinement of practice.
Practicing is what puts us on the path to deeper self-knowing.
How do we begin?
Think of beginning the meditation process as accepting the mind in whatever state it comes to the meditation, and then singing it the song of silence. Like the snake charmer charms the bite from the snake, we charm the chatter from our minds.
Perfect, Amy. How exactly do we do that?
This can’t be overstated – Start With Grounding.
Use the time set aside for meditation to practice grounding instead. To be clear, grounding is a form of meditation. Think of it a phase we move through to gain access to a deeper state. Mastering the grounding process segways gently into a meditation that our mind-body will recognize.
What does it look like?
Grounding is the process of reconnecting to our body, the Earth, and to now. It is rooted in our breath, heartbeat, and the energy that we become aware of flowing around and through us. This post will cover the first phase of grounding.
How do we do it?
There are an infinite number of ways to ground. An easy way to start is to stand or sit, feet flat on the floor, the grass, wherever is comfortable. Allow attention to focus on the breath. As it comes to conscious awareness, play with holding the breath for several seconds at the end of the exhale, the inhale, or try controlling the rate of each full rotation of breathing. Grab a meditation app or even a metronome app. Play with the rhythm of breathing. This is the practice of breath-work. Google/Youtube is your friend here. We will know that the methods are working when we are able to stretch the mindful moments longer OR we notice our minds beginning to quiet. Work your way up to several minutes. Take the time needed without judging oneself or ability. It is called practice for a reason. When we find our mind wanders, we simply return it gently to the breath.
Once we’ve mastered focusing attention on the breath AND the ability to keep the focus there, bring attention to the heart. Can you find the beat within you? Can you feel or hear it? Can you imagine the push of blood and energy through your body? Give yourself time to find this connection. It may take five minutes it might take a month, but alignment starts here. The act of feeling/sensing the heart’s beat can then tie us to the rhythm of our breath work. Play with this process. Here begins the business of realigning the mind body. It’s the resetting of the whole to work in cooperation with itself rather than in a perpetual state of incoherence.
Can we see now how stillness is dynamic within us?
It takes practice, it does. Remember that. Remember that transformation is change and if change were easy, we would all be the highest version of ourselves.
Instead we are beautiful works in progress.
Grounding nestles us quietly inside, and peace tucks into those crevices. Beneath the surface, there is no oxygen for stress and anxiety to breathe.
We can be the quiet that we seek. In that stillness, we roam.
