Sometimes it takes the proper environment to have a really great meditation. In the past few weeks, I've been staying true to my goal of creating better Habits, and I have been having better and better meditations. I usually meditate by myself, but group meditations can be very powerful. Sometimes having someone to guide you acts as an additional focusing tool, and it can produce some amazing results. The best mediations I've had are either in front of a mirror (I'll post about this later), and at a yoga studio with an experienced yogini guiding a meditation "class."
Last week, I experienced the most beautiful mediation. I'm not including a photo here because I'd like you to visualize what I did during my meditation without any preconceived images, like reading the book instead of watching the film.
My inner child has been suppressed lately, unable to play in the ways that I would like to. Going perhaps deeper into that theme, my highest self has been out of touch. We all strive to be our best selves, but sometimes we don't allow parts of ourselves that are aching to be heard out of the deepest corners of our minds because we aren't ready to deal with them, or we view them as bad and would rather forget about them. Sometimes we actually do forget that versions of ourselves longing to be heard are calling out for us in our minds. I'm a Gemini, so I joke with folks who know what that means that the twins in my brain are fighting at the moment whenever I'm having internal conflicts. Really, though, we all have internal conflicts. I give them [each of my internal battles] personas. That is what they are, really. When they are in harmony, my mind is at peace. When life is troubling me, I often feel as though I am being pulled in different directions.
Imagine for a moment a playground. School is out, but it is full of people of varying ages. There is a younger girl visiting with her mom who is on the swings. She is shy, and scared to play for fear of being hurt because all the older kids are much bigger. One child is crying over something trivial; she is older, so you know that she is probably having a rough day and something just set her off. A pair of mothers are walking around the track, keeping a distant watch over their children while they get in some social time and a healthy workout. A few teenage girls are sitting in a circle passing cell phones and doing the social media thing, laughing and having a good time. They are all in their own little worlds, unbothered by the interactions happening around them.
Now imagine that these ladies are all aware of one another. Let's take that one step further. Imagine they actually know one another. Maybe they are sisters, mothers, daughters, cousins, and close family friends. The entire scene changes. The teenagers stand up and walk over to the little girl who is crying. She just needed someone to hold her hand, maybe to give her a hug and some advice from her peers/elders. Next, the group migrates toward the shy youngster on the swings. They all decide to play a game suitable for a small child, and once the little girl warms up to the idea, they begin to laugh and run about. The little girl lights up, and even her mom joins in as they all hold hands in a big circle. Lastly, the moms, who were trying to be efficient with their time, see the fun their kids are having and make their way into the circle to join hands. The entire playground full of people is now laughing and dancing in a circle together.
This is what happened to the personas in my mind a few days ago. It was beautiful. Ever since I did a meditation on healing about six months ago, I began viewing my perceived flaws, injuries, and otherwise less than perfect parts of myself as friends. It allowed me to change the conversations I had with myself from "my knee isn't cooperating" and "this head cold is so annoying" to "Hey there, knee; what can I do to make you feel better?" and "I'm sorry you feel like you're underwater, sinuses, please tell me when I move too fast. I'll listen." Simple things like that have morphed into even broader issues, which now take on their own personalities.
Picture the playground once more. Imagine that the shy child is a woman who suffered a lot of loss and doesn't want to open up to those around her. Now imagine that she (or he) is the part of you afraid of getting hurt. If the part of you afraid of being hurt works with the positive, outgoing, friendly customer service worker in you, and the overworked part of you works with the part of you that does yoga (or runs or lifts weights), you may find that even the observers of your mind (the circling moms) can't help but join in on the party that arises from all parts working together.
Message of the Day: Grant every part of your being an audience with your attention. Sometimes that's all they seek.
...Or don't. It won't change my reality. Cheers!
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