Turbulence

 

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The old year didn’t end strong for me, nor has the new year been the best so far. In the midst of all this turbulence, my meditation group has provided stability through our practice and topics we are exploring.

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The worst thing to distress me was self-evaluation and feeling I'm a failure. Does anyone stack up to what they expect of themselves? Our meditation leader had me look into the concept of the joy of insignificance. This doesn't mean we should give up, but to find value in the ordinary. 

A podcast exploring this topic is from Ten Percent Happier with the guest Dr. Ron Siegel, a part-time assistant professor of psychology at Harvard Medical School and a board member at the Institute for Meditation and Psychotherapy.  

In his talk, Dr. Siegel discusses being kind to yourself and your expectations, being useful rather than successful, and how being special is a burden. Concepts I need to take to heart to get out of my personal rut of feeling I'm a failure.

Another article on the joy of insignificance assured me that we don’t need to do something extraordinary in order to live a good life and that we should avoid comparing ourselves to others.

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 The idea of not surrendering your spiritual authority was also suggested as a way of being true to yourself. This isn't a religious concept, rather it is about the truth, beauty, purity, and goodness that is and always has been you, and allowing it to flow effortlessly through you to radiate out into the world. Embracing this approach gives me comfort in being my genuine self.

Finally, a poem by Martha Postlethwaite, Clearing, gave me additional peace and comfort and helped me find my way again.

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Do not try to save
the whole world
or do anything grandiose.
Instead, create
a clearing
in the dense forest  
of your life
and wait there
patiently,
until the song
that is your life
falls into your own cupped hands
and you recognize and greet it.
Only then will you know
how to give yourself to this world
so worthy of rescue.

 

 

 

 

 

A Bit of Radiance for 2021 ~ by Marj Ivancic

A few years ago, I attended a yoga class in which the instructor read a passage to us that left me with a deep sense of peace and awe. I learned afterwards that it came from a book called, “The Radiance Sutras: 112 Gateways to the Yoga of Wonder and Delight” by Lorin Roche.

This book is a translation of a portion of the Vijnana Bhairava Tantra, which is an ancient teaching of yoga mediation. It is written as a conversation between two lovers, the God Who Is the Consciousness that Permeates Everywhere (also called Shiva or Bhairava) and the Goddess Who Is the Creative Power of the Universe (also called Shakti or Devi). Their exchange is centered on finding the divine in the everyday, in the world around us, and in our own hearts and bodies.

As we roll into a new year, I thought I would share one of the verses because it captures for me how I feel coming out of 2020 and also settles me into a hopeful, radiant mindset for 2021. I hope it might do the same for you.

Yukti Verse 89

“You are stunned, powerless.

You thought you knew

What was going on.

Now you realize you don’t have a clue.

You are stopped in your tracks.

Everything within your skin is shaking.

                                      Enter this shaking.

                                      Get curious.

Look around inside with wonder.

Unmind your mind.

All the walls have fallen down—

Go ahead and dissolve.

The One Who Has Always Been,

Who has seen much worse than this,

Is still here.” 

Ruminations on Meditation REPEAT from 2/8/2018 by Cynthia Land, LMT, RYT

I think the first time I tried to meditate I was on a Metro bus in Seattle.  It was the 1990's, I was working at the ABC radio affiliate KOMO AM 1000 and was exhausted.  Rain outside caused heavy condensation on the inside of the bus windows.  I was warm and cozy in my seat but my mind was agitated by the stress of working in radio news.  Somewhere along the way I'd picked up that meditating would quiet my mind.  I closed my weary eyes and imagined I was sitting among fog enshrouded Douglas Fir trees.  I slowed my breath and visualized the limbs of trees, the individual needles and the smell they produced.  I was amazed at how quickly I calmed down. 

     That was just one experience in hundreds perhaps thousands of days of stress and spaziness where I would, instead of meditating, turn to overeating, over-drinking and eventually smoking cigarettes. Slowing down enough to meditate was not yet in my vocabulary.  It was something I aspired to but couldn't quite slow down enough to attain. I began a practice of yoga well before I was able to settle into meditation.  In the 90's, I lived in a world where self-care still wasn't part of my routine. The notion of self-care is still something I'm defining for myself.  

     Nearly a decade would have to go by before I came to a more steady meditation practice and even then I would have stretches where my A-D-D mind would take over with something way more “important”. Meditation takes a level of discipline many in our culture aren’t willing to settle into. The odd catch is that when you do commit and start to feel the effects of meditation, you can’t see your life without it. 

     There are many styles of meditation. I tried Zen, Insight, Kriya and probably several others I can't remember right now but finally settled on Transcendental Meditation.  I really just stumbled into it because my boyfriend did it and knew a teacher.  A group of us committed to go through the training which made it a lot easier.  Meditation alone is great but meditating with a group can be even more powerful, especially if there are experienced meditators with you. Now your mobile phone can be your meditation teacher.  Meditation apps abound.  They’re a great place to start and play around with different techniques. 

     What does it mean to meditate? For me it's how I get grounded, get centered, get focused and get in contact with my higher power. When I'm going through my day my mind comes across all kinds of negative emotions and thoughts from others, from myself and situations where I find myself. I can then become sidetracked into things that aren't important.  Meditation allows me to ask, "What is it I really need to be doing today? Where will I focus my energy?" Along my travels I've heard that, "Praying is asking God for what you want and meditating is listening for his/her answer." Just recently I've really started to adhere to this notion.  I get quiet so I can listen.  I then take note of what messages am I getting and how can I put them into play.  When I do this consistently my life just runs better.  

     What's happening while I'm "in there?"  Getting the mind to settle down takes time.  It never truly disengages. I believe we just learn to direct our awareness in other ways.  We pay more attention to our breath or how we're feeling in our bodies.  Buddhist teacher Jack Kornfield has a seminal book on meditation (A Path with Heart) where he likens the mind to a puppy we're training to "go on the paper." We must constantly be vigilant to direct it back to where we want.  But be vigilant in a kind and not punishing way.  I watch my mind go astray dozens of times in a meditation session and gently bring my awareness back to my breath.  When I'm successful, I arrive at a sort of "no-place" neither here nor there, a place of no time passing.  My mind and body relax deeply but more impressively, my mind seemingly disengages from chasing thoughts hither and thither. 

     To be clear, this doesn't happen instantly for me.  I probably sit for a good ten minutes before my mind is finally able to release itself from spin mode.  This is probably why I have such a tough time meditating in the afternoons.  I am so fully engaged in the day that getting my mind to let go for 20 minutes seems insurmountable.  It's my next big hurdle.  

     I’ve meditated in; cars, airports and on airplanes, on ferries and on beaches. Today I often sit in a comfy living room chair, light a stick of incense and meditate while the sun is coming up. I focus on my breathing for a couple of minutes and then consciously make myself available to “hear” my higher power. My mind will attempt to hijack me into something momentarily fascinating and as soon as I notice it, I come back to my breath, maybe visualize one of my chakras, say my mantra and get quiet again.  This repeats and you kind of get used to it once you understand how the mind works. 

     Here’s what I know, meditation helps me slow down in a world that’s going ever faster with no intentions of slowing down.  I have no need to go that fast and when I do I inevitably hurt myself either physically or emotionally or both. When I slow down, I see the world more clearly and make better, more elegant decisions in alignment with my deeper desires and needs. 

Media: How Do You Take Yours? ~ by Cynthia Land

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Hong Kong Kung Fu has fascinated me ever since my father/family was stationed in Manila in the early 1980’s. I remember being both mesmerized and amused by a female actress handily beating on men in a roadside cafe scrap.  Fast forward a few years later when a co-worker introduced me to the work of Jackie Chan. This combination of choreographed martial arts and humor just hit my brain in a new and delicious way. Of course the movies weren’t all humor but the Kung Fu was what epically drew me back like a tide on a beach.  I made forays into Hong Kong directors such as John Woo and found I didn’t have the same love for his movies because the level of violence was so high I couldn’t manage it. The funny Kung Fu of Jackie Chan was obviously slap stick and I could compartmentalize it into humor but the outright anger and revenge of Woo and his contemporaries was hard to take. 

As a yogi, I'm hardwired against violence for the sake of violence.  However, I don't seem to be against a good wack up the side of the head in order to get someone's attention.  Stephen Chow's Kung Fu Hustle (2004) is a master class in a good wack for comedic effect. Here's what I'm talking about. Kung Fu Hustle scene I will state that I was not a fan of the Ax Men massacre scene.  I know he had to go over the top, but that did reach my limit.  One of Chow's other movies, CJ7 (2008) is a howl.  Check it out.  Here

Yoga teaches cultivation of inner stillness.  Martial arts also has a long tradition of teaching inner stillness.  Many Kung Fu movies show the young acolyte made to head to some far away mountain cave to meditate for some impossible amount of time.  I'm seriously over exaggerating here but, after said impossible amount of time they perform as in this scene cut from a Jackie Chan/Jet Li film from 2008 called The Forbidden Kingdom. Here's the deleted scene. Overall a

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pretty crap film but I enjoyed the fight scenes.  Which brings me to another amazing Chinese director, Yimou Zhang, who made Hero which came out in 2002. It has what is quite possibly the best martial arts sequence ever made, between Jet Li and Tony Leung.  I know you might not think of there being silence in a fight but I think there is a lot of meditative space in this sequence.  Decide for yourself.  

Now if we take these physical forms and move them into the mind we can see how we wrangle with ourselves in messy ways.  We wack ourselves with imaginary shoes, slam ourselves against imaginary walls and bang our heads into imaginary tables, probably to no effect.  And there's no laugh track.  Yoga invites us to study and practice the Eight Limbs and delve into ideas such as contentment and self study so that we feel less inclined to engage in acts of violence against ourselves and others.  Just like any of the martial arts, these take daily, sometimes hourly practice and are never truly mastered.  Something is always left to learn.  

I have often heard the phrase, "garbage in garbage out."  This comes to mind when I get into phases of watching TV shows I probably shouldn't.  I am unapologetically a  child of the 70's/80's.  I grew up on Laugh In, Bonanza, Gun Smoke & The Rockford Files.  So when a remake of Hawaii 5-0 came out in 2010, you know I was going to watch it.  Alex

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O'Laughlin isn't hard on the eyes either.  However when the producers kept upping the violence ante, I finally stopped watching.  I just couldn't reconcile their use of torture scenes as entertainment.  They just didn't seem in any way necessary to the progression of their plot lines.  This also became true for shows such as The Blacklist (and I love James Spader) and Breaking Bad.  

Now I pick my TV shows a little more carefully.  Some would say; "Why watch TV at all? It's all trash."  I love stories.  I love media.  I read. I watch movies. I watch TV.  I just have to take care in the use of media.  If garbage is going in, then I can't be surprised if my mind is troubled.  I watch the barest amount of news, just to make sure I haven't missed something truly critical and then I move on to something more pertinent to my immediate life or something more entertaining.  

You may be surprised to read that I've been watching Killing

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Eve.  It's the story of two women, one an MI-5 agent and the other an assassin who have become entangled with one another.  I'm deeply intrigued by the psychology of the two women.  Each is obsessed with the other in ways that defy understanding.  The violence, while intense, is almost an afterthought.  I also enjoy watching books made into TV shows.  I'm watching The Discovery of Witches and Good Omens.  Both have Sci-Fi and historical fiction elements, ticking two of my interest boxes.  My choices must leave me feeling something but, what I'm feeling should not be dread. 

You Deserve a Massage! ~ by Cynthia Land, LMT

In the 1990's, my little home-town of Bremerton, WA didn't have many massage spas like it does today. In fact, I didn't know too many people who got massages. My parents certainly didn't get them. I came from a family were there wasn't much hugging or snuggling so comforting touch was kind of an anomaly. Somehow I came across friends who were enlightened about such things and they convinced me that my nagging upper back pain could be alleviated by simply getting a therapeutic massage.  

I laugh at myself today because the person who showed up for that 30-minute appointment in the early '90s was a scared, doe-eyed innocent. The only experience I'd had with anything resembling massage was the play kids did in elementary school where we drew designs on each other's backs when we should have been paying attention to the teacher. This massage was held after-hours at a Curves-like establishment in a room carved out of the center of the space. I was too scared to take off all my clothes so I left my bra and panties on. The very capable massage therapist did a terrific job working around my shyness and supplied great relief to my back pain. I was hooked!  

I stayed with that therapist, following her from venue to venue, for years. When you find someone who understands your body and can alleviate your pain, you stick with them! I can't believe I waited as long as I did to seek massage. I have since had dozens of treatments from dozens of therapists and have honed in on what type of massage works for me. A decade after that first massage I became a massage therapist myself and now help others find relief from chronic and acute pain. However, sometimes we can't get in to our therapist and we need relief now. Aspirin and muscle relaxers are fine as far as it goes, but here are a few ways you can take care of those aching muscles yourself.

Topicals:

Acute issues - Tiger Balm and Arnica oil

This works best if you use it directly after whatever strenuous activity you've been doing. I found it worked wonders after a day of downhill skiing, but it could work after a day in the garden or after a long day helping a friend move. I'd come home from skiing, pop in the shower and directly after toweling off, set the towel on the floor with the container of Tiger Balm and arnica oil and mix a little of both in my hands and then massage my legs.  This isn't just a lay the concoction on my skin procedure, I really get into the tissue and rub the muscles. Probably about three minutes per leg. The Tiger Balm has menthol and camphor in it which opens the pores and increases circulation, helping to move along any lactic acid build up in the muscles. The arnica reduces any inflammation or bruising. A winning combination.

Chronic issues - CBD creams or oils

I use this on arthritic joints and sore muscles. I've had good results with making my own cannabis creams by combining organic coconut oil with CBD oils. In states that allow the purchase of such oils, you can ask the bud tenders about percent of CBD oil to percent of coconut oil. Some places even sell the pre-made creams or topicals. The creams are super easy to make and you can add essential oils to make them smell good and add more therapeutic benefits. If you live in a state where marijuana is not yet legal, I understand aspercreme is a good substitute.

Self-assisted massage:

Foam roller

These are an excellent tool for getting at places you can't get at yourself. Many physical therapists are known to torture their patients with them. One can buy them in different densities depending on your preference so they're not quite so tortuous. Here's a series of videos from the Mayo Clinic on how to use one.  https://youtu.be/QUszqQf51zY  I use my foam roller almost daily to help relieve tension in my upper back. The roller will almost always gloriously help adjust my spine. Not as often, but just as good, I will use the roller on my calves, thighs, and glutes which can be excellent for working out areas that are prone to spasms.

Tennis ball/Lacrosse ball

As the foam roller is broad the tennis ball is specific. I use it for knots in the upper back, hips, and calves. Just be sure to avoid contact with bony structures such as shoulder blades or you may have bruising. You can lay down on them or use them as you stand against a wall. I know people who have them in their cars and sit on them while driving. I have a fallen arch on my left foot and will use a Lacrosse ball on the bottom of my foot while standing to roll out any aches and stiffness. It does wonders!

As a massage therapist, I recommend getting a massage once a month but if you can't do that or you need something in between treatments, use the above to get your through to the next session. You've only got one body. Take good care of it!

Saucha / Cleanliness ~ by Cynthia Land, LMT, RYT

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How many of you are going through your closets deciding what shirts bring you joy?  The Marie Kondo plan of simplifying is not a new one.  The yogic concept of saucha or cleanliness has been around for millennia and feeds into this idea of austerity.  If you understand the 8 limbs of yoga, much of it is about eliminating suffering. Within the first limb of yoga is the concept of saucha.  Here we find removing clutter also helps clear the mind which in turn helps reduce suffering. 

I need only glance at the mess on my desk to know that it brings me anxiety/suffering.  Where to start is always the issue. I’m tempted to throw everything in a burn barrel and start over. No, that’s not the answer but the solution often seems overwhelming. This has happened to many of us. We have become overwhelmed. We’ve accumulated so many things, whether they be papers, books, cars, shoes or problems that we don’t know where to start. Thank goodness for others who have come up with processes that work. 

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If you’ve ever watched any of the cooking shows, you’ll notice that chefs clean as they go, wiping spills and washing knives right after use. Much of life SHOULD go this way and yet the socks somehow can’t quite hit the hamper. Note that putting the socks IN the hamper takes a millisecond and creates a cleaner space in your room. Are you willing to give two shits for some happiness? Translate this into the dining room after a meal when instead of leaving dishes on the table you instantly put them in the dishwasher, or when you come into your home you leave your shoes by the door and put your keys in a pretty dish where you can easily and quickly locate them the next morning.  

Another process I’ve found useful is the 15 minute rule. “I’ll only do this for 15 minutes.” (Pinterest task list) Completely cleaning off my desk or cleaning my house is instantly overwhelming. But if I can tell myself, I'll just clean for 15 minutes then the task seems manageable. I use this method with a lot of things in my life. Even writing. I like it because I can see an endpoint and I don't feel as though it has to be perfect, I just have to get started. Getting started several days in a row, gets things done. Also, I don't limit myself to 15 minutes. If I want to longer, then I give myself permission to do as much as I like.  

One of the other yogic practices related to saucha is kriya or cleansing techniques. There are a litany of these and I won't go into all of them here. You can see and try a few by referring back to my blog from January. Suffice to say the yogis found living in the corporeal world a little trying. They're were constantly finding things about the body to clean. They cleaned their diet by often being vegan or fasting.  They did intense water cleanses of the digestive, respiratory and excretory systems. Some of these were done around the change of the seasons. All of this was done in an effort to remove any impurities that might hamper their ability to reach enlightenment. Today we learn from these techniques but we don't have to adhere to them.  

When it comes to removing clutter, we might also want to turn the spotlight on our relationships.  How are the people in our lives supporting us?  Do they bring us joy or suffering?  If they are bringing suffering, are we willing distance ourselves from them?  Some feel compelled to keep certain people in their lives because they are family or we've known them since childhood.  But if these people are toxic and preventing from us growing and succeeding it might be time to let them go.  I stopped talking with my dad for about a year when his PTSD got to a point where I could barely have a conversation with him without it turning into a full blown argument.  My parent's home was no longer safe for me.  We both went into counseling in separate ways but were eventually able to come back together and are now closer than ever.  

This spring I tell myself I will take everything out of my clothing closet and keep only what brings me joy, 15 minutes at a time. 

Give In to Win ~ by Cynthia Land

     If you're a typical type-A personality, the mere notion of giving in or surrendering is a non-negotiable. You're in it to win it, you won't give up when the going gets tough. However, in the practice of yoga, we are asked in the Eight Limbs to regularly give up to a power greater than ourselves. We are asked to recognize when we, on our own, cannot make the thing happen. Sometimes this has to come with great effort.
     When I arrived at the practice of yoga, I often gave up in life,

because I perceived things as being too hard. I was at the opposite end of the spectrum, I guess, and yet I kept coming back to yoga classes. I really wanted to do handstands, forearm stands and breathing exercises even though they were hard. There was something about the tiny incremental victories that enticed me to return. I was also blessed with gifted teachers who encouraged me to keep trying. Twenty-two years later, I still can't do a handstand in the middle of the floor, and my arthritic back would prefer I not do the upward facing bow pose. Interestingly, those poses just don’t mean that much to me anymore. My yoga focus has shifted from asana to meditation.
     In the real world, we can apply the practices of yoga to solve real world problems. Leaders of Fortune 500 companies talk about the value of meditation in their daily lives. Some CEOs have even left the demands of the 24/7 work cycle to slow things down and change their approach to and even their definition of success. This doesn't work for everyone, but the point is that it CAN work. Moving faster isn't always the answer. Driving yourself harder isn't always the best choice. As trite as it may sound, the best leaders are those able to delegate responsibility to the people around them by recognizing talent in others, hiring them, and being willing to lean on them.
     Bringing this back to the notion of surrendering to a higher power... first you have to have one. This can be the hardest part of the task if you've had negative experiences with the big "R" of religion. Many don't even WANT to believe in a higher power, thinking that the whole thing is hogwash because of bad things that have happened to family members, loved ones, or to themselves. Or you’re simply not interested in what's on offer. That's totally understandable. Yoga doesn't ask you to join a church. Yoga doesn't require you to idolize a strange deity (even though some yoga poses are dedicated to odd deities). The Eight Limbs of Yoga, as written in the Yoga Sutras, suggests that if we want to completely free ourselves of the bounds of our bodies and minds, we're going to need some help and that help is going to partly come from a higher power.
     As I move through my day, I'm fairly Cynthia, or self-powered. I accomplish tasks simply through my own years of experience and know-how. On occasion, I run across issues that I simply have no idea how to solve. I am completely dumbfounded. Googling doesn't help me. My first course of action is to ask someone I think might know something about what I'm doing. I've made some pretty random phone calls in my career. My first job as a journalist might have helped in this regard. I'm naturally curious and I like to ask questions.
     Asking for help might be harder for others who have to overcome fears of appearing "stupid" or simply not knowing who to ask their questions. This can take practice, just as yoga is a practice. We're never perfect, but we get a little better every time we practice. We might be uncomfortable as we start, but eventually we yoke to the practice and this is in the literal meaning of yoga.

     

Yog in Sanskrit means: to yoke. Students of yoga are encouraged to find a teacher or guru. I know lately there's been a lot of hullabaloo about teachers who took advantage of students, but this is the exception not the rule. A teacher lights our way, points out the difficulties, and guides us through life as seen through the lens of yoga.
     I turn to the Eight Limbs of Yoga on a daily basis; I'm checking in on my motives (ahimsa), I'm working to make my life and environment just a little cleaner (saucha) and I have daily conversations with my higher power, who I choose to call God. 

      No, I don't see burning bushes or anything quite that spectacular, but when I get really quiet and listen, I listen for a still, small voice that nudges me in the right direction. I'm always astounded by what is revealed. Sometimes it's big, oftentimes it's small. Sometimes I'm guided to do something as simple as hold someone's hands. What a delicate but well-meaning gesture. Something we could use a little more of in these times.

Decisions, Decisions, Decisions ~ by Lexa Fisher

     I recently had a frustrating week at work waiting on others to make decisions. Often decisions aren’t fun to make, and we are bombarded with them from the minute we wake up.

Five more minutes of sleep, or get up now?

This blouse? Those pants?

Stop for coffee or drink the office industrial swill?

Eat lunch or work through it?

Dinner--take-out or frozen?

     All day long it never ends. Readers are probably feeling quite anxious by now, so what is my point?

Photo by Carolina Heza on Unsplash

     Our brains need a rest. It took me many attempts over the years to finally embrace the rare moments to unplug. I can’t meditate for even half an hour, but for five to ten minutes I can still my mind. No decisions, no book plotting (a curse that keeps many writers up in the middle of the night), no chasing an elusive answer. Just be open and let a choice, idea, or solution come to me.

Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash

     Attending a guided meditation course at my first Romance Writers of America conference provided a successful introduction to the practice of quieting one’s mind. Lori Wilde, the author who organized the course, told us how meditation has improved her writing with greater clarity and allowed her to write more quickly. I’m not the writer Lori is, but I now take a few moments to let go when a scene isn’t coming together. Instead of chasing an answer, I rest my mind. Creativity is important to me and is a chance to let my mind play.

    In my workout classes we’ve started a breathing practice at the end of class where each exhale is to let go of anything that doesn’t serve us. Deep breathing activates the parasympathetic nervous system that puts us into a relaxed state. An increased intake of oxygen lets our brains function well, improving clarity and allowing us to feel grounded and productive. Angst vanishes and the possibilities open up. 

Photo by Fabian Møller on Unsplash

     We can’t let go of all the daily decisions we need to make but making time to breathe and let our minds rest for even a few minutes can allow the answers we relentlessly seek to magically appear in the stillness.

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Experiences in Meditation ~ by Cynthia Land, LMT

I think the first time I tried to meditate I was on a Metro bus in Seattle. It was the 1990's, I was working at the ABC radio affiliate KOMO AM 1000 and was exhausted. Rain outside caused heavy condensation on the inside of the bus windows. I was warm and cozy in my seat but my mind was agitated by the stress of working in radio news. Somewhere along the way I'd picked up that meditating would quiet my mind. I closed my weary eyes and imagined I was sitting among fog enshrouded Douglas Fir trees. I slowed my breath and visualized the limbs of trees, the individual needles and the smell they produced. I was amazed at how quickly I calmed down. 

That was just one experience in hundreds perhaps thousands of days of stress and spaziness where I would, instead of meditating, turn to overeating, over-drinking and eventually smoking cigarettes. Slowing down enough to meditate was not yet in my vocabulary. It was something I aspired to but couldn't quite slow down enough to attain. I began a practice of yoga well before I was able to settle into meditation. In the 90's, I lived in a world where self-care still wasn't part of my routine. The notion of self-care is still something I'm defining for myself.  

Nearly a decade would have to go by before I came to a more steady meditation practice and even then I would have stretches where my A-D-D mind would take over with something way more “important”. Meditation takes a level of discipline many in our culture aren’t willing to settle into. The odd catch is that when you do commit and start to feel the effects of meditation, you can’t see your life without it. 

There are many styles of meditation. I tried Zen, Insight, Kriya and probably several others I can't remember right now but finally settled on Transcendental Meditation. I really just stumbled into it because my boyfriend did it and knew a teacher. A group of us committed to go through the training which made it a lot easier. Meditation alone is great but meditating with a group can be even more powerful, especially if there are experienced meditators with you.  

Now your mobile phone can be your meditation teacher. Meditation apps abound. They’re a great place to start and play around with different techniques. 

What does it mean to meditate? For me it's how I get grounded, get centered, get focused and get in contact with my higher power. When I'm going through my day my mind comes across all kinds of negative emotions and thoughts from others, from myself and situations where I find myself. I can then become sidetracked into things that aren't important. Meditation allows me to ask, "What is it I really need to be doing today? Where will I focus my energy?"

Along my travels I've heard that, "Praying is asking God for what you want and meditating is listening for his/her answer." Just recently I've really started to adhere to this notion. I get quiet so I can listen.  I then take note of what messages am I getting and how can I put them into play. When I do this consistently my life just runs better.  

What's happening while I'm "in there?" Getting the mind to settle down takes time. It never truly disengages. I believe we just learn to direct our awareness in other ways. We pay more attention to our breath or how we're feeling in our bodies.  Buddhist teacher Jack Kornfield has a seminal book on meditation (A Path with Heart) where he likens the mind to a puppy we're training to "go on the paper." We must constantly be vigilant to direct it back to where we want. But be vigilant in a kind and not punishing way. I watch my mind go astray dozens of times in a meditation session and gently bring my awareness back to my breath. When I'm successful, I arrive at a sort of "no-place" neither here nor there, a place of no time passing. My mind and body relax deeply but more impressively, my mind seemingly disengages from chasing thoughts hither and thither. To be clear, this doesn't happen instantly for me. I probably sit for a good ten minutes before my mind is finally able to release itself from spin mode. This is probably why I have such a tough time meditating in the afternoons. I am so fully engaged in the day that getting my mind to let go for 20 minutes seems insurmountable. It's my next big hurdle.

I’ve meditated in cars, airports and on airplanes, on ferries and on beaches. Today I often sit in a comfy living room chair, light a stick of incense and meditate while the sun is coming up. I focus on my breathing for a couple of minutes and then consciously make myself available to “hear” my higher power. My mind will attempt to hijack me into something momentarily fascinating and as soon as I notice it, I come back to my breath, maybe visualize one of my chakras, say my mantra and get quiet again. This repeats and you kind of get used to it once you understand how the mind works. 

Here’s what I know; meditation helps me slow down in a world that’s going ever faster with no intentions of slowing down. I have no need to go that fast and when I do I inevitably hurt myself either physically or emotionally or both. When I slow down, I see the world more clearly and make better, more elegant decisions in alignment with my deeper desires and needs.