Meditation –Key to a Better Life

By Aruna Byers

It may seem as if the benefits of meditation have been extolled so often that those who could use them would be doing it regularly, but this is not the case. Even though we know it can reduce stress, help us stay centered, clear our mind and align us to the flow of life, it remains something most of us put off for some future time. Just like sticking to a good diet and exercising regularly, meditation is one of those things that requires strong will power to get into and maintain. Why is it so hard to sit quietly for awhile?

There is a part of the psyche that really enjoys its role of running our life and it is not going to give up that control easily. It keeps us in line with mind chatter about everything and anything, not giving us even a moment of mental peace. There are the shoulds, woulds, coulds, can’ts, and won’ts; the should haves, could haves, I wants and I don’t wants to think about. There is also every possible scenario about the past, the future and all of our judgments of the present that keep us oblivious to the other voice inside that really does know what is in our highest good and can lead us to it.

Most of us are convinced that this ongoing commentary on our life is helping us to move forward, but it is actually keeping us stuck in the past. This is because our memories, beliefs and attitudes that formed in past experiences continue to attract similar situations and trigger the same old reactions. Reactions we had as a child usually don’t fit the person we have become as adults, but the voice in our head wants us to believe that they do and it will do anything it can to keep us from accessing that wiser voice inside that can provide a better response. So whenever there’s a choice between spending time meditating and doing something else on your “to do” list, that controlling voice in your head is going to make sure you put off meditation because that is where the other voice can be found.

If you are one of those who know meditation is needed in your life and are not doing it, here is an approach that can help you deal with that pesky controller in your head:

Whenever you find yourself thinking about something in particular, change your attention to whatever is happening in the moment. Just observe and fully experience everything without thinking about it. The mind will continue to spew forth thoughts, but you are not your thoughts so you can choose to ignore them. This level of awareness about your thoughts may seem strange at first, but observing thoughts instead of accepting them as your life’s director will give you the opportunity to understand how irrelevant and destructive they can be. You will be amazed at how much you have missed in life while engaged in thinking. If you are comparing one experience to another you cannot be fully engaged in the present moment. Being fully present in the moment gives you a new experience that does not have to be tainted by your memories of the past. You just need to keep your attention out of the past to fully appreciate it.

This disengagement from your thoughts is a good preparation for meditation. Once you are cognizant of the fact that being directed to do something else instead of meditate is merely a ploy to keep you stuck in the past, it is possible to make a different choice - the choice the very wise part of you is hoping you will make.

This wise part of you, your True Nature, is very different than the personality that has been formed by your childhood experiences, DNA and soul memories. It is a loving, peaceful presence that is always happy no matter what is happening in your life. To know this part of you is to awaken it. This part of you, your True Nature, has been veiled by an entire lifetime of thoughts, but is always trying to guide you through impulses, intuition and inspiration. To seek and follow its guidance instead of accepting the directions of your thoughts is the most direct path to wholeness and a better life. Regular meditation provides the opportunity to meet your True Nature and know the peace and happiness that is available to you when you live life free of the past.

Sitting quietly, aware of what is going on but not engaged in it, allows your True Nature to reveal itself. This does not mean that you will receive visions or messages because these only provide more food for the mind. It means that you will get to know that quiet, peaceful, joyful part of yourself by directly experiencing it. This is the ultimate form of prayer, because the part of you awaiting your attention is also your divine essence. Honoring the divine with silence allows that silent, non-personal presence to expand until it consumes the false personality. In this way, meditation helps you become the full expression of who you truly are.

There are many ways to meditate. Some require rigid postures, others use mantras, etc. There is no “right” way. The way that works best for you is the one to do. Sitting, standing, lying down, eyes open, eyes shut - all are ok, as long as you remain alert and present to what is happening without participating in any way. This quiet detachment is the goal of meditation. Visions, ideas, etc. are still mental thoughts. Let these and every other thought come and go without accepting any of them. Just stay aware of them as they rise and disappear. Focus your attention on the place where they are rising from, that silent space that is the source of all thoughts.

You may have a sense of bliss – or not. It doesn’t matter. Just experience whatever you experience without comment because every comment takes you back into your head and reignites the thought machine.

Once you are able to detach from all your thoughts and physical experiences you are in meditation. All techniques are methods to get you there. Stay as long as you can. Ten minutes is great. Twenty is better. Whatever you can manage in your daily routine will be a benefit. Once a day is good and twice a day is better. If you miss a day you will not regress. If you miss several days you will because the mind machine has resumed control. Remember, you always have the ability to choose what your heart wants over that chatter in your head. Your soul is challenging you to do it.

The eternal happiness your soul longs for is just waiting for you to reject the monkey mind so your True Nature, the source of all happiness, can come alive inside of you. Once you are regularly experiencing inner silence and detachment in meditation, you have prepared the foundation for an even greater awakening, the one that leads to enlightenment.

****Aruna Byers is a Spiritual Coach who supports Awakening. She also teaches meditation, how to access inner guidance and The Enneagram. www.awakeningcoach.com