I am trying to sit in the silence on my yoga mat, but there's loud cacophony in my mind; it flies high in the space, then goes back to shopping lists, work and suddenly I’m hungry, what about the… “Be quiet,” I shush to my mind.
Suddenly they start singing three long oms, each one on a different tone: Oooommmm… Ooooommmmm… Ooooommm…
What is this? Oh why, oh why? Can someone tell me the secret everyone else seems to know?
I didn’t sign up for this… How can they even sing it for so long, without taking a breath?
Then silence again. I roll my eyes behind my closed eyelids pretending zen.
I try to push harder and control my mind: What should I think during the meditation? How does it feel to be present, am I doing it right? How do I know when I’m there, mastering this?
My conclusion after the first meditation trials: maybe this breathing thing is not for me… as it didn't make any difference!
This was my experience at one of my very first yoga classes almost fifteen years ago. I was extremely stiff and stressed out but yoga was calling my name, so I kept going to the classes. The times have changed since: meditation is not only a part of yoga classes, it has become well-known and approved self-healing and wellbeing method besides yoga. The science has backed up the enormous benefits of meditation. It is increasing clarity, productivity, creativity and lowering physical and mental symptoms of stress and it changes your brain for better. You will start looking and acting calmer.
Later I changed the course of my life with the help of meditation. I was then going through a burnout (that's another story) and I needed to concentrate on healing myself in all ways. I understood I needed to break the hardened covers of my well-hidden unconscious emotions and behavioral patterns - the ones that my anxious and overwhelmed mind had blocked. That's the place where the peace of mind often hides.
I red Eckhart Tolle’s: The Power of Now and signed up everything he wrote. It just made sense to me. I understood we don’t need to hang out in the past and worry about the unknown future all the time. All kind of things can happen before the “then-whens,” and then we miss out the real life.
After I started practicing meditation on a daily basis, I got my big breakthrough: I began to feel more, communicate better and I got in touch what I desired. When I got in touch with all kind of emotions and didn't push them away, I found the long-lost playful child in me and started seeing the joy and beauty of life. The very same life from a different perspective.
With the help of meditation, I consciously changed my thoughts to positive. Without ignoring the negative ones, which are part of us and those thoughts will never totally vanish. It's easier to make changes when you see and hear yourself clearly.
I became aware I don’t need to try to control everything, know everything and at the same time, this new understanding gave me all the control.
All this by breathing consciously on regular basis. Meditation, practicing being present, helps to find the doorway to everything your heart truly desires. I’m not exaggerating here. It's a process that cannot be achieved but if you allow yourself to take the first steps, the next ones will reveal themselves. That happened to me and it can happen to you too.
That’s what meditation is simply all about: listening to yourself, your body, your emotions and breathing consciously.
Busyness and stress take us far away from being present in our daily events. Breathing and being aware connects your body, mind, and soul and fixes the imbalances and gives you insight.
Meditation is your own time that you might have missed.
It’s a secret weapon to health and happiness. We need this tool to compensate the stress and overwhelm we all experience.
I share my knowledge and modern approach to meditation. It's for anyone who has ever thought to give meditation a try. I speak shortly and then we meditate together for 10-15 minutes. If you don't make it to classes, you'll get the recording afterward from the Facebook group.
Why it's so difficult for many to start meditating on their own? The unconscious fear and resistance hold them back - the mind is such a powerful thing and often it doesn't like any kind of changes. At first, it can feel scary to face oneself in the quietness.
Start meditation practice with someone more experienced, and even you would practice only once a week - it will make a difference, and it's a start. We all want to feel good and live to the fullest.You have everything that is needed for it.
So why wouldn’t you give yourself a try?
With love, Jenni