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FreeStyle Meditation

Eastern and Western thought on meditation has been to try and find a quiet place within, away from all the mental chatter. For most people this is a challenging place to begin a meditation practice. I have found that quiet mind is a nice place to get to, but in the absence of thought there is no learning. It is through that part of self we call the mind (which encompasses your emotions too) that you will encounter your wisdom and wise counsel.

My meditations used to consist of a frustrating half hour of trying to push my thoughts and chatter away. I would try and focus on anything to quite the incessant chatter. I tried focusing on my breath, staring at candles, mantras, chanting, toning, guided audiotapes and many other modalities. All worked for a certain amount of time before I was drawn back into the workings of my busy mind.

One day during mediation I decided not to fight the flow any longer and simply listened to my inner dialogue. I tried to be a sacred witness to the conversation I heard within. I could identify an inner voice asking questions and another voice responding. I was quite surprised by this. I tried interacting and dialoguing with the asker. The asker was so shocked that I was even listening, let alone responding, that it shut right up and said nothing. I had achieved quite mind in an instant.

Thus began my inner odyssey of knowing the self through FreeStyle meditation.

I describe self as being comprised of the body, mind, emotions and spirit. This is a simplistic definition of a complex structure, but sitting quietly by yourself (without distractions) everyday and getting to know your self is the cheapest and most enlightening education you will ever have. The Latin word for education (educare) means to draw out or extract. Here in North America, education has become synonymous with stuffing in or filling up - with knowledge from an external source.

Meditation is about education and learning from an internal source. The goal of meditation is to have the ability to draw out your own inner knowledge and wisdom. It is learning to recognize and accept all parts of self, and bring them into your everyday waking life. It is a well-known phase "that all answers lie within" and that "the microcosm contains the macrocosm". By trying to push away and ignore your mental chatter (and therefore your feelings and inner wise voice too), you directly avoid encountering parts of your self. These parts are necessary requirements for wholeness and for knowing Your God.

Meditation has helped me expand my awareness one hundred fold and continues to do so. Without a doubt it has been pivotal in helping me heal my physical body - by learning to listen to my body's needs in meditation. Remember all bodily parts have individual needs - because all past experiences (positive or negative) are stored energetically at a cellular level of the physical body. Therefore you can tap into the messages trapped in your physical body just by focusing on it (a body part) and listening. Meditation helped me practice hearing my inner wisdom and then applying it in my own life. It increased my self-confidence, sense of power and self esteem tremendously. Lastly, my daily practice of sitting quietly with myself has helped me learn patience and compassion for others and myself.

Begin a five or ten minute mind-full meditation today. It is free, with no fees to pay and no tuition - you just show up. All answers are within you if you are willing to listen.
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