Meditation

Published July 9, 2005, in Our Town for the Tracy Press

There I was, sitting on the floor with my legs crisscrossed, lights dimmed, candles lit and gentle background music playing. I took the recommended deep breath or two and then it happened — my mind began working, making a grocery list. It was crystal clear: I needed eggs, bacon and potatoes. I was almost out of birdseed, and the trash needed to be put out.

Then I began thinking that I should have put a piece of paper and pencil on the floor next to me while I attempted this meditation thing. The chores I had to do were now abundantly clear. I also began to realize that the floor I was sitting on was getting really hard. And then I became antsy, and figured I’d better get going and write some of these things down before I forgot them. I had wasted enough time trying to meditate!
How to be successful at meditation was something I was never taught. However, some of the very best revelations in life come from our own personal experience and discovery. And it is within that experience that great knowledge is gained. Such was the case for me regarding meditation.

I’ve always been the kind of person who has a million things going on in her head at any given time. Actually, I think most of us have very busy minds. Then how does one quiet that noise down in order to accomplish meditating? The answer is, you don’t. It is not necessary. Let your thoughts come and go during any meditation. It is normal to do so.

Once you realize that fact, the process of meditating is incredibly simple. Give it a try with the following recipe for stress reduction. If you have not been successful at meditating before or are new at it, allow only three to five minutes for this meditation. This short period of time will help you to focus and become successful with the process:

Find a comfortable place to sit, possibly a chair, the floor (with a pillow beneath you!) or the couch. Your feet can be flat on the floor with your hands in your lap, or you can sit with your legs crisscrossed, lotus style. It is only important to be comfortable. You can even meditate lying down, although the tendency to fall asleep is greater in this position.

Background music is a nice addition to any meditation, although it is certainly not necessary. There is some wonderful music out there to choose from. I usually suggest going into a store with a big selection, such as Barnes and Noble. Go to their meditative music section and use the headset they provide for sampling CDs. It’s a good way to pick your music.

So now you have the comfortable place to sit and, for those who so choose, background music playing. Close your eyes and make a mental note that any sounds you hear are simply those of everyday life and will assist you in relaxing more deeply.

Take a nice slow deep breath and then another, knowing that each time you exhale, you are releasing any and all stress you have been carrying around with you from this day or any other. Make a conscious decision simply to let all of it go, even if it is just for this moment in time.

Now, imagine a shaft of brilliant white light directly above you. Know that this shaft of white light is coming in through the very top of your head, illuminating every part of your entire being. Take a moment to focus on this light. It’s okay if you’re not visual — imagine that it’s there and sense or imagine how incredibly brilliant it is.
Take a deep breath and consciously breathe out any remaining vestiges of stress, effortlessly replacing them with brilliant, calming white light. Know that with this brilliant light within you, there is no longer room for any stress.

With your next breath, feel yourself relaxing more deeply still, feeling very, very relaxed. Enjoy that moment and, when you are ready, in your mind count up from one to three and open your eyes.

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