How did I start – by running in the opposite direction! Over 30 years ago, a very kind friend introduced me to Transcendental Meditation, it sounded great, until I got a book out the library. I think the idea of ceding control scared me silly.
A few years later, my paternal Grandmother kindly sent me a selection of quotes from Thich Naht Hanh as well as some guidance from Mother Teresa as well as others. Unfortunately her timing was off – I just wasn’t ready to listen.
I discovered the magic of losing myself in music in my early 20’s, which helped me chill out and de-stress, which at the time was great. I was trying Christianity again at the same time … which didn’t work so well for me. It’s something about the ‘must do it this way’ that I struggle with.
As I turned 40, I was invited to attend a meditation session with a new acquaintance – why not, better than sitting at home alone. That session was definitely the beginning of the rest of my life.
Previous to this, meditation had always brought to mind someone sat in that Lotus pose, perfectly still, pinching finger and thumb, apparently in some sort of blissful state. Just looking at that pose made me feel uncomfortable – I really couldn’t see how meditation was going to work for me if that was what it required!
Fortunately, the session attended had us lying on comfy cushions and all we had to do was keep an open mind and engage. It was a great deal easier than I had anticipated and I left the session feeling very relaxed and like my head wasn’t quite so full anymore. I describe in my ‘Bridging the Sceptic to Mystic’ blog what I actually experienced.
I continued attending these meditation sessions for another couple of years until they came to a natural end. At the same time, I discovered Reiki healing – THAT was the real game changer!
Reiki is a form of meditation for me, in that I ‘can have a lovely relax’ (as my husband puts it) for about half an hour, whilst I receive healing positive energy. I needed the Reiki healing mostly for my mental state, though I did also receive some physical healing on the journey (in my Bridging … blog). What the Reiki sessions gave me, though was a taste of what was really possible. My Reiki Healer insisted that I was perfectly capable of channelling for myself and when the time was right, I started on my own journey.
When I received my first Reiki Attunement, I had to complete 30 days of self healing, journalling along the way, before I could receive my certificate. This practice of setting aside time and deliberately putting myself in ‘communion’ with Spirit, cemented the whole meditation experience for me. It was this period of self healing that truly gave me hope that I could lay the trauma of my past behind me and allow my true self to shine.
My Reiki journey is with the Angels, based on Usui principles, I engage with Angelic beings all the time and undertook Chrissie Astell’s course to understand and connect more fully with the Angelic realm. I understand that this concept is not for everybody – its not that long ago that I was completely against it myself, it works for me though.
I don’t follow a specific meditative path, regime or type of meditation. Over the years various different meditations and healing media have worked for different circumstances. I’ve had Reiki infused Reflexology, taken part in Shamanic Drumming sessions (wow the energy there is just AMAZING!), at the moment I’m listening to some beautiful mantras as I meditate. That is the beauty of following one’s own Spiritual path, there are no ‘human made rules’. One’s intuition guides one – when you allow your gut (Spirit) to guide you … the world just opens up. You realise that you really can heal stuff and ‘let it go’. The impossible becomes possible …
Help and guidance is useful though. Taking a few courses, reading up on different concepts can make such a difference.
If you aren’t sure where to start, quietly sitting with your favourite music is a good option. Just the act of chilling out to your favourite tunes will bring you peace of mind and give you some ‘headspace’. Once you’ve settled to that, there are plenty of meditation apps to try, or download some meditation specific music. Allowing your head to stop whirring and to hear what your soul is trying to tell you is just the beginning. There is no right or wrong way, we all have our own ways of stilling our minds. Someone I know used to find the concentration he had to put into riding his motorbike home along busy motorways, totally cleared his head from the day job and gave him the headspace to ‘be’ at home.