Thoughts on Meditation Practices

Meditation, and a busy life. They don't really seem to go hand in hand. I'm like most people, a busy person. I work a full time job. I have six children ranging from high-school to toddler. I sit in traffic for two hours a day, etcetera, so on and so forth. The average American life. I'm not complaining, its just the facts. I'm not writing this article trying to justify my lack of time to meditate. Rather I'd like to share some of my particular practices that work for me in my busy schedule. I've found ways to meditate and ground myself that most yogi's and spiritual teachers may see as un-traditional and not worthy of contemplation. I've always told my children "Nothing is hard everything just takes time." Which is true, and difficult to live up to.

I also tell my children often, when they say they don't have time to do their homework, chores, etc. "It's not about having the time. It's a matter of taking the time. Time won't stand still for you." I know I sound like a hard ass dad. You should have grown up with mine! I'm a feather pillow by comparison. Enough about me. Back to my thoughts on meditation practices.

I often find myself not taking the time that I have due to busyness - which is no excuse. I'm not saying my life is hard - its not - everything just takes time. I know first-hand everything in life takes alot of my time. I have to make a conscious choice to take specific time for meditation. Part of the reason I don't always take the time for meditation is because of my preconceived notions of meditation practices.

Meditation. It's supposed to be done in a quiet place, a peaceful and serene setting. Birds chirping, sounds of water flowing. Your back has to be perfectly straight, eyes closed, breathing slowed, hands palms up, thumbs touching specific fingers for different types of grounding. Right? Wow! for a busy person that's a lot!

I find myself at times stuck in cycles of meditating regularly then swinging to the opposite side of the pendulum, so irregular that I'm ungrounded and irritable. Oh the constant struggle of finding balance in life!

Wise Words From Guides

I recently went to one of my favorite meditation places. The Spirituality Center in Encinitas, CA. founded in the 1930's by Paramahansa Yogananda. I went after work, after running a couple of other errands in the area. I found my favorite bench off in a corner, overlooking the vastness of the ocean; flowers and succulents abundant around me, seagulls flying overhead. Ahh! Perfection, I thought to myself. I sat on my bench, straightened my back, palms up, eyes closed, slowed my breathing, opened my crown chokra and began flowing golden light in, filling myself, slowing my mind, opening my third eye, connecting with my guides.

Within seconds of closing my eyes, I heard the words, "Why do you always feel that you must have the perfect setting to quiet your mind and connect with us?" I searched my mind for an answer. I knew I had no excuse. A small wave of guilt flooded my body. My guides flashed before my minds eye many times where I had meditated for long periods of time where the setting was far from serene and spiritually inviting. I kept my eyes closed and apologized. "I'm sorry I should connect more often." They responded "You do yourself a disservice when you choose not to connect with us." "Yes. I know." I thought to myself.

I meditated for another ten minutes or so, recharging and centering myself. What my guides had flashed before my eyes and reminded me of, I will share with you now. I understand that not everyone may be able to do this. Whether you the reader use it in practice, or just reflect upon it does not matter to me. I share from conviction, and perhaps it may help you stay more consistent in your own daily practices of meditation.

Learning Self-Awareness

A​s a young child, and into young adulthood I knew nothing of meditation, except that it was a word in the Bible. I had heard of 'Prayer and Meditation', which I thought was praying to God, and then thinking about the words of the Bible and mulling over them again and again trying to find new meaning in them. My understanding of freeing my mind, the release of self, centering my energy etcetera I did not hear about until I was in my late twenties. As a child though I spent a lot of time alone and unknowingly learned aspects of meditation and energy movement by chance.

I​ remember many times as a child having been given some extra assignment or writing sentences as punishment, and the desire to escape my present situation. I would get so lost in thought, daydreaming or staring out the window at the landscape that I couldn't feel my body. I became distinctly aware of this unique feeling of losing myself in thought, to the point that I couldn't feel parts of my body - or the whole of it for that matter. I began trying to see if I could put myself in this "relaxed" state of feeling nothing until I chose to feel my body again. I found it helped me to cope with the time alone by myself.

I would practice doing my assignments keeping only my mind, my eyes, and my one hand to write with in the state that I knew I could feel them in, and shutting off everything else. I thought it was kind of cool. Sometimes I would sit there and shut everything off and keep only my eyes open and feel just my eyes moving or watch myself through my own eyes, trying to figure out and understand this strange sensation. I enjoyed especially, "putting my body to sleep" as I called it, sitting and reading a book with only my mind and eyes "awake" and only "waking my arms up" when it was time to turn a page. I asked my friends if they could do this and they all laughed and would say "Oh like pins and needles?" I would say no it was different and could never get them to understand.

This ability to stay concentrated on something and let everything else go completely away like it wasn't even a part of my own body, really intrigued me. Later on in life when I began to learn about meditation, I wondered if this practice of 'turning my body off', extracting myself from the world around me would help me to meditate better. It worked amazing!

I wondered how far I could take it. I thought I would try it while I was driving on the freeway. I wanted to meditate, I had an hour drive home and thought to myself, "A whole hour to meditate and connect with my guides! This is great!"

Now, it would be easy if I could put my pickup on cruise control - not in traffic though. I drive a big 4x4 dodge pickup truck, and had mastered the art of letting the weight of my foot control the vehicle at very slow speed in traffic, so I rarely need to hit my brake pedal. Most of the time I rested my arm on the window sill and held the steering wheel for the slight movements needed to keep myself within the lanes. I merged onto the freeway, got up to speed, chose my lane and settled in. Foot peddle set. Steering arm set. I turned 'off' the rest of my body and focused my mind into a meditative state.

I have to say, it is quite difficult when you are still maintaining some form of concentration driving. Having to make minute decisions to keep yourself in your lane and at a proper following distance requires extra meditative concentration!

Additionally, meditating with your eyes open; for me at least, requires an extra bit of concentration. From my many times trying it myself, I've been able to increase my own intuitive self-awareness, tap into my third eye perceptions and have meditations that were quite meaningful and energetically replenishing.

Since the first time I attempted it I have had many great, deep, meaningful driving meditations. I've practiced moving energies between chockras and flowing source energy through me. It was during these driving sessions that I discovered a couple of large energy blockages. Later I went to a local healer and had these blockages removed through guided meditation and energy healing.

I​ understand that this may not be doable for everyone, yet I think about the significance of the collective moving into a higher level of consciousness. Could it be that in the higher dimensions of reality; what we consider high meditative states within our reality, is their equivalent of every day thinking and processing of information and connection with source energy; and if so, ought not more of us work toward being in a continual state of meditative thought and connection to source?

J​.C. Miller

If this article has resonated with you, leave a comment, share, and subscribe to my articles; so that I may further the reach of the message I was sent here to give to others. Thank-you for your time, your energy, and sharing your light and love with others. I welcome all comments and constructive criticism and any small edits that stood out to you! Love and Light!

If you would like to read more of my articles and stories, please follow me on vocal.com