It is impossible for light not to get noticed, especially in the dark.”
The gift of messy meditations.
Distracted and unable to relax, you know what these meditations feel like, don’t you? These might feel botched from a lack of “practice” but they are a normal part of learning about what meditation feels like for you. But what is interesting, is there is little discussion about unexpected meetings with your inner voice in the middle of these messy sessions. Despite mind chatter and feeling disconnected from your body, it is possible to experience “breakthroughs”.
An awareness of an inner voice that is more peaceful might make itself known. Thoughts that overwhelm and distract you from being able to relax get paused, for a moment. You feel something more significant is behind that wall of understanding even though your mind sees a blank inner screen. All of these are signs of progress .
Curiosity allows you to relax a little and breath more deeply to focus. But , maybe your phone rings and something interrupts your session and unfortunately, you find yourself in a busy mind state again. Has anything been achieved from this broken attempt?
In my own opinion, the messy meditations are barometers of your emotional, mental state and reflect your physical health. Tired, exhausted, burnt-out, distracted, upset about something that happened that day or feeling pressed to complete something in less time than you would like, the meditation becomes a “project” unto itself. That is, until we recognize it is an opportunity to check in with how we are in the moment. Every meditation becomes valuable and transcends the perception of “failure”.
Observing the present moment.
Being able to observe the moment is an invaluable skill. Notice where you are, what surrounds you, appreciate what each of your senses is telling you about the NOW and listen to the dominant sentiment of your thoughts.
Short attention spans. Lack of focus. All of these are being “trained” into our habits. They delay dreams and prohibit talent from moving forward.
Re-capture your focus. Empower your choices through fine-tuning your ability to observe. It will liberate you in ways you cannot imagine.
Inner peace in short bits and bytes.
Over-ruled and over-run by thoughts that deter and distract? Find peace in that thought war with small respites from electronic devices.
Turn off your phone for a few minutes, an hour or perhaps, have an electronics “fast” for 24 hours. Pay attention to your “pull” to seek, scroll and find answers. Move inward. Listen to your inner thoughts and intuition. Allow that light of reasoning to be amplified.
Peace of mind, even in small bits and bytes is possible. Focus on one thought or one detail of something you are observing. That, in itself is mindfulness practice and meditation.
Recognizing Spirit, Mind and Body in meditation.
Meditations that ask you to relax the body generally ask you to sit still, legs crossed. Maybe this isn’t relaxing at all? Maybe this makes you feel so uncomfortable you would rather not spend the entire session thinking about your discomfort?
Engage the mind, body and spirit by asking yourself what you need at this very moment. Do you need to sit still? Move? or be near plants and nature?
Finding a place to collaborate with mind, body and spirit will bring less resistance to meditations. No matter how short, small attempts to force the self to “be something it is not” will fail or not encourage you to repeat them.
While meditation can be thought as a courageous path to “Know thy Self”, it can also be a path to freedom.
Honouring your spirit, mind and body will change the process of meditation and the resistance you feel during some sessions. Knowing how to go with the flow of the moment will offer you new ways to find peace of mind. Solutions to manage the “mess” will make sense to you. Consider a walking meditation . Maybe find a way to add your meditation to your outdoor sports activities? Choose to just BE in nature or visualize yourself in nature when it’s not possible to go there will shift the quality of your meditations.
Messy meditations are divine messengers. They tell us about who we are and what we need in the present moment. Follow your intuition on this and adapt your meditations to what you need. Use your imagination to customize your experience and listen to and find a way to free yourself from the grip of “resistance” to meditation.
Try observing the present moment. Capture a thought or a memory. Immerse yourself in it and allow that to drown out the background mind chatter. Let the one thought offer a meditative space to create peace of mind.
Meditation is possible in impossible conditions.
