Life is chalk full of potential for spiritual growth. How you choose to take these lessons and deal with them is what determines the speed in which you spiritual evolution will unfold. Meditation is the best vehicle I know of to get you there.
Every day each of is confronted with opportunities to work with conflict situations, be it personal, professional or community based. Often these can spark emotional responses, and how we respond to these emotions can either escalate or de-escalate the situation. The basic issue still remains – learning to find respectful ways to respond to others who either trigger us emotionally, or are themselves out of balance in some way. How we choose to approach this and our dedication to finding a successful resolution reflects the depths of our spiritual consciousness.
It is said that we are all evolved from a Divine spark of some kind, and putting religion aside for now, let us just for a moment accept that we are all deeply connected to something spiritual and that some part of us carries a nugget of Divine energy. Part of self-responsibility is taking ownership for our lives, our decisions, and our actions. This then would include the development of that spiritual Divine spark.
As the popularity of meditation continues to grow in our society it is obvious that people are seeking out the opportunity to do just that and are aware of meditation as a vehicle for spiritual development. At the very least they are grasping that it is a way to decrease stress and nurture inner calm. Regardless of what leads one to meditation you can be certain that it will lead one into gently awakening their spiritual consciousness, and to me that is very exciting, and is also where the fun begins!
I have been teaching meditation for years and I can tell you that there are common threads that bring people to class. Perhaps the most important of these is a realization that what they are doing in their lives is no longer working for them. In some form there is usually an escalation in poor health, be it emotional or physical, and something deep inside them has told them that they need to make a change of some kind. I have heard all the reasoning from stress reduction to calming busy minds, but to me it all boils down to each person’s inner spirit waking up and giving them a signal that it is time to reflect and time to make some changes.
Imagine if you never took your car in for a tune up. It would be in pretty rough shape after 30, 40 or 50 years. Ignoring your spiritual self is the same thing, you can only get away with neglect for so long and then things begin to fall apart. Instead of hoses, pipes and engines decaying though it is our health and our relationships that suffer. May of us seem to need big harsh wake up calls to realize that we need to take time to nurture our spiritual and emotional selves. More often than not this only happens after the baseball bats have come out and we have been battered by life a bit. Then we are somewhat shell shocked and do not know where to begin.
This is where it can be tough and overwhelming. There a so many different types of meditation out there today it can be very confusing. It does not have to be if we keep things simple. I get that is a challenge for us crazed 24-7 westerners, yet I also know from experience that is what most people today are craving – simplicity and peace of mind. Meditation offers both.
To just simply sit for even 15 minutes every day can have a profound impact on your body, mind, and spirit. That is a great place to begin. Don’t buy into the consumerism of meditation or concern yourself with classes and books and special gear, at least not initially. Just practice sitting and breathing with consciousness and awareness for a few minutes each day and do it every day. If you can commit to having a Starbucks every day, then I would say that you can do this for yourself too. It is a small thing that can have a profound result.
I know that you are saying “yea right…big deal what is that going to do for me?” I know, it sounds too easy, too simple right? Well those are great excuses, but it really is that simple. When is the last time you gave yourself a chance to sit and just “be”? When did you last allow yourself to ponder? Great pearls of wisdom and insight come from simple reflection. Letting your mind just observe your thoughts with no apparent task can be a very worthwhile exercise.
The challenge is in just “being” verses “doing” and this is by far the most common struggle. Training yourself to just sit and be is tough and will seem very foreign. Many people fall asleep quickly when they finally allow themselves to slow down, so make sure you are not too comfortable. If you give it a chance and stick with it, even for a month, you will see interesting things begin to happen.
Soon, and often without knowing it, the benefits of meditation will sneak into your life. You will sleep better. You will have more energy. The emotional roller coaster will slow down. You will begin to observe these small things on a daily basis and you will find yourself not reacting to people and situations in the same way. Perceptions will shift. Your spiritual self will begin to emerge and to grow. All of this and more, for free. Imagine that. Perhaps it is true what they say, the best things in life are free.
