Blog Archives - HEAL, TRANSFORM, GROW

Meditation. How Hard Can It Be?

7/29/2019

We had a brief look at Meditation ...why ?? This time a mini look at what it is. This is, of course, a vast topic and the subject of many learned volumes which stretch back over thousands of years in some cases. Probably this is what makes the whole topic a little scary, we may well perceive Meditation to be involved and difficult and we may believe that it has to be attached to certain outcomes

Neither of these fears are really true. Simply to sit quietly for a few minutes and to be aware of the sensations of breathing through the nose is a straight forward yet effective Meditation practice. This simple process is sufficient to start to release us from the tyranny of our continuous thought patterns, "the madhouse in the mind", as I have seen it described ....it is not difficult and it is not supposed to be. I have read a Zennist teaching which describes spiritual work as, "the practice of non-practice", in other words our task ( such as it is ) is one of surrender and letting go ....just as a pebble dropped into a stream gently sinks to the bed and nestles in the sand .....as the teaching quaintly describes.

Also we should not be too concerned about outcomes or results. Expert practitioners can achieve elevated levels of consciousness into realms beyond that of the material world and for some fortunate few progress can be rapid. We all have the same potential but most of us need more patience....more likely our endeavors will be evidenced, in the early stages , by moments of joyous awareness of a flower, tree or insect and by a lighter and more balanced state of mind.

To follow simple Meditation is to be kind to the self. We are spiritual beings with mystic connection way beyond bodily form . We need to give ourselves a chance by creating some space and quiet within.

Pictures; courtesy of google
by James (Guest writer)

Why Meditate?

7/16/2019

We Westerners tend to live completely within our thoughts. Our cerebral activity is ceaseless - ideas, plans, plotting, problems, fears and obstacles.

Essentially we work towards a series of goals and outcomes to which we become strongly attached and to which we become strongly identified- careers, houses and possessions, money and relationships

Problem- rarely do our schemes go according to the script. Society subtly sells us the idea our lives should follow a rising arc of attainment and satisfaction, but how often is this actually the case?

The deeper issue at play here is our ever strengthening sense of identification with the ´´self``and the anxiety experienced when our expectations fail to materialize.

By contrast Eastern Spiritual Tradition teaches the importance of simply ´´being ``. The art of stepping back from frenzied activity and being able to access the simplicity and joy of the moment with a still and peaceful mind

If we continue to live within our thoughts this stepping back and separation can never be achieved. Meditation, in it´s many forms, allows the process to begin - allows us to briefly experience a state of being beyond frenetic thought. The space and peace created can allow our grossly inflated sense of self importance to begin to break down. The door to perceptions and intuitions which lie deep within ourselves has been opened - the enticing possibility of a very different way has revealed itself.

(Images, courtesy of google, "dog meditating")

Fear. The 21st century illness?

7/11/2019

It`s the same thing every morning dark fears emerging from recesses of the mind. Mortgage payments, credit card payments , will that bank transfer come through, will I get another contract or is it finally the end of the road ...?? You know the kind of thing.

Various sages teach us that negative thoughts are far more spontaneous in the human mind than ones which are peaceful, loving and calm and to make matters worse the negativity has a nasty tendency to self -propagate. One fearful thought leads to another and yet another, soon we can enter a whirlpool of unrelated darkness

This all happens for a reason. When our distant ancestors lived in caves and were stalked by wild beasts fear and worry were a very necessary part of the survival process. These inherited cognitive patterns are, though, bombarded by an electronic diet of fear in the modern world .....our basest survival instincts overstimulated by a 24 hour media and by a compulsion for electronic connection

Unsurprisingly we are prone to anxiety and mental illness and often seek escape in obsessive consumption, of food, clothes and products through to alcohol and other mind changing substances. We need an antidote for sure. Spiritual Practice, in its many forms , may not present itself as an obvious solution but is, I submit , the only effective way. It is no easy path. What I can say, though, is that from the most stuttering and unpromising starts the results of meditation are cumulative . As if from nowhere a fleeting, joyous perception of your environment can bubble up.... thoughts lighter and more balanced. You still have some lousy days, of course, or even weeks but the rocky road back has started.

(By James, Guest writer)

Images: all rights reserved by Google.

The Power of Changing our Reactions

7/10/2019

Our negative and habitual ways of reacting to situations, people, obstacles, thoughts and feelings etc can leave us feeling stuck and further exacerbate the "problem". The power of changing our reaction can free us from these unhelpful cycles and open up new and more healthy ways of being and responding to both our inner and outer world.

The importance of a morning routine in reducing anxiety and depression

7/3/2019

Do you feel anxious when you wake up in the morning? In this video I discuss the importance of a morning routine in setting ourselves up for the day.