Can life be easier? More intimate, effortless & productive?
Yes it can. I’ll explain how.
To begin with, its won’t get easier because what you think you want happens. Its not about getting a raise, a new partner or losing that extra weight. Life can be effortless by focusing away from what we think and towards what is. Stability and trust grow as we meditate. Then we naturally stop bracing against reality and allow more to emerge without it overwhelming us. Life begins to unfold in a very different and really surprising way. More intimacy, focus and inspiration can occur spontaneously.
Meditation Is Provocative
Things arise when we meditate. The purpose of meditation is to notice whatever this is. Grief, numbness, agitation and a wide range of thoughts will show up. These are the places we don’t have space for in our daily lives. This is why they end up taking over at inconvenient moments.
Have you ever over-reacted? Did you take the time to figure out why?
We hold onto a vast amounts of unlived experience until we start sitting. Giving these aspects of ourselves a place to breathe, we discover a life with a lot more ease. Stronger bonds, more success and greater health are just some of the other welcome side benefits.
“But I don’t have time to meditate!”
Meditation lets us get more done by doing less. Strange, huh? Is it hard to believe that doing nothing creates more efficiency? Let me explain why and how this works. When we slow down we begin to notice how much tension there is. Bracing against reality requires a LOT of energy. When we learn to feel this, there is a natural letting it go. In its wake a sense of freedom emerges.
Not giving into every impulse and habitual tendency helps us develop stability. With this stability, life emerges with more power. Sounds pretty good huh? Well its not all good. Some of it hurts and we need to be willing to embrace this as well. The key to a full life is developing fearlessness. It takes training and a willingness to be uncomfortable. This is why its called warrior training.
“I must be doing it wrong because I don’t feel relaxed.”
When you sit down to meditate relaxation may not be what you feel. This means you are doing it right. Relaxation is only one aspect of meditation. The point is to just notice what is there.
We just closed another week long retreat. On the last day two participants spoke in the group about discovering parts of themselves they didn’t like. Through meditation they had become familiar with these forgotten parts and befriended them. This made it easy to share. I was struck by the lack of shame they expressed when speaking to a large group about these shadowy aspects.
Being Human
I saw my doctor yesterday. We spoke a little about meditation. He had just read a book about it. Patients of his would benefit he said but he didn’t know how to get them started. I told him that’s my job. Within the current system, doctors and nurses don’t have the time to offer these tools. I know because I talk with them. Most of my friends who work in the system choose remote locations simply because they have more time with their patients.
My doctor and I have sons who are the same age. I told him how much more I enjoy parenting when I have meditated. I also find every other aspect of life more fulfilling including the time I have with patients. The best thing he could do, I said, is meditate himself.
The fascinating thing about being human is that we have a ripple effect that is much wider than we know. When we transform, even just a little , everyone around us feels it. What is happening is our second veil or early habitual trauma is lifting. This allows us to see, feel, sense and love more. The strength is palpable. We also can receive love more and accomplish more simply because we aren’t constantly inhibiting ourselves.
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