ORGANIC AMY

I sit here on vacation, with an amazing landscape view of the Alboran Sea and Gibraltar, with the mountains of Southern Spain tumbling to my right.  On a clear day Morocco can be seen in the distance.  A power cable cuts the view from the terrace of the casita in half diagonally.  I sit here, pondering the distraction of the beautiful view and become slightly annoyed.  I am more annoyed at myself for being so picky that the cable bothers me, and I’m not able to just enjoy the stunningness of the view without having a philosophical discussion in my head.  Is it just the aesthetic of this big black rope cutting the world of my view in half, or is it more symbolic, such an explicit example that the power and electricity that we have all become so accustomed to poisons the pureness of nature.  But more so, what is going on inside me that my cup is half empty and I am not able to appreciate the abundance that I have?

Unsatisfaction in life- I find that life is going so fast, and has become something so far from nature, and the system pours so many false perceptions and desires into our head that it’s really difficult to stay connected to ourselves, and be grateful for all that we have.  Our lives are run by time- we need time to work and make money, to buy the things we think we need, to ‘keep up with the Jones’s’, to be able to go on vacation to lovely places like Spain (ahem…).  Not to mention our lives online these days!  Many of us have a kind of professional identity that it seems we must maintain to be able to market ourselves and keep up with the technological business world.  The effort we make to stay connected is quite immense.  In reality, time is passing (fast!) and the moments when we are really able to enjoy all that we are working for are few and far between.  It’s a common theme, when you have money, you have no time, when you have time you have no money!  Some years ago I am sure I was dreaming of having a life like I do now.  And yet, when you are in the present moment there always feels like there could be something more.  Nonetheless, I am completely sure that there is nothing that will give me more than just being able to appreciate what I already have.  This is where meditation has come into my life.  Meditation is about acceptance, and realizing that we have everything we need already inside of us.

Meditation has been on my mind for a long time, but it took some years to really understand what it means and what it feels like.  Even after more than a year of sitting nearly daily, at least once, I still feel in the beginning of my learning experience.  That said, I have had experiences where I felt a truly divine connection during meditation- completely fulfilled, peaceful, and deeply relaxed. Even though this isn’t achieved every time, or even 1 in 10 times, I still feel the benefits of sitting and focusing on stillness of mind.

Meditation as Self Healing- Stress is one of the most prominent reasons for illness and disease, whether psychological or physical.  Stress creeps into our lives in all kinds of way, and I would say a lot of Westerners live in a slightly heightened and unrelaxed state most of the time.  So many things to plan, schedules to organize, and never-ending expectations.  When we take the time for ourselves to sit, take things slow and focus on mindful meditation, we can free ourselves from stress.  It takes time, and effort, but the results can be life changing.  And hopefully we can avoid needing medication from the pharmaceutical industry by using meditation as preventative health care.

Keeping your cup half full- For me, meditation lends itself to feelings of gratefulness.  I find the more I meditate, the more appreciation I have for the beauty of nature and all that is life.  When we are truly in the present moment, feeling a sense of completeness within ourselves, we are able to tone down the urge for wanting more, which is often just a result of dealing with the consumerist world we live in today.

Connecting to the Collective Consciousness- I hope you are with me, and believe that there is much more going on than each of us in our own individual worlds.  Meditation is a way we can connect to a greater, huge energy source that surrounds us, and each of us can make it stronger, no matter where we are.  There are many studies about the impacts of consciousness on our physical world, or what appears to be our physical world, and some very interesting research about mass meditation events.  There is definitely a big change happening now, and the more each of us shifts towards a higher level of consciousness, the stronger and healthier the world will become.  I have experienced a weekly online meditation, in which we are all connecting to this higher energy together.  I find it a wonderful way to use technology- we can all see each other before we start meditation (as of course our eyes close during the session), but there is something almost tangible after these meditations.  Just the effort of connecting itself can lead to a big change in each individual.  I think there will be more and more of this happening in the future.

A few things that help me during my meditations-

• Feeling my breath.  For a long time I tried to ‘listen to my breath’ because this is what I had heard to do in meditation.  After some time of sitting everyday I realized listen wasn’t the right word for me, but really feeling my body as I’m breathing helps me connect.  I feel my chest slightly rising and falling, my rib cage expanding and deflating.  I notice any differences in my body as I sit and start to relax.
• Having a comfortable pillow.  A meditation pillow is really best, if you would like to practice everyday I suggest you invest. I have one like this.

• Washing your face before you begin.  A bit of freshness helps.
• Lighting a candle and burning some sage, clearing your energy and the room where you are.
• If you’re having trouble letting go of thoughts you can focus on counting your breaths slowly.  Inhale in parts, say 12 equal parts for one breath, and exhale slowly and continuously also for 12 counts.
• Visualizing changing the color of the room as you breathe out.  Pick a color before you begin, if you have a partner you can agree on one and then focus on filling the room together.

It can be quite difficult to quiet your mind, but every effort you make is worthy.  The moments of clearness are what we aim for- feeling pure energy and being totally connected are the most beneficial moments.  Don’t get discouraged when this doesn’t happen.  If thoughts arise the important thing is to just let them pass, like an observer, without giving them significance.  You can truly be in the moment, forget about all your plans, and consciously take this bit of time out of your day truly for you.  You don’t have to do anything, just be grateful for yourself and your place in this beautiful world.