The other day a woman at a shop saw my business name and said “Are you spiritual? I’m spiritual too. I meditate.”
After a lovely conversation that swirled around what a powerful shift occurs when you start to meditate, I left the shop and wondered what form of meditation she practiced.
Often, people will tell me they “just can’t meditate.”
It makes sense. In a hectic world, focused on information overload, the concept of “stilling one’s mind” feels like asking yourself to stop your heart from beating.
Last week I discussed mindfulness with you.
This week I want to explore how different meditation techniques will serve you at different times and how to tap into what you need at a specific moment.
For me, meditation is the definitive of “plugging in to the Universe.”
I see the Universe, God, Spirit, Source, as electricity flowing through the walls.
You, dear one, are like a toaster.
In order to function you have to plug in to the energy source, the grid of the universe, the juice of divine.
I’ll be honest with you, there are a number of ways to “plug in”.
Intention is everything and often looking skyward, grounding your feet, or a simple statement of “I am plugging in” or “Good morning, Universe/God/Spirit” is enough to connect you.
Meditation, though, is a practice which takes you through the labyrinth of yourself.
It allows you to withdraw from the world around you and journey within so you can feel the energy of the universe flowing within your whole being.
However, there are a number of different ways to meditate and while many people will express preferences to approaches, I actually want to point out that you may need different techniques at different times.
From visualizations to breath techniques: How do you know what is the tool for you?
Different methods of meditation provide different shifts in consciousness.
For instance, if you practice a meditation focused on your breath or physical sensation, you will calm your nervous system and bring yourself deeper into your body.
While, if you practice guided meditation and take a journey into the land of your subconscious, you will open yourself to your inner world, your intuition and your spiritual connection.
However, if you jump into an inner journey, when your nervous system is triggered, when you are feeling chaotic, overwhelmed or stressed, chances are you won’t find peace of mind.
This is one of the main reasons people feel they can’t meditate:
They are trying to use a technique which isn’t a match for what they need.
So, how do you know what meditation technique will work for you at the moment?
Well, let’s start with this simple question:
Are you feeling safe in your body right now? Are you feeling grounded and present?
If so, then a visualization or guided meditation will help you expand your experience and help you feel more whole in yourself.
However, if you are stressed and crave regulation, if you need to feel safe and grounded because you are easily triggered, worried or even panicked, then it’s important to shift attention to regulating your nervous system before doing the spiritual deep dives.
It doesn’t mean you won’t be doing the spiritual journeying at some point, you just want to feel safe in your body, to have your nervous system regulated and the physical energetic world aligned, before you do so.
But why does your mind wander?
Because your brain wants to keep its usual patterns. It’s used to running the show, that’s how it feels the most safe. So therefore, when you introduce quietening down, it gets triggered, warning lights go off because you are out of your comfort zone and it works overtime to get back to the regular scheduled programming of stress, scattered thoughts and mind chatter.
So, go gentle on yourself. Start with a simple deep breath meditation or a mantra.
Get calm. Then go deeper.
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