9/24/2018 0 Comments The Secret Benefit Of MeditationThere is an almost endless list of all the benefits you can experience from having a meditation practice. From becoming overall more healthy to being able to find your cool even during pretty stressful circumstances.
And while all those automatic and health inducing side effects are enough to draw you toward meditation, the most important benefit of meditation is sahrdaya - the experience of being with your heart. The relaxation, stress relief, and overall general ease from meditation are in fact epiphenomena of the meditation process. In the western world, this is mostly what is focused on when meditation is discussed. And it’s true - if that’s what you are looking for then meditation is your answer. You’ll have to get through the noise in your head to attain that experience. A good meditation technique can help with that. You just have to find one that is strong enough to hold your attention. (I can help you with that - sign up for a personalized session or get on the waitlist for the online meditation program Finding Your Quiet Mind.) But the real benefits of meditation are occurring at a much deeper level. To me this is what meditation is all about. We begin a meditation practice for the epiphenomenal effects, but what we learn as we keep up with our practice is that so much more is really happening. Through meditation, we get to sit with our hearts and this experience clears aways the layers of life that block us from remembering who we are. And I don’t mean that we’ve literally forgotten who we are—I’m not suggesting we are all walking around with amnesia—I mean that we are acting and responding to life from places of fear, or patterns, we put into place when we were younger so we could get through certain circumstances. We operated that way for so long those reactions have become automatic. Through meditation we learn to recognize this. Meditation reconnects us with our own truth. And it is when we know our hearts deeply that we feel brave enough to show up as ourselves in the world. We allow ourselves to share the truth of our beings and feel safe enough to shed our unnecessary fears that have been holding us back. I believe this is the real rahasya (sanskrit for secret) of a meditation practice. When you are ready to really turn towards your self, your heart, your innerness - you welcome meditation into your life. It’s the invitation to know more of you. What do you think? Do you find that you know your heart better through your meditation experiences? Ready to experience all the benefits of meditation? Join Motivate To Meditate. Like this blog? Read more blogs on meditation. Out Of Control Mind Why We Need Reminders Seeking Change or Craving Routine?
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Twice in a week, I found myself extremely irritated to be eating something that had been labeled one thing that clearly was another.
One item was labeled Salted Caramels and the other was a Cheesy Pizza Dip. One afternoon, I was steaming about it all, until I realized that the reason I was so affected by it was because they weren’t being authentic. They both had been pretending to be something they weren’t. And nothing irks me more then inauthenticity. Salted Caramels were really just fruit and nuts. And the cheesy dip was potato based and tasted nothing like cheese or pizza. And the thing is, that while neither tasted like the thing they were trying to be, each was super yummy in it’s own right. Afraid to be what it really was and instead trying to be something that it wasn’t. I think this point is one that I’m really passionate about for every being. In the search to figure out who you are, sometimes you just need to be a poor version of yourself then to pretend to be something you are not. I’m not advocating that this is easy, as I’ve sat in many uncomfortable versions of myself along the way, and know that I will do it again many more times before my human journey is over. But if we step outside our authentic selves, instead of staying the course of change, it’ll just take you longer to get where you are going. And you will fray your system from being inauthentic. "Better one's own Dharma imperfectly disposed than another's Dharma well-performed." Bhagavad Gita 18.47 (translation by Douglas Brooks) One of my favorite quotes from the Bhagavad Gita and one that I try to remember often along my path. Connecting to your authentic self is something that constantly changes as your life evolves. And who you are in any given moment and scenario can (and will) change. It’s an art to stay true to yourself and who you are. And it’s more of a dance then an endpoint. (See Getting Comfortable With The Uncomfortable) Back to those inauthentic, metaphoric snacks. They were definitely trying to perform something else’s role and not even doing a good job at that! And while that wasn’t a salted caramel, but indeed a tasty fruit and nutty treat, I would have appreciated it telling me so from the beginning instead of being frustrated with believing I was getting one thing but instead getting another. So show up as your fruity, nutty self if that's who you are. Otherwise be a salted caramel. :) You know. Or whatever you really are right now. When do you find it hardest to stay in your authentic self? Share below. Check Out The Power Of Love 2/1/2018 0 Comments 2018: A Look Ahead...Welcome to 2018! My words for this year are action and passion. My goal is to bring both those together inside all my offerings for you this year. Here’s a preview of what’s to come (all these offerings will be available online): Motivate To Meditate: January 17, 2018 This online program is my answer for those who've been struggling to create a daily meditation practice and really want to experience the benefits of meditation in their lives. Designed to fully support you during the 33 days of the course (and beyond!) plus, there’s an option to include 2 downloadable guided meditations! Sign up now! Finding Your Quiet Mind™: July 10, 2018 This will be a slightly redesigned version of the original which will make the course even easier to digest and implement, while still demystifying meditation, and covering all the basics so you can begin your journey to a quiet mind! The Meditation Studio™: Summer 2018 The Meditation Studio™ will be the host and source for all the recorded guided meditations you will ever need! It will be a collection of the meditations I teach along with explanations on how to use them. I am beyond excited to put this together for you! And much later this year…. Love From The Inside Out™: Fall/Winter 2018 This course will focus on the spiritual mentoring side of my offerings where you will learn what it means to love and fully embrace all aspects of yourself, how to deal with destructive thinking, how to forgive and hold yourself with compassion, along with several other topics. We’ll navigate 6 topics using the power of myth, mantra, self introspection, and practices to learn how to break patterns and create noticeable change in your life. Can’t wait to introduce this one! I laid a lot of groundwork last year so that I can create and deliver new offerings for you this year. I am excited about what lies ahead in 2018 - I hope you are too - and I'm here to support you on your journey! I'm also available to work with you in personalized one on one sessions. Be sure you check out these blogs on meditation and life: Out Of Control Mind Getting Comfortable With The Uncomfortable The Power Of Love |
AuthorJenn White, Yoga Educator, Meditation Teacher, and Owner of Embodied Bliss, began her journey of yoga and meditation in 2004 while recovering from a back injury. Feeling lost, restless and seeking something more from life, she found her path through meditation. Archives
September 2018
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