When I was in my early twenties, I was learning Chinese martial arts from a Taoist teacher (known as a "Shr Fu"). In addition to teaching us how to seriously maim anyone who might want to mess with us defend ourselves, there were also some lesser publicized teachings available to the student who knew to ask.
One of those was in "bone setting", which is where I learned some very handy tricks, including how to set my (and other people’s) joints that have gotten out of whack (ankles, shoulders, wrists, fingers, etc.). Very handy to know in a pinch. Another was meditation.
Here (unlike bone setting), the instruction wasn’t all that detailed. Basically, I was told to sit, focus on a certain point in my body, and breathe. And, as best I could, empty myself of thought.
But, as anyone knows who has tried to meditate, it’s much easier said than done. I futzed through a few months of trying, but gave up not long afterward. Not surprisingly, most people I talk to about meditation have found themselves in the same boat.
Fast-forwarding a couple years, I got involved in energy healing and spiritual development, and in the school I went to, we meditated together every morning for about 45 minutes. Some were silent, and in others, we were guided through a process. And all of it was fantastic.
Having my teacher up in front of us all made it so easy to connect, to quieten, and to relax into the process.
But then, I went back home…
And again, I floundered.
Whenever we were at school, meditating became simple. On my own, though, it was a supreme challenge to stay with it for more than ten minutes.
Luckily for me, I wasn’t the only student in this situation, and we asked our teacher if we could record him leading us through a meditation session, so we could listen at home. He agreed, and the resulting tape became a well-worn favorite of mine for years. It helped me get and stay focused when I was on my own, and it made a world of difference in the depth of my meditation, and in the progress I made in developing my self-awareness.
Since that time, I’ve seen a number of "meditation aids" out there, and sampled a few myself. Once you get used to a particular audio recording, it can be a huge boon to your individual practice.
The moral of the story, of course, is to seek help when you need it. Also easier said than done at times, I realize, but consider the alternative.
Question for you: When have you tried something and floundered, and then found help from an unexpected hack? Leave a comment and share it with us.
(for those of you not-so-internet-lingo-savvy folks, a "hack" is a way of doing something that’s not typically known, or thought of, but saves your bacon big time once you’re shown what it is.)
Brand Spanking New:
I’ve just completed a set of helpful audio resources myself — but not just meditation-centered. Because there are times when meditation doesn’t float your boat, or scratch your itch; sometimes, your soul is needing a different kind of soothing. For example, you might be needing:
- a deeper sense of connection, of spiritual intimacy, of nurturing
- to clear an issue that has come up and is keeping you from feeling peaceful
- clarity about a decision you need to make, but can’t decide which path to take
- awareness about the kinds of signals you’re sending "under the radar" — but are dramatically affecting your life, your work, etc.
- to stop procrastinating and get back to productive work
- to relax, unwind, and let go of stress at the end of the day
Rather than turn to outside help, or pay for a healing/therapy session, you may want a solution that allows you to get through it on your own (and, for a lot cheaper, I might add).
Enter: Inner Peace Audio!
Inner Peace Audio is a set of seven recordings that can help you in a variety of situations… for more details about what’s included in Inner Peace Audio, click here to be taken to the just-unveiled website.
UPDATE: I’ve added (by popular request) an affiliate program to Inner Peace Audio, so if that’s your cup of tea, you’re on. The link to sign up is at the bottom of any page of the site.
Want a podcast of this? Press play, or click here to download.
Image by 顔なし on Flickr, via Creative Commons license.
This could be very interesting for my readers as well. For one goal to achieve, when you suffer from a break up or divorce is mind control.
Is there any other way to learn to control your mind except through meditation? I don’t think so.
I will definitely check this out.
Thanks,
Eddie
Hi Eddie — I can imagine what your folks are going through… whenever we’re in emotionally-charged situations, the voices in our mind are guaranteed to be jabbering away non-stop.
Meditation can be a good resource, for sure; and, sometimes our will is something too “downstream” to be effective in a situation like that. What can be really helpful is to work directly with those voices, and with the beliefs and perspectives that they’re coming from (which the Inner Clearing Process is designed to do, incidentally).
Hi Adam:
I am so grateful for you for showing how meditation is a invaluable resource in dealing with those voices, beliefs and perspectives that get in the way of our connecting to source. My first exposure to mediation came sobbing in the shower. Overcome with grief at the state of the world and my life, I found something about the stillness of the morning, the warmth of the water pouring over my body, and the twilight state between sleep and wakefulness that naturally lent itself to the release of tears. About this time a friend had lent me Pema Chodron’s When Things Fall Apart. There was something about her fearless admonition that the spiritual journey involves going beyond hope and fear that gave me some clarity that I had somehow placed myself on a path that I could trust. “Follow the tears,” I kept telling myself.
I soon learned that being diligent in one’s practice in no way guarantees freedom from pain, or growth in compassion and enlightenment. The more I hung on to the illusion that meditation is about “success” or “failure,” the more I lost the basic point–learning to lean into the discomfort of life and see it clearly rather than protect myself from it.
My path more recently has been that of acceptance–acceptance of my limits, of my fallibility, and the wonder that occasionally arises as I learn to accept that this moment is the perfect teacher, and it’s always with us. It is nice to meet others walking along the path and to share the experiences and learnings that have been useful to us along the way.
Thank You.
Robert, thank you so much for commenting; I resonated so much with your thoughts and observations, and I’m genuinely touched by your sharing. What you’ve said, I believe, is useful advice for anyone, and especially for anyone who’s embarking on an inner practice routine.
I like how you said,
I had the same experience, and saw evidence of that all around me… people I met who were self-professed “twenty year meditators” had just as many foibles as anyone else; it wasn’t until I met people who were engaged in self-healing, development, and were actively applying themselves towards their goals that I started seeing people who carried the kind of “sovereignty” I was looking for.
Thanks again for sharing.