Meditation...It's not just for mystics and monks...

My life has changed completely and totally since I began my meditation practice. The very first time I consciously chose to develop a dedicated meditation practice. Well, actually, that wasn't how it really started. It started with Michael Bovene. He taught meditation classes at Spiral Circle in downtown Orlando about 3 years ago. I was curious about this thing called meditation, so I took his class. His class was broken down into two sessions. In the first we discussed meditation and then he led us in a couple of brief guided meditations. We were sent home to do our meditation homework each night and then reconvene a week later to discuss our experiences and ask any questions we may have. I went home and diligently attended to my homework each evening. By the fourth night I was beginning to fall apart emotionally. By the fifth I thought I was going to dissolve, I felt so fragile emotionally. When I returned to class the following week, Michael was barely able to ask about our week before I blurted out that it was horrible! I burst into tears and told him if that is what meditation is all about, I felt a lot better before I started it! He gently suggested that it was actually a good thing because it meant that I was getting in touch with things that needed to be let out. I was meditating! For a couple of weeks, maybe even a couple of months, I was a dedicated daily meditation practitioner. Eventually it began to be every couple of days, then a couple of times a week, then once a week, then....Beverly asked me to find someone to start a meditation group at Spiral Circle. Sighing, I told her I would see what I could do. That was a year and a half ago. For the past year and a half, Troy and I have been meditating at least once a week, at first because we had to. After all, if you're leading a group in meditation, well, what else are you going to do for the 20, then 30, and now 45-minute meditations? When we began it was every two weeks and the group began to grow. Then we increased to weekly and the group continued to grow until attendance was so high the room was becoming, understandably, uncomfortable for some. A month or so ago I realized that I no longer meditate because I have to. I meditate now because I enjoy it. I enjoy the little mini-vacations I take each day. I enjoy it so much that sometimes I just don't want to leave that state. I am planning to attend a Vipassana Meditation retreat in Georgia next year. You do not attend this retreat if you are not completely and totally commited to the experience. It is extremely demanding. Almost every account I have read of others experiences have all said that the first 5-6 day are pure hell. But you eventually break through to the bliss and that is where you stay for the remainder of the retreat. And then life intrudes...and that is why it is called a practice. In order to deal with the many stresses, challenges, and anxieties of day-to-day living in our modern, and Western, world we must be diligent in our meditation practice. You must be kind and loving and gentle and patient with yourself. Allowing your experience to be as water flowing down a stream. Something you do not cling to in expectations or experiences, but just allow to come and then releasing until the next thought or sensation arises to grab your attention. Repeat... Join a group that meets on a regular basis to help you remain committed to your disciplined practice. Then force yourself to be there each time they meet. Commit to yourself that you are valuable and the value meditation adds to your life is well worth the time. You are there to meditate and connect with your inner self. Troy and I both feel so very blessed, know that we are so very blessed, to facilitate the meditation group. There are so many beautiful souls that come and share their beautiful energy with us, then they go away again. Some come back. Some stay. But each one is a beautiful shining light that we are grateful to have sat in meditation with. The changes in my life. From the beautiful friendships that have grown and blossomed from our group, to the peace and calm that I can bring to my troubled mind through meditation. The ability to use my mind in such a way to explore experiences in a very personal way that no one can do for me. I use meditation for weight loss. I use meditation for pain relief. I use meditation for boredom (waiting in the doctors office) relief. I meditate at work to clear my mind when I am stumped. I feel more at peace. More balanced. More serene than I have ever felt in my entire life. All I wish to do is continue to learn more about meditation practices, techniques, and formats so that I can incorporate this information into our group meetings. There just are't enough hours in the day for a woman with a mission!! I am equally blessed because my soul mate can play two large crystal bowls for over 2 hours non-stop! He really amps up the energy of our meditations. Meditation truly is the key to a happier, more peaceful life.