If there was one tool I was to pick for ultimate self healing it would definitely be meditation. Thank Goodness there are so many kinds, including Moving Meditation, or I would get my wrists slapped by fellow exercise endorsers. No, meditation is definitely not just a navel gazing practice, although if that is what you love, by all means go for it.
My life has definitely become a lot more interesting since I started meditating, alongside my yoga practice at the time, about 15 years ago. I was so amazed by the effects at the time that whenever I heard anyone complain about any ailment, I recommended these Eastern Practices wholeheartedly. “What, you can’t sleep? You gotta try Yoga, followed by a body scan meditation, it’s just amazing!!!”
What got me personally interested though was not because I needed to heal physically. For as long as I could remember, from even before my teens, my never ending question re life consisted of: “So, this is all there is???”, “Just studying, learning a trade, working, family, kids. Is that supposed to be the whole reason we are here?”. I couldn’t bare the thought of such a predicament, it made me, say, spiritually depressed. It seemed so conformed to something that lacked in something that I couldn’t put my finger on. So for me, meditation healed that something I couldn’t put my finger on. It healed what lacked at the time, and still does when I don’t practice it regularly, and that is a sense of magic, expansion, connection, love and more.
What are the benefits of meditation? In my experience and opinion, the following:
- Facilitates a connection to your true source, and opens you up to connecting to other’s source more easily.
- Adds magic and wonder into your life. You may see colours richer, nature around you becomes more alive, so do you.
- Dispels judgments and allows seeing the bigger picture.
- Clearly increases Emotional Intelligence and Compassion.
- Develops your experience of intuition.
- Decreases sense of pain (physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually).
There are so many more benefits that have been counted endlessly, by scientists, spiritual leaders, and possibly your own family members, that’s how widely endorsed it is nowadays. But is it an easy practice to get into without knowing much about it? Why is it that even though it is endorsed by so many, it’s not practiced by everyone?
Let me ask another question: Why is it that so many people are afraid to sit down, close their eyes and just be with themselves?
I saw this incredibly quote by scientist Carl Sagan the other day and it hit me profoundly. It goes:
“For small creatures such as we, the vastness is bearable only through love.”
Carl Sagan talks about the vastness of the Universe only being bearable through love as getting your head around the infinity of it all could be just too much to handle. We are too small (and humbly so) to possibly comprehend, doesn’t matter how we go about understanding. So we keep ourselves occupied, with lot’s of small things, to avoid getting near that thought of vastness, it’s just too much.
I personally refer to the quote of vastness of inner realms that open up through meditation. Love is the vessel that transports us through these realms, without it, it’s confronting, we may get down or anxious. We may judge ourselves, our experiences and may end up feeling confused. Just like you wouldn’t travel up to the stars without guidelines and guidance, I wouldn’t recommend meditation if you have no guidance to refer to, no translator to interpret your experiences to you, no one to support you. Meditation can literally mean travelling, exploring and connecting to the hidden and unknown. And, yes, it is incredibly healing.
Even after 15 years of practice, I still have a healer/mentor, someone I can contact when things come up for me. I also regularly attend classes where I can learn more. I recommend the same for you. No matter where you are at in your journey with it. Be open to changing your practice if it hasn’t been working of you, doesn’t inspire you or you always find something better to do. Meditation is a self-healing practice but self-healing doesn’t mean you don’t ever need assistance again. And that makes it an even more exciting journey, to share this vastness, this infinite experience with others!
If you happen to have any specific queries about your own journey, please feel free to post a comment or get in touch with us directly.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Many blessings,
Olivia
Great article Olivia! It is such a treat to meditate and put time aside for yourself each day. It really makes the world a lot brighter. Thanks for sharing. Sonja