Monday Meditation Musings #005
Losing your way.
I’m sure we’ve all been there at some stage.
We wake up and there is a sinking feeling of not being in the right place.
This could be on the physical plane (gulp, where am I!), but more likely is in an interior realm, an inner sense of ‘hmmm, I don’t feel right.’
“I’m lost…”
It can be a painful admission, but there is so much more to celebrate than you may imagine.
Huh, celebrate being lost, David, that sounds nuts!
Yep, it is. But it works.
Here’s how;
The first step in being found is recognising that you are lost!
If you think you know where you are, and actually don’t, that is way more dangerous as not only are you lost, you are going to stay lost.
Physically, you can learn this with map and compass when navigating in the bush (the old school pre GPS way.)
This recognition (of being hopelessly lost) requires humility. And that is a positive virtue in all circumstances.
When teaching meditation, we share that recognising you lost focus (when that thought pops up I’ve been thinking about dinner for 5 minutes) is an opportunity to soften and release.
Think about it; if you tense and stress each time you recognise you lost focus, it is like punishing a dog when it is called – you are working against your goal.
Dog training tip;
Puppies love positive encouragement. Always reward the behaviour you want to encourage.
There is literally no better way to create a disobedient pup than punishing it for doing what you asked.
This can be counterintuitive, because sometimes the frustrating emotions of having called the dog for 10 minutes as it runs away means that when it finally does come back, you can be tempted to growl at it.
If you do, just watch what happens, next time the pup will be away for 20 minutes and so on.
Such is the inner process.
You sit to meditate.
“Oh damn, I’ve been mindlessly thinking instead of meditating” appears as a thought.
This is shortly followed by “I’m no good at this meditation thing” which then inevitably becomes “screw meditation, this isn’t working.”
Our suggestion?
Treat yourself life a cute little puppy.
Reward the most momentary regaining of focus with a smile.
“Oh, awesome… I lost focus! SMILE 🙂 “
“Oh, awesome… I lost focus! SMILE 🙂 “
“Oh, awesome… I lost focus! SMILE 🙂 “
By choosing positivity, you are rewarding your focus to come back.
This neural pathway is trained and strengthened in meditation. It is like the mind gym.
This is why long term practitioners are characterised by a peaceful smile.
Eventually, positivity becomes so deeply imbedded that it is your reflex to smile.
Good puppy!
The real-world benefit is that when negative thoughts surface ‘off the cushion’
… “damn, I’m lost…” is alchemised quickly into “Yay, I recognise I’m lost, now I’m found.”
Bit by bit, this is how a simple daily meditation practice helps us reclaim agency, how it helps us to take charge of our emotions instead of letting them boss us around.
For me, this positive recognition then allows balanced introspection.
“Why do I feel lost, have I strayed from my higher purpose?”
This is way more constructive than the self judgement of “I’m lost… I’m no good… I feel worthless.”
Balanced introspection is like ‘Grandfatherly” advice; direct, caring but also stern when it needs to be.
If I listen, I keep my life on track.
The goal of meditation is not to attain inner bliss whilst you sit, but to look into the mirror so that you can hear the necessary adjustments that you need to make.
Doing this results in a life of more peace, which benefits not just you, but the world around you.
If you are keen to learn more about the Himalayan Meditation that we practice at the Ashram, there is no better place to learn than on our Soul Retreat.
Also, we have a winter sale on our August Soul Retreat which finishes soon (we’d love to see you there!) Secure your place and register by clicking here.
Much love and we pray that you feel more found and less lost this week ahead!
