Now that I’ve been meditating for several decades, I’ve learned a lot and watched my own practice evolve. Since there are many reason and ways to mediate, I’ve realized that for more effective meditation, first clarify your intentions. What is it you want to achieve or experience?
Over the last two decades, the term mindfulness has come to mean meditation. So, what is meditation to you now that we also associate it with being more present? Is it a way to slow down, is it the basis for a spiritual practice, is it about being more connected or what?
Let me explain some of the elements of defining your meditation intentions. This topic is one component of my next workshop – “The Essential Elements of A Fruitful Meditation Practice” Wednesday May 30th at Centered in Lexington, KY.
The Importance of Intention
Everything starts with an idea. As the idea grows, it takes shape and holds an energetic vibration that envelopes you from the inside and out, influencing your actions. It is why being clear on your intentions for meditation is always your starting point.
Taking up meditation is not a random idea, it takes discipline and a sense of purpose. For it to be meaningful, it needs a clear direction. So, ask yourself what do you intend to have happen? Do you want to quiet your mind from the busy clutter or constant thought? Do you seek inspiration, answers to questions about your life, a deeper connection to something greater than you, or are you seeking enlightenment? All of these are options.
Meditation is a disciplined practice, know why you are doing it.
Find Your Intention Every Time
I start every meditation by clarifying my intention. What I’ve noticed is that my need for meditation changes as I do. As my life circumstance evolve, what I seek changes, what I wonder about changes and what I want support for changes. All of these things become fodder for my practice.
That is why I always clarify why I’m sitting in mediation. What am I asking and what is it I hope to learn? Is it for me or someone else? Sometimes, I simply ask to be shown what I need to know. The reality is that sometimes I don’t know what I need to learn, so I ask.
With each mediation, clarify what you are seeking, knowing that it may change from time to time.
Prepare To Be Surprised
I’ve also learned over time to be open to the unexpected. The longer and deeper you go, the more you will be shown. It really is a journey of discovery with surprises at every turn. If you are open to the potential of meditation being a tool for personal discovery and self-enlightenment, you will discover it.
While there are many structured formats for meditation, from ones organized around Buddhist principles to guided ones you listen to, I prefer to be self-led. I think this approach has offered me the most open-ended learning. But everyone is different, so it’s important to find an approach that works for you. Being open to the process of discovery gives you the greatest opportunity for growth.
Meditation opens you to discovery about yourself and the world.
Find Your Internal Wisdom And Those of Your Guides
One of the most significant impacts of my meditation practice has been the connection to my own wisdom and the wisdom of my guides. We all have guides, whether you believe It or not, and it is through mediation that I met mine. You may already know yours or wonder if this is true. By being open to this process of discovery, you will be shown what is your truth.
Meditation gives you the chance to slow down and quiet your mind so that you can hear your own truth and wisdom. It is that voice deep inside of you, that may sound like your own, or not, that will give you the answers you seek. It is also the images and symbols that I see that have informed me about what I need to learn and keeps me seeking more. This is what’s made mediation a profound and illuminating process of discovery.
Meditation helps you connect to your wisdom and truth; it’s your light in the darkness.
What is your relationship to mediation? Is this something you’d like to learn about or would you like to refine your practice? I recommend starting with an open mind to clarify your intentions, letting your present-day reality guide your reasons for seeking mediation regularly, being open to what you learn and learning to listen and hear the voice of wisdom that is deep inside you. This process of self-discovery that mediation offers has become my best teacher.
Would you like to develop a mediation practice that will help anchor your life in greater self-knowledge and wisdom? I highly recommend it. For more information, I welcome you to attend my workshop on the “Essential Elements of A Fruitful Mediation Practice” at Centered on May 30th from 6:30-8:30 PM. This course will help establish your practice in ways that are meaningful. For more information, see my website www.spectrumtranformation.com or www.centeredlex.org and call 859-721-1841 to register. I welcome you to attend.
