Asking a question during meditation

In the stillness, silence of meditation there is Presence.
Presence is being, aliveness, sensed, felt even, without thought. Some call Presence ‘consciousness’. It underlies all activity of thought or action, and is within all thought and action.
Presence is a field of potential, of all options and possibilities. From here come the seeds of creativity.

In our day- to- day lives we are busy and thinking. The idea of simply being doesn’t register, and we are so involved with mental activity about the past, the future, judging, categorising, discriminating, that we miss the clues from Presence that are always arising.

During meditation we can be in a state of readiness to receive clues, ideas, inspirations for creativity or for answers to problems.
Meditation isn’t the only time for clues to be noticed. Drive along a familiar route and the mind is sometimes in autopilot and ideas appear. Any other ‘mindless’ task like running, walking the dog, ironing, can be a gateway to ideas or responses to previously asked questions. These methods are hit and miss, whereas meditation is a time we give the field of Presence/possibilities to bring forward ideas and inspirations.

However, there is one word of caution – expectation!
Expectation is an activity of the mind. In meditation we are letting go of mental activities and resting in stillness, alert and aware with no expectation. So an idea/ answer may come, or not.
The way to ask your question is in a state of quietness, to then let it go and enjoy simply being at ease in stillness.

Think of your question to be asked during the meditation. If you wish, write it down to make it clear and unambiguous. Negative words should be avoided. The question must relate to you. Not for example “How can my son get a job?” That would be interfering with someone else’s life choices. Rather, you could ask “How can I best help my son? Or How can I best make new friends, more money, get a bike?”

Now, having all these instructions, begin to meditate and when you are resting in stillness, ask your question, then return to noticing your breathing and return to stillness once more. You may decide to have a pad and pen by your side in case an inspiration arises that you feel must be remembered.

Whether your question is of major or minor importance to you, it will get answered. One must be open to all possibilities, and alert to what appears after the meditation. Clues can turn up in a magazine you happen to pick up, or in a song, or TV show. Maybe a friend may give you the answer, or a stranger even. You may get your answer when you wake up, or in a dream. Alertness to the clues is the essential element.
As already mentioned, Presence is the field of all possibilities. Whatever the answers are that arise, you still have the choice whether to react to them or not.

Spring Clean Your Mind

I know it isn’t really Spring just yet, but once the Christmas decorations have been put away, and my New Year resolutions have been made, my mind turns to Spring cleaning and doing jobs that have needed attention for a while. Then I feel I can look forward to enjoying whatever the rest of the year has in store for me.

Spring is traditionally a time for clearing and cleaning our homes. The season welcomes a flurry of activity as we see new shoots emerging and birds busy building their nests. As the days become longer, our own natural body rhythms encourage us to come out of hibernation.
So may I ask? Have you done some clearing in your home and garden? Have you sorted your wardrobe, joined a fitness class, or started a new diet? Have you tidied your desk, your filing cabinet or your emails? You probably have done some of these. But have you cleared your mind out lately?
Isn’t it odd! We clear our environment, our clothes, our appearance, and detox our bodies. We are so busy sorting out the outside, we never get to sort out the inside.

Why should we clear our minds?
How we think, speak and behave is a reflection of our inner self. When we respond to a person/ situation by being angry, we are expressing an aspect of our inner self. Anger, sadness, enthusiasm compassion are expressed in our bodies. We can see these and other facets of an individual by observing how someone holds their body. Our responses to the world around us are the sum total of our inner life. They are our responsibility, no-one else’s fault.
The effect of our responses on a situation/person has a ripple effect. It is hard to imagine that one shift in the ocean bed could have had such a devastating effect thousands of miles away.
So when we accept that our responses and behaviour to people and situations are a reflection of our inner life and that our response has a ripple effect far greater than we can imagine, then it is in our own interest and the good of everyone else to clear out(negative) unhelpful aspects of ourselves.

Why don’t people clear out their minds?
Well, they perhaps don’t consider it necessary, and that it is a waste of time. Or, more likely they don’t know how to. We have learned to clear up our homes, our appearance, and our bodies by copying others, by building up our experiences, enhancing our knowledge by reading magazines, watching television, and sharing ideas with others. But very few people have learned to clear their minds, or even know about it.

How can we clear out the mind?
Imagine for a moment that your mind is a walk-in cupboard or shed, packed with shelves full of stuff. The shelves go so far back that you’ve forgotten what’s in there. There is a pile of boxes deep in there with locks on them. There is so much rubbish in there, too that the small overhead light only shines on a small area of the cupboard. A lot of the stuff in there was useful once but it is now out of date. How do you clear such a cupboard? A little at a time so that it doesn’t get jam packed full again. Some things you will leave unopened until you’ve extra time to go through it. Other things need special cleaning methods so different techniques will need to be used.
The most effective way to clear the mind is to use a simple meditation technique. We hold on to stress, and negative thoughts and emotions, and these have a direct effect on our minds and bodies. Meditation simply and effortlessly releases and relieves stress allowing one to be naturally positive and energised.
When we clear out the clutter, we can see more clearly and life stops being a struggle.
Let me take you through a meditation, but before we begin, please accept these points.
. My technique is secular and can be used in most situations.
· One remains alert and aware throughout
· Everyone who wishes to can meditate
· Meditation is the process of clearing and each meditation feels different
· The simplest approach is the best

Let’s start:
Sitting upright in a chair or on the floor, close your eyes and take some deep breaths; be in control of your breathing. Become interested in your breathing, noticing the movement of air in and out of your body. Now allow your breathing to go its own way and for a few minutes continue to notice what happens as you breathe in and out.
Next, just notice the out breath. There is no effort or control, simply watch for the out breath. After the out breath there is stillness before the next in breath. The body quietens down and the mind follows, taking you to stillness within. Feel the stillness through your entire body. Be alert and aware at all times.
Thoughts and sensations may arise and this is normal in meditation. When you realise you are involved in thoughts just let the thought pass and return to waiting for the out breath to take you to stillness again.

This simple technique is the key to clearing your mental rubbish and just twenty minutes a day will change for the better how you feel about yourself and everyone around you. It is so easy to do, the hardest thing is to Just Turn Up to do it. Enjoy meditating!!

Hello everyone

Welcome to lovemeditating

  

Hi there
Thank you for dropping by to see me.
Nothing is by chance, you know, so while you’re here I’d like to tell you a little about myself and about lovemeditating.
Twenty five years ago I was in a mental and emotional state of negativity about myself (for no real reason). I guess it had built up over many years, but I got to a point of drinking everyday to drown my sorrows. I started to get scared that I would become alcoholic and like I said, nothing is by chance. One day, as I was browsing in a bookshop, a book fell off a shelf above me and hit me on the head. Fortunately it was only a little book!! It’s called The Upanishads, translated by Juan Mascaro. Anyhow, this little book changed my life. If you’ve never heard of it as I hadn’t, it is a collection of ancient Sanskrit writings. In this book is advice on how to meditate and the benefits that arise from the practise.

So I learned to meditate, it became part of my daily routine and it very quickly changed my inner life…………………for the better.

At that time, twenty five years ago, meditation was considered rather flaky, and my family and friends were anti the idea that I should meditate. I never really found out why they were against it but I carried on anyway. Now, meditation is widely accepted as beneficial in reducing stress levels, and in the treatment of depression and anxiety.

Since those early days, I have studied many styles of meditation and attended different groups for meditation. But I return to the very simplest of techniques, one that is universal and completely inclusive, that of noticing the breathing. This simple method takes one to stillness within, where there is awareness of being at ease and at peace with oneself.

I am so sure of the value of this way of meditating, that in 2008 I wrote a book and produced a CD on meditation. It is called Just Turn Up. If you are interested, my website www.just-turn-up.co.uk has more details. I also teach meditation to individuals and do workshops . But I’m not here to be pushy. I am so convinced of the benefits of regular meditation that I would love you to gain these benefits for yourself.

What are the benefits?

•  Feeling good
•  Being at ease with oneself
•  Seeing life more clearly
•  Accepting what comes my way without angst
•  Life flows along more harmoniously
•  Personal relationships improve
•  Life is fun
•  There are far more ups than downs

These are just a few for starters!!!

So if I have stimulated your interest, please drop by again and tell others about me.       The hardest part about meditation is making the commitment to do it. Once you have just turned up the rest is easy.

Bye for now

Georgina

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