Meditation Secrets Revealed

Quite often, our thoughts and memories play tricks on us. When we think of a situation that has occurred, it is generally the same no matter how many times we run through it in our mind. Now, try taking a walk in a familiar place. One of the things you will notice is that it is not the same as you remember it. The world has changed, and it is constantly changing. Being present in the moment forces awareness of your surroundings and the ever-changing world. It is a well known fact from neuro-science that your eyes only capture a partial impression of the external reality. The rest of what you perceive to be reality is actually filled in by your mind. To have a fresh perspective and to see without assuming and expecting is the goal of being present in the moment.

Take notice of these changes and become aware of the liquidity of life. This new awareness can inspire you to become more flexible and pliable in all aspects of your life. Born, we are soft and supple, dead we are hard and stiff. Movement and change is the way of life, rigidity and stiffness is the way of death. To be present, truly present, is a joy that is beyond words. Once you become aware that you are living a real moment, a unique moment given specifically to you, no matter what it is, you can appreciate it and be grateful for being alive. Be grateful that you are having this breath, having this food, having this ache, because it’s the only one like it that you will ever have.

My favorite and most frequent way of showing appreciation is during meals. At every meal, I take a moment to reflect on the food that I are about to eat as well as the state of mind that I am in. Whatever is going through the mind at that moment disappears and all that is left is the thought and feeling of appreciation. A slow, deep breath combined with a deep sense of gratitude for the meal goes a long way to restoring peace of mind. As I catch my thoughts drifting, I can make a conscious effort to bring them back to the meal at hand. When I do this, I find myself appreciating the food more and as a result my enjoyment, taste, and overall experience of the meal are dramatically enhanced. It also encourages me to feel compassion for all the people in the world who do not have such wonderful food. They may have only eaten once this day, or maybe not at all. With but a wave of the appreciation wand, this change in perspective can turn even the most simple and meager meal into a feast. Routines such as, eating, waking up, going to sleep, brushing teeth, or going to the bathroom, and the many other activities that are commonly performed throughout the day are perfect for this type of practice. I have found that by practicing this daily, I have created a permanent shift in my attitude and perspective on daily routines, re-invigorating and enlightening the mundane.

It can be hard to forgive others for wrongs that have been inflicted on us. Frequently, it is even harder to forgive ourselves. Self-blame and judgments can be cancerous, devouring us from the inside. Often, people hold onto a memory or event so tightly that they become stuck, and are unable to move beyond to grow and build on that experience. It’s no easy feat, but forgiveness allows us to let go of the past, thereby freeing up the present and the future for infinite possibilities. We can start with self-forgiveness by thinking of anything that we may still be holding on to from our past and allowing that to come to mind. Looking at it with a fresh perspective, we can realize that nothing is worth clinging to. Developing the ability to forgiveness is the fruit of the labor of become self-aware and practicing not-clinging. Sometimes just a simple action, word or gesture can free us of these past burdens. In doing so, we can make our life simple and lighter, opening new doors to joy and happiness.

I am reading a good book today, called “Caught Between a Dream and a Job”, and as I sit here and read the lines, “… keep swinging from vine to vine until you land at your dream.” I imagine myself swinging from vine to vine, working my way towards that golden glowing object in the distance. I see this object as the dream, it is vivid, it is real, and it is within my grasp. Just another vine and I am there. Having landed, I look around and I see all the wonderful things that await me in my dream. In this particular situation, it is my dream job and I see it in full color. All of the senses are engaged, sounds, sight, smell, touch, motion and activity enliven the scene. This may be just a day dream to some, but to me, I am creating my future. Actively pursuing and engaging in the creative process that will eventually manifest.

Imagery, sometimes called guided visualizations, is a very powerful tool in the meditation arsenal. Seeing an internal cinema makes the experience, and therefore the goal, significantly more real than a floating amorphous thought or abstract concept. A powerful image, in context and connected to the real world, formed in your mind is much more likely to manifest than a hazy, dull, and motionless one. If you are unskilled at making images, practice and rely on the senses that are your strongest suite. Perhaps you are not a particularly visual person but your sense of hearing is very sharp and you experience the world more through your ears then through your eyes. Since none of us are the same, it is difficult to expect everyone to have the same modalities, however, I find that developing an internal cinema is one of the most powerful manifestation tools.

When I first began experimenting with this type of meditation, I was unable to hold onto or vividly perceive an image for more then 5 or 10 seconds. To practice, I started with a simple object, a single candle, and I would stare at it for a while and then close my eyes and hold that image in my mind as long as possible. I did this frequently, for short periods of time throughout the day with other available object and found that I quickly gained the ability to hold a relatively complex image for several minutes without any fading of fuzziness. Over time I have made this mental muscle strong enough to hold complex visual simulations that I can physically experience. You will know that your inner cinema is powerful when a motion image causes physical-bodily sensations of movement.

1. Visualizations – I frequently lock wonderful feelings and experiences into my memory by taking a few moments during the height of the experience to remember and take in everything around me. Recently, I was in Lima, Peru, standing on the beach watching the sunset with two friends and listening to the waves crashing dragging and pushing small rocks back and forth while my friend played a beautiful tune on his bamboo flute. This was an extraordinary moment for me because it filled me with peace, clarity, and joy. There was something unusually beautiful, special, and magical about the experience and I made sure to remember it in vivid and full detail. Spending thirty seconds burning the experience into my mind and then locking it in by creating a single image or photograph, I can now call it up any time to re-experience those sensations and that mood.

2. Breath- I concentrate on my breathing when I want to feel calm, energized, or patient, however this technique can be used for any mood or emotional state. Slow, deep breaths typically have a relaxing and calming effect while fast shallow breaths speed heart rate and other biological systems.

3. Smile- I love this because it’s so easy and it does wonders when I am starting to feel crappy or start to worry about something. It is amazing what happens when you smile at other people, they almost always smile back. Just the act of smiling improves your mood and improves other people’s moods also.

4. Acceptance – In January, I decided that I needed to apply to graduate school and by April I had taken the proper exams, filled out all the paper work and sent my application to the program. I was terribly excited at the opportunity to study at a graduate level, but I was also aware that I had a lot of competition and it would not be easy to get accepted. I made sure that all of the hard work that I had put into the application process would not bring my hopes up and as I received my letter of rejection, I took a deep breath, looked within and said to myself, “This is fine, take it in, don’t fight it, it is absolutely out of your control. You did the best you could and now, move on.” Acceptance is a powerful force and resource in my life. Instead of fighting something, I just let it wash over me, and once it has filled me completely, I let it go. I find this to be true in many situations and I frequently use this to ward of cold wind and low temperatures outside.

5. Perspective- People often get caught up in their own issues and it can be difficult see things objectively. When this happens to me, I literally imagine myself stepping out of myself, or floating out, and looking down at the situation. Having done so, I then ask myself, “Is your reaction appropriate for the situation? How would somebody else look at this if they were standing out here?” It also helps to think about you in the third person; I would say, “Vlad is getting really worried about this exam at the moment, is this something that he can do anything about? How would John feel if he was standing here next to me, looking at Vlad’s situation right now?” By shifting the angle from which you see yourself and viewing the situation from a third person perspective, you can disassociate from the emotional reaction and gain greater freedom and flexibility in your emotional responses.

6. Help others – I seize every opportunity to help others. From a place of selflessness, I want to help them better their situation and improve their life, meanwhile, I feel better about myself because I have given a hand to someone who is in need. This gives me a thrill of satisfaction and a boost of inner power.

We all have a story in our heads, or at least I think we do. This story tells us who we are, how we should behave, what we think of the outside world and how we relate to it. It seems odd, but looking within myself one day I found a story unfolding, a tale of reality yet unconfirmed. But, I was already telling myself how this would happen and what it should be like. This is the story of my personal story, and how I changed it and what it means.

I began with a process of understanding and analyzing the personal story. What was I telling myself, how did it shape who I was, my interactions with the people and the world around me. I then took this story and gave it a solid shape, a form conjured up out of my imagination and a mysterious object, both ugly, and boring unfurled. There was nothing exciting about it, nothing beautiful or magical for that matter, it was mundane as a candy wrapper and more boring and ugly then an abandoned parking lot on a lousy winter day. Yes, this was the image that I received that my imagination called up to associate with the story. And so, sitting cross-legged in the tradition of many eastern mystics and fools, I began to shape my future destiny be unraveling this ugly mess and giving it beauty, design, light and mass. I gave it motion where there was stagnation, light where there was grayness, and laughter where there was despair. I fed it good thoughts, lots of love and many parties. People came and visited my newfound beauty, my crystal future which represented the present outlook as well as the future yet untold. If thought shapes reality, then this will be a great day to remember, if I can keep it up. For you see, I still find myself telling the story, although not in the same way. But the words are habituated and that will take some time as well as watchful awareness to get rid of. In fact, every time I now think these thoughts, it brings to mind the crystal beauty that I have seeded within myself, and it makes me smile. Every time I feel this, I give a great “Thank You” for life being so good to me.