I’ve tried mediation on and off throughout the years — mostly off. Meditation has always felt difficult for me, and if you’ve read any of my blogs, you know I’ve spent most my life avoiding hard. In fact, I suspect it’s my propensity to skirt the difficult that originally fueled my motivation to wake up through more unorthodox techniques. And yet, I understand the benefits of meditation to consciousness-raising — I do. In fact, with this understanding I’ve tried insight meditation, guided meditation, contemplation meditation, breath meditation, walking meditation and maybe a few more. But it always felt hard, and in the end, my practice was always short-lived. And then, I read about a different type of meditation that promised to be easy.
The book was Transcendence: Healing and Transformation Through Transcendental Meditation, which is currently a New York Times best seller, written by Dr. Norman Rosenthal. Rosenthal is not a new aged prophet or a self-help guru, but a well known psychiatrist and researcher at the Institute of Mental Health. In fact, he affectionately named the seasonal effectiveness disorder (SAD) that impacts many in the Pacific Northwest.
But anyway, Rosenthal makes a compelling case for the benefits of a specific type of meditation called transcendental meditation or TM. In addition to the obvious health benefits of meditation, he talks at length about how the simple technique of TM can allow anyone to connect to the silent core of our being – in other words, reach pure consciousness. In fact, he promised that TM would feel natural and easy and wouldn’t require lots of practice to be effective. And finally, he said it didn’t require any specific belief system or religious context. I was intrigued.
Now, for anyone who has tried other forms of meditation, like me, this declaration seemed way too good to be true. I found myself succumbing to the same skepticism that surrounds the work that I do. Just slightly ironic, I think. But, I’d tried other types of meditation and still had vivid memories of time passing too slowly and watching thoughts run through my mind….and then, opening my eyes to realize only two minutes has passed. UGH. Could this technique really be easier? I set out to find a qualified TM teacher in Seattle to learn more.
In early July I attended the information session. I learned that the technique was created by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, who reemerged this ancient technique as a way to offer western folks a technique to find inner peace. For those who lived in the 60’s, it was actually Maharishi who introduced the Beatles to the benefits of meditation. This specific type of meditation uses a personalized mantra — which has a certain vibrational sound and quality — that guides the psyche to what it does naturally: moves toward happiness, stillness and peace. This really interested me, because much of my work uses the same principle, but I was still skeptical how this would translate to meditation. So, I decided to experience it for myself.
In my very first official training session, I was sitting in an unassuming house in the middle of suburbia Kirkland. Somehow, I’d always envisioned this would happen in an Ashram. I was guided into a very small room simply decorated with two chairs and a make-shift ceremonial shrine that adorned a picture of Maharishi. After a very brief ceremony in Sanskrit, I was left to meditate with my very own secret mantra. I didn’t need to sit in the lotus position or put an uncomfortable pillow below my butt, but encouraged to make myself comfortable in what appeared to be an old dining room chair. Apparently, there is no suffering necessary with TM.
And in fact, the theme of no suffering actually continued through the meditation technique, as well. Unlike other types of mediation I’d tried, I was encouraged to allow my thoughts to rise and meet them with my mantra. Over time, the mantra was more present than the thoughts. And then, the mantra left and I found silence. Until the cycle started again, slowing down a little each time. Before you know it, the teacher said, “Okay, you can come out of the meditation now slowly.” What appeared to be five minutes — tops — had actually been twenty.
It’s funny really. I’ve had an appointment on my schedule for the last two years for daily meditation. Every day it pops up on my calendar reminder, and I turn it off. I’ve never allowed myself to remove the appointment because I knew I wanted meditation as part of my daily self-care. And today my reminder popped up and I just smiled. I’d already done my morning 20 minute mediation. That’s right; with TM you only meditate for 20 minutes twice a day. And, as Rosenthal says in his book, he used to want a place in the country or in the mountains. Now, he just looks forward to his mediation. I couldn’t agree more. I’m already looking forward to tonight’s sitting.
Oh, and did I mention that it’s easy?
Saturday, August 20, 2011
Saturday, August 13, 2011
Consciousness Continuum
Until recently, I’ve stayed away from using the word “consciousness” in my practice. I don’t know, maybe I wondered if people would want to debate what consciousness is or isn’t – and I felt inept to convey my lay viewpoint while some of our best philosophers and scientists continue to debate the issue: is it neurological, quantum or spiritual? I’m still not prepared to answer that complicated question, but it’s clear we need a little common sense on the topic. More important, people need to understand how — in the simplest of terms — one’s level of consciousness dictates how we respond to the circumstances of life.
First and foremost, let’s make it simple — consciousness is nothing more than describing how awake you are to yourself, and to the world around you. You can be awake a little, or a lot. If you are only slightly awake, the world is a subjective place where you are thrown about by circumstances, emotions and safe choices. For these folks, the world can easily become a platform of doing in the name of self-interest and ego.
Conversely, if you are fully awake, the world is a vast and interconnected plateau where your personal contribution makes an investment to the greater whole. As a result, you more easily transcend the grip of circumstances and emotions and make conscious choices aligned with the highest good. These folks are more interested in the art of being, meaning they do as well, but from a place of clarity, love, expansiveness and service.
And of course, it’s a continuum and most of us live somewhere along this spectrum. David Hawkins in his book on consciousness, Power vs. Force, says one in fifteen million people live at the far right of the continuum and experience what we’ve come to call enlightenment.
I suppose you might be curious about where you sit on this continuum, right? Well, it’s actually fairly easy to discern. Just notice if you have a stronger propensity to operate from a place of ego and negative emotions, such as guilt, fear, hopelessness or pride…or whether if you’re more apt to be carried by a sense of love, faith or deep inner peace even during challenging times.
In short, consciousness allows you to transcend circumstances, which is what transcendence means in Latin: beyond this. And the more you wake up, the more you’re able to get out of your head and untether yourself from the exaggerated emotions that plague many of our lives today. It doesn’t mean you don’t feel anything, but you can put things in greater perspective because your heart is open. This expansiveness became increasingly evident to me when my husband suffered a stroke late last year. As you can imagine, I was certainly concerned and felt emotionally jostled occasionally. And yet, I also felt incredibly strong. Not because I emotionally disconnected or retreated for survival purposes, but because a sense of faith was palpable whenever I found myself being fully present. In fact, I would also experience moments of deep appreciation in this presence – for the lessons, technology, staff and the loving support that seemed to be all around us. But it wasn’t until the crisis passed that I realized that this uncanny sense of presence was new to my life.
I want to be clear that being present is not something I learned how to do consciously. In fact, I can remember reading both of Eckhart Tolle’s books, The Power of Now and A New Earth, and thinking that this way of being, as he described it, was more easily said than done. After all, he had the benefit of enlightenment to guide his thoughts, behaviors and emotions. As one of the 14,999,999 million other people who haven’t experienced spontaneous enlightenment, I remember being frustrated that I couldn’t create a bridge from his lovely words and experiences straight to my heart. I had an intellectual understanding of being and presence, but that didn't help me avoid being flung about my life’s little circumstances. Until, that is, I started to work on my level of consciousness through blind ignorance.
You see, I’ve lived my work over the last few years. Meaning, I created a practice of releasing old beliefs or healing old wounds using the restorative techniques I use with my clients. During the process, it’s natural to connect momentarily to the state of being – a place that feels objective and neutral. When I first started releasing, I’d receive moments of what felt like common sense or clarity. But as my practice continued, however, I started to connect more often to a sense of joy or peace or contentment, until the feelings finally progressed to a state of pure bliss. And what I now understand – is that with every beautiful encounter – I would bring a little bit of those emotional states back to expand my conscious awareness. In the end, it was this regimen that allowed me to transcend the storm of natural emotions, worries and fears that come along with any medical crisis.
Maybe you’re still curious about your own level of consciousness, but it feels too unfair to think about life’s big challenges. If so, just reflect on how you respond to the little things in life. What happens when someone accidentally butts in front of you in the line at the grocery store or cuts you off on the highway? What do you say to yourself, or to them? What feelings run through your body? How do you behave? Can you distance yourself from the emotions and ask yourself what might be happening for them? Can you be curious even in the face of a potential affront? Do you feel the propensity to do something to prove you’re right, or can you be with the moment and respond from a place of clarity, expansiveness and love? It’s these everyday moments that often cause me to ask myself: Is it time to wake up some more?
First and foremost, let’s make it simple — consciousness is nothing more than describing how awake you are to yourself, and to the world around you. You can be awake a little, or a lot. If you are only slightly awake, the world is a subjective place where you are thrown about by circumstances, emotions and safe choices. For these folks, the world can easily become a platform of doing in the name of self-interest and ego.
Conversely, if you are fully awake, the world is a vast and interconnected plateau where your personal contribution makes an investment to the greater whole. As a result, you more easily transcend the grip of circumstances and emotions and make conscious choices aligned with the highest good. These folks are more interested in the art of being, meaning they do as well, but from a place of clarity, love, expansiveness and service.
And of course, it’s a continuum and most of us live somewhere along this spectrum. David Hawkins in his book on consciousness, Power vs. Force, says one in fifteen million people live at the far right of the continuum and experience what we’ve come to call enlightenment.
I suppose you might be curious about where you sit on this continuum, right? Well, it’s actually fairly easy to discern. Just notice if you have a stronger propensity to operate from a place of ego and negative emotions, such as guilt, fear, hopelessness or pride…or whether if you’re more apt to be carried by a sense of love, faith or deep inner peace even during challenging times.
In short, consciousness allows you to transcend circumstances, which is what transcendence means in Latin: beyond this. And the more you wake up, the more you’re able to get out of your head and untether yourself from the exaggerated emotions that plague many of our lives today. It doesn’t mean you don’t feel anything, but you can put things in greater perspective because your heart is open. This expansiveness became increasingly evident to me when my husband suffered a stroke late last year. As you can imagine, I was certainly concerned and felt emotionally jostled occasionally. And yet, I also felt incredibly strong. Not because I emotionally disconnected or retreated for survival purposes, but because a sense of faith was palpable whenever I found myself being fully present. In fact, I would also experience moments of deep appreciation in this presence – for the lessons, technology, staff and the loving support that seemed to be all around us. But it wasn’t until the crisis passed that I realized that this uncanny sense of presence was new to my life.
I want to be clear that being present is not something I learned how to do consciously. In fact, I can remember reading both of Eckhart Tolle’s books, The Power of Now and A New Earth, and thinking that this way of being, as he described it, was more easily said than done. After all, he had the benefit of enlightenment to guide his thoughts, behaviors and emotions. As one of the 14,999,999 million other people who haven’t experienced spontaneous enlightenment, I remember being frustrated that I couldn’t create a bridge from his lovely words and experiences straight to my heart. I had an intellectual understanding of being and presence, but that didn't help me avoid being flung about my life’s little circumstances. Until, that is, I started to work on my level of consciousness through blind ignorance.
You see, I’ve lived my work over the last few years. Meaning, I created a practice of releasing old beliefs or healing old wounds using the restorative techniques I use with my clients. During the process, it’s natural to connect momentarily to the state of being – a place that feels objective and neutral. When I first started releasing, I’d receive moments of what felt like common sense or clarity. But as my practice continued, however, I started to connect more often to a sense of joy or peace or contentment, until the feelings finally progressed to a state of pure bliss. And what I now understand – is that with every beautiful encounter – I would bring a little bit of those emotional states back to expand my conscious awareness. In the end, it was this regimen that allowed me to transcend the storm of natural emotions, worries and fears that come along with any medical crisis.
Maybe you’re still curious about your own level of consciousness, but it feels too unfair to think about life’s big challenges. If so, just reflect on how you respond to the little things in life. What happens when someone accidentally butts in front of you in the line at the grocery store or cuts you off on the highway? What do you say to yourself, or to them? What feelings run through your body? How do you behave? Can you distance yourself from the emotions and ask yourself what might be happening for them? Can you be curious even in the face of a potential affront? Do you feel the propensity to do something to prove you’re right, or can you be with the moment and respond from a place of clarity, expansiveness and love? It’s these everyday moments that often cause me to ask myself: Is it time to wake up some more?
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