Mind & Mountain Hike #5

Do you ever notice the same message popping up over and over again in a short span of time? For me, in the last four days,  this message has been “in my face” literally.  I don’t know if you recall the movie LA Story with Steve Martin. In it, his character receives messages via a huge lit highway billboard. The billboard in my life says “YOU MUST MEDITATE”. It  is also saying, slow down and get to that place of “nothing”, a clear, observant quiet mind. Yikes! I never get there.

The reading I shared with the hiking group yesterday was from Lao Tzu, known as the father of Taoism:

“We join spokes togther in a  wheel,

but it is the center hole

that makes the wagon move.

We shape clay into a pot

but it is the emptiness inside

that holds whatever we want.

We hammer wood for a house,

but it is the inner space

that makes it livable.

We work with being,

but non-being is what we use.”

I found this in a great book called “The Joy Diet” by Martha Beck

Martha Beck

which descibes 10 Daily Practices for a Happier life. Low and behold, practice #1 is to develop the habit of “doing nothing” for 15 minutes a day.

You can order her book here- I recommend all of her books!

This is VERY difficult for me but, I do believe, that if the universe is set on giving me a message, it’s because I need it so I’m staying open and seeing how I can surrender to this idea. The first thing I did was referred back to all the meditation suggestions I’ve received in the past. Here are the ones I liked:

1. Repeating a mantra- I love this one, any snaskrit seems to work for me because of the resonating sounds it produces and the trance-like sensation it creates.

2. Self-hypnosis. I’m proud to say I’m very suggestible (ha ha) so I hypnotize easily. I love guided hypnosis. It’s like a daydreaming trip that you take in a relaxed state. It’s great. I highly recommend it.

3. Guided meditation (like the end of yoga class in shavasanna) where a soothing voiced leader tells you how to release you mind. Soooo lovely.

4. A reminder of a reading from Eckhart Tolle- this is NOT a direct quote- that suggests meditation (and enlightenment) exists in the SPACE BETWEEN YOUR THOUGHTS. This works for me….even those the space is a mere 5 seconds, I like this! I can DO this kind of meditation!

5.  Engaging in meditation WHILE doing regular activities like eating, bathing, doing the dishes, walking or even working. I knew a physio who saw every treatment session as a meditation where he put himself in a serene and very connected state so he could study the patient’s energy and treat it appropriately. P.S. This takes practice and a project you take on when you are a reasonably “seasoned” meditator.

6. Using pre-made CD’s to guide you (using special recording technologies). I forward you this link with a caution- it’s a sales pitch for a product that I am not endorsing but that MAY suit someone out there, the information in the video is good though! A video on stress, brain waves and a free CD offering.

Have a great day!