Disconnection from the true self traps us in misperceptions and illusions, but these illusions can dissolve in the face of honest contemplation. Honest contemplation is born from earnest desire to perceive the truth, which can be done through the marriage of concentration and meditation.
While this may sound like something out of a kung fu film or fortune cookie, it still holds a profound truth. It reminds me of this quote by Bruce Lee:
“Before I learned the art, a punch was just a punch, and a kick, just a kick. After I learned the art, a punch was no longer a punch, a kick, no longer a kick. Now that I understand the art, a punch is just a punch and a kick is just a kick.”
Of course this is allegorical, as the art I’m referring to is not the way of mastering punching and kicking, but the art of meditation. Meditation is the art of mastering the way of being, on purpose. By choosing to meditate you are choosing to learn how your consciousness works and how to direct it to work in the way you desire.
Isn’t meditation a science rather than an art? Not from our perspective, meditation is an art, you never finish it, you simply continue practicing it. However, you can use many sciences to improve your effectiveness and the effects you received from practicing meditation.
Even something as simple as a heart rate monitor which you can purchase online for less than $20 allows you to practice biofeedback meditation.
There are countless ways to meditate, and no one way is greater than the others. What really matters is the simple act of choosing to meditate in the first place. Of course everyone meditates, in some form or another, for even sleeping can be seen as a meditation!
But often these unconscious meditations are the result of the mind kicking into a state of self awareness and preservation instincts due to over fatigue and as a way to help reduce daily stress. But willing meditation, making the time to stop and come back into touch with yourself, leads to even more stress reduction and includes many incredible health benefits.
So why should that matter to you? Considering that stress is responsible for more deaths per year than the Black Plague was and is reported to be physically impacting at least 77% of the population, there’s a pretty good chance it has impacted your life in one way or another.
And still for many, admitting you’re stressed and have problems is something many of us are unwilling to face or is just too uncomfortable at best. I get it that maybe you are unhappy, have regrets, feel unloved, feel unwanted, feel unworthy.But you don’t have to to feel that way, if you choose to shift your focus.
Meditation, when used correctly, with good intentions and realistic self expectations, can give you the tools needed to transcend those internal issues and heal your past trauma. Even something as little as just one minute of focusing on your breathing can release dopamine in your brain and calm your body and mind.
What can you do to try this out for yourself? Try a meditation class, or a guided meditation, pick up a book or do a search online for meditation for beginners. After that, if it doesn’t work for you with the first one, keep trying until you find a method that works well for you.
You wouldn’t expect to pick up a difficult instrument and be a master of it instantly, so likewise be patient with yourself as you begin learning the art of meditation! Keep practicing, keep trying new ones. Anyone that says meditation doesn’t work for them simply hasn’t found the method or system that uniquely works for them!
Meditation can literally improve every aspect of your life. Why not try it and see for yourself?
What do you have to lose?!
Give it a shot! Click play below
