The Sunday Stew: October 7-13

And Then I Saw the Light …..
By: Renee Avard of StarSteps
September 30, 2012

Stop. Collaborate. And listen. No, I am most definitely not rapping the well-known nineties song, but, I am telling you to do those three things and you will find out why in a few minutes.

Most people in my circle of friends meditate. When I first discovered my Spiritual Path, I decided to give it a chance. So, I dove right in. Early attempts consisted of my naivety showing as I went down the path of stereotyping meditation. I followed celebrities who claimed to be changed by meditating and I worked with Yoga because everyone else said I should. I went even further into the “look the right part” mindset that I tried to get in a comfortable position shown to me in Yoga class, I made the lighting just the right and studied which color candles and incense to use that would go with my intention, writing out what I should say and do and having the words in front of me (where I would peek out of one eye to read specifically what I was to do next) and I worked on clearing my head. The meditations I attempted during this time frame never helped me and put me off to the whole idea. Whether it was the fact I could never switch my thinking off so I never had a clear head or the Yogic positions were too hard to get into, it did not matter as I thought 'I can't do this' and I felt that the attempting to meditate thing had become too much work and a huge chore.

Over the years that followed those times, I was told by many people that I would not be so anxiety-ridden or stressed if I just meditated. The mere mention of the “M” word made me feel immediately nervous, curious and also a bit clueless. I felt as though I was such an amateur and, so because of that, I believed that I was not good enough to meditate. Enter the Universe and it's Divine intervention. Something inside me just knew that I was ready to attempt the meditation thing again. Not only did I feel I should try, but I felt pushed to give it another shot.

The first thing I did was to STOP. When deciding to meditate, I had to stop and decide to just be. I knew completely clearing my mind was always a huge challenge in the past, so I went another direction. So I decided what was to be my main “focus” of that meditation's work. Then, I would say aloud the thoughts and ideas I had related to the subject of my choosing while soft, lyric-less music played in the background. Doing this kept my mind occupied and easily, I was able to concentrate on my intention (and I even did so without reading a word for word breakdown) and I sat how I wanted to sit, and did what made me comfortable and I was transported to a very amazing world and knew I would be visiting often. I found, in this way of doing things, that I actually looked forward to my meditation time. I craved it. And I loved the calmness and absolute honest to goodness smile that would come across every time I did this.

Next thing I did was to COLLABORATE. Once I got the hang of my way of meditating, I decided to seek out groups, friends, and various guided meditations. Reaching out to your friends or hopping online and do a search for varying meditations can be very rewarding. I am hooked on some amazing people that provide the most gorgeous meditations!

And finally, the main thing I do (and everyone should do more of) is to LISTEN. There is that quote that we have all heard that is very true and it goes along the lines of the fact that God gave us one mouth, but two ears. To have productive meditation time, it is best to listen to your instinct on what to say or think of. For me, I had always seen meditating as a chore and I did not know how to quiet the thoughts. Now, using my own techniques, I am able to enjoy the whole experience and I would actually accomplish desired results.

I had myself convinced that I would never get the hang of meditation, that I was not as 'skilled' as others and that it seemed to only be for the 'other' people. I am so blessed for the Divine intervention that planted the idea to begin meditating again and thanks also to my heart, soul and mind changing my entire thought process to focus on positivity. In the past, I have been on many medications for varying issues, including generalized anxiety disorder which I thought would require medical intervention for the rest of my life. I accepted that at first, until I could not do it any longer. Not only does meditation help with all of my health issues, it has completely assisted me overcome certain problems and now, I do not even experience some of the scattered chaos-centered ailments of the past.

I was under the impression that there was no way meditating would actually work, or that it would help ease my struggles in various aspects of my life. But, it does work! I love my meditation time – I love to throw on some soft instrumental music or a Guided meditation and just breathe and take in the serenity of that very moment .. the here and now. I have a meditation area here at home, and I recommend creating a spot to anyone. It can be as elaborate as you would like it to be; or it could be just a small corner on your kitchen counter. Having that sacred spot will always help the intentions of your meditations and will give you a place to really focus on your needs.

I have learned a valuable lesson over the course of these many years and through meditation, I have seen the light I have inside. I am ENOUGH. Yep, that is right, ME, I am doing enough, I am being enough, I am working enough, I am loving enough, and most definitely, I just AM!