The Global Conversation

Tag: meditation

  • Conscious creation, a way out?

    In early recovery, the old-timers will tell you, “Take the cotton out of your ears and stick it in your mouth.“ This is not bad advice for the newly sober person, as listening is a lost art for people in general, not solely for the newcomer in sobriety. But I had ideas and desires, along with enthusiasm, yet not very much patience.

    You see, I wanted to start a Narcotics Anonymous meeting in my town. Oh, we had plenty of Alcoholics Anonymous meetings, and on some nights there were more than two happening at the same time. I had plenty of support in getting sober with the AA people, yet I desired something different. I had been to NA meetings while I was in rehab and really resonated with the people and message being offered there. For me, it was just something that I wanted to do and I set out to do so.

    When I began asking around as to how I should go about starting a meeting, I was told by everyone that I needed to wait until I had more clean time under my belt before taking on such a project. I didn’t understand, but I did accept what I was being told. I gave the old-timers the respect they had earned and did not want to endanger my sobriety. So I set a goal. At 90 days clean, I was going to start the first NA meeting in my home town!

    Little did I know at the time that what I was experiencing life in a new way. I had set a goal and now needed to wait for a time set in the future to have it materialize. During the next few weeks, which at the time must have seemed like an eternity, I gathered information and the contacts who would help to make my dream a reality. On or around my 90-day mark in recovery, myself and two others started the Tuesday night “Just For Today“ NA meeting in Port Jervis, New York.

    Setting goals and then watching them materialize is foundational work in our spiritual growth. We may begin with small goals and then work up to bigger plans. As more and more of our dreams and desires materialize, we begin to believe that the universe is a friendly place willing to support us. Remembering to give thanks to those who help us along, along with being grateful to life for supporting us, brings about a state of being that is positive and uplifting.

    Setting goals is pure creation. Tell the universe what it is you wish to do and watch it line up just the perfect people and circumstances for you to experience just that. It happens all the time to everybody. If you are not experiencing this, there can only be two reasons:

    1.  You are not finished yet. Never give up, never quit. Many times we cave in to defeat moments before victory is at our hands.

    2.  You have set the goals but there is some thought or action that is sending out a message that is either negating the original message or delaying the manifestation.

    So dream big, and small. Don’t be afraid to fail, because you simply cannot fail. Failure is quitting before the miracle. Do something each day to move yourself and the universe in the direction you wish it to go. If you find yourself thinking in a negative way about your goal, remember that thought is energy and the universe responds in kind. Believe in yourself, believe in others, and ultimately be thankful in advance for the successful completion to your ideas.

    (Kevin McCormack, C.A.d ,is a certified addictions professional and auriculotherapist.  He is a recovering addict with 26 years of sobriety. Kevin is a practicing auriculotherapist, recovery coach, and interventionist specializing in individual and family recovery.  Kevin has a passion for holistic living, personal awareness training, and physical meditation. You can visit his website Life After Addicton for more information. To connect with Kevin, please email him at Kevin@TheGlobalConversation.com)

     

     

  • Your morning cup of tea or coffee can be your meditation

    Most people think that to meditate, you have to sit quietly in a lotus position (legs crossed, the right foot resting on the left thigh)  chanting a mantra.  When I learned Transcendental Meditation in the 80’s, that’s exactly what I did, 20 minutes in the morning and 20 minutes in the evening.

    Sitting like that gave me the feeling that I was in a meditation pose meant exclusively for meditating, and if anyone were to come into the room and see me, it would be rather obvious what I was doing.  But what I was doing had more to do with what was going on in my mind, than the position I was sitting in, and that, I’ve come to realize, is something you can do in any position, including sitting down drinking your morning cup of tea or coffee.

    Meditation is designed to quiet your mind and put you in a state of relaxation and peace. By focusing on your breathe,  your thoughts can come in and out of your mind more easily without attachment to them.  This focus and concentration allows for inner transformation to take place, which can take us to a higher level of awareness.

    The discipline of sitting quietly to achieve this kind of relaxation, peace, and awareness has wonderful benefits like reducing stress or anxiety, but not everyone has or makes time to sit on the floor with their legs crossed and eyes closed, but would like to realize the advantages of meditating.  So, can you, if you don’t sit in a traditional meditation pose like a Buddhist monk?  I think you can, and here’s how:

    1.  When you wake up in the morning be aware of your thoughts.  Allow them to come in and out of your mind by observing them.

    2.  Continue being aware of your thoughts when you do your morning ritual like brushing your teeth, showering and getting dressed.

    3.   Make a cup of tea or coffee.

    4.   Find a quiet place to sit.

    5.   Focus your attention on drinking your tea or coffee.

    6.   Feel the warmth of your drink on your lips, and going down your throat.

    7.   Be aware of how it tastes.

    8.   Feel the pleasure it gives you as you drink.

    9.   If a thought distracts you from enjoying your tea or coffee, put your focus back on the pleasure it gives you by the taste and feel of it.

    10.   Be aware of not rushing to finish your tea or coffee.

    11.   Stay present as you drink what is left of it.

    12.   Take a moment to hold your finished cup of tea or coffee, feeling the appreciation and gratitude of it as a gift to being alive.

    13.   Get up from your chair slowly.

    14.   Put your cup down and begin your day with the mindfulness you feel being in the present.

    Meditating is something everyone can do.  Whether you’re sitting in a lotus position chanting or drinking a cup of tea or coffee, you can put your focus on the here and now by concentrating on what you’re dong with awareness.   Practicing a form of meditation will help you go through the day staying in the present and remaining mindful of everything around you.

    Even if having your morning tea or coffee is at your local Starbucks or Coffee Bean, you can sit there, although it may not be quiet, using this meditation technique to transcend the noise or talking around you by focusing and concentrating on mindful drinking. There’s a great story about a Taoist master teaching his sons how to meditate at a busy, crowded park.  When they questioned their father as to why he was teaching them how to meditate in such a noisy place, he replied “If you can learn how to meditate here, you can meditate anywhere.”

    Everything we do is an opportunity to turn it into a meditation by allowing ourselves to be in the present, and focusing on whatever we’re doing with awareness. If you’re someone who would like to meditate, but don’t feel you have time to do it, you can experience it while you’re doing something like drinking tea or coffee, and it will become more than just drinking.  It becomes mindful drinking, which takes it to a whole other level.  You become aware of yourself drinking your tea or coffee with clarity of mind and a feeling of inner peace.

    It sure beats drinking a cup of tea or coffee in your car, rushing in traffic, trying to get to where you need to be, your mind racing everywhere other than being in the present.  I call that drinking on the go, not drinking in the now.

    (Posted on Huffington Post 11/14/2012)

    (Ora Nadrich is a certified Life Coach with a private practice in Los Angeles, CA. Her unique, practical method helps her clients attain happiness and fulfillment by teaching them to look inward and connect to their authentic selves in order to reach their goals. Ora is also a writer, speaker and facilitator of a popular women’s group focusing on inner awareness and a constructive, alternative approach to dealing with life’s challenges. A book detailing her method will be available in 2013. In the meantime, to learn more about Ora and read her previous blogs, visit www.oralifecoach.com. Email:  ora@oralifecoach.com)

  • Soul of Healing Affirmations

    Chaos, noise, career demands, illness, violence, emotional pressures, and stress are all reminders to us.  They remind us of the importance of meditation in our lives, both physically and spiritually.  However, for many, meditating in what some might term the “typical way” does not come with ease and sometimes evolves into an experience of frustration and disappointment…and eventually giving up.

    You are not alone.

    For those of you who may be experiencing roadblocks in your meditation practice, or simply don’t have the slightest idea where to begin, I am here to share with you one of my very favorite CDs:  “Soul of Healing Affirmations” by Deepak Chopra.

    I purchased this CD a couple years ago because I was having trouble falling asleep.   I was searching for something to help relax my body and quiet my mind before going to bed, and this CD showed up in my life.

    Utilizing the powerful process of affirmations, accompanied by soul-centered music, the tranquil voice of Deepak Chopra gently moves you through an A to Z guided journey — what Deepak calls an “A-Z Guide to Programming the Software of the Soul”:

    Acceptance

    Bonding

    Compassion

    Divinity in Me

    Empowerment

    Fear

    Giving

    Higher Self

    Intention

    Judge not Today

    Kindness

    Love

    Mindfulness

    Nurturing

    Opposition

    Presence

    Question

    Relationship

    Self Referral

    Trust

    Understanding

    Vision

    Wisdom

    X Factor

    Yes to Life

    Zero

    The good news is meditation does not come in only one flavor.  It does not have to be done in a candlelit room, with your legs crossed, eyes closed, for hours on end.  We can meditate through mindfulness or noticing the moment, through prayer, in a walking or moving meditation such as yoga, through chanting, or in silence.

    As in all of life, there is no right or wrong way…only what works best for you.

    Whether you are new to meditation and looking for a tool to assist you, or perhaps you desire a unique and enjoyable way to relax, or maybe you are seeking to deepen your spiritual awareness, I highly recommend adding the “Soul of Healing Affirmations” by Deepak Chopra to your meditation and life experience.

    This CD can be purchased and downloaded on Amazon.com.

    (Lisa McCormack is the Managing Editor & Administrator of The Global Conversation.  She is also a member of the Spiritual Helper team at www.ChangingChange.net, a website offering emotional and spiritual support. To connect with Lisa, please e-mail her at Lisa@TheGlobalConversation.com.)

    (If there is a book, movie, music CD, etc. that you would like to recommend to our worldwide audience, please submit it to our Managing Editor, Lisa McCormack, for possible publication in this space. Not all submissions can be published, due to the number of submissions and sometimes because of other content considerations, but all are encouraged. Send submissions to Lisa@TheGlobalConversation.com. Please label the topic: “Review”)

  • Practice Your Way to Well-Being

    I’m looking for practices that support my well-being and my staying connected to who I am, besides meditation (which I’ve tried and I just can’t seem to get the hang of!).  Any good ones you know of that really work?

    Ken, Ohio

     

    Why yes, Ken, I do!  This is one of my favorite topics to speak to, as I have found in my own experience as well as the experiences of my clients that engaging in a daily practice is the single most important thing you can do for yourself, and happens to be the key to sustaining your connection and well-being.  When you show up for yourself in this way with such consistency, commitment and discipline, you are becoming aligned and present in life in such a way that positively and powerfully impacts every aspect of it.  The reason for this is because engaging consistently in practices such as meditation allows you to stay in a high-vibrating, good-feeling place, and you are able to access more clarity, truth, intuition, wisdom, inspiration, motivation, etc. than when you are feeling disconnected, negative, and vibrating low.  So I always encourage my clients (and myself) to make their daily practices as important and as high of a priority as eating, sleeping and breathing are, and I’m not exaggerating.

    So I’ll get off my soapbox now and give you 3 of my favorites:

    ~ Daily Gratitudes: Each day spend a few quiet moments writing down at least 10 things that you are truly grateful for, and consciously choose to make your first and last thoughts of the day thoughts of gratitude.  I have no doubt in my mind that if each and every one of us did this the world would be a much better place.

    ~ Incantations: Very similar to affirmations, yet waaaaayyyyyy more powerful because we are engaging your energy and physiology with the words to produce the “feeling” of what you are saying.  Let me explain.  You know how sometimes repeating an affirmation or a mantra can sometimes get frustrating because while you are saying it you are very aware that you are not feeling it?  With an incantation, we choose our statement, and repeat it with feeling, much like an actor delivering a line.  We also repeat it while engaging in a “power move” or stance, a movement or position that makes you feel powerful.  The results are quite magical.  For example, if you were to use the incantation, “I am confident and happy”, repeating it several times with emotion while moving your body powerfully (or even just standing in a yoga pose or something), you would find yourself feeling confident within minutes, sometimes seconds.  You see, incantations help us immediately manifest the emotion, which is what we’re looking for anyway.  It’s not the house, the car, the job, the relationship, etc. that we want, it’s how we think it’s going to make us feel.  Imagine being able to feel however we wanted to without the things we think we need in order to feel it first – that would mean we literally do not need anything outside of ourselves in order to feel good (see: illusion of need from “Communion with God”)!  And a lovely added benefit to this is that our very “feeling” or “being” draws those things to us (see: process of creation from “Happier Than God”)!

    ~ Meditation:  Yeah, yeah, I get it – you’re not good at it.  But I’m going to include it anyway because the benefits are endless, and I’d like to offer you a new approach/perspective on it: there is no wrong way to meditate.  Whether it’s sitting in silence with your eyes closed focusing on your breath, doing a guided meditation, or just daydreaming, you are benefiting.  Try a few different things on, without judging them, just notice which method you like best.  And start small – even 3 minutes a day every day can work wonders.

    Try these out, Ken, and see how they feel.  But give it a good two weeks of committing to practice these every day no matter what so that you can really feel the impact.  Because it doesn’t really matter what you do, it’s the fact that you take time to go within consistently that creates the experience of well-being and connection.  Enjoy!

    (Nova Wightman is a CWG Life Coach, as well as the owner and operator of Go Within Life Coaching, www.gowithincoaching.com, specializing in helping individuals blend their spirituality with their humanity in a way that makes life more enjoyable, easy, and fulfilling.  She can be reached at Nova@theglobalconversation.com. )

    (If you would like a question considered for publication, please submit your request to: Advice@TheGlobalConversation.com, where our team is waiting to hear from you.)

  • What’s out there is what’s in here

    What I am about to share with you is not a new idea and it’s not my own idea.  In fact, I am sure you have probably heard of this concept before.  But the day I truly saw the living reality of it, it began to transform my life—and my children’s lives.  And it was also the day that I realized I had been fooling myself for many, many years.

    I finally understood in a flash of a moment, that everything I project “outwardly”onto others is a reflection of what is going on “inwardly.”  The more I became aware of this and started to test this concept out, the more my life began to change for the better!  And for the “betterment” of my children!  Although most of us who have (bravely and courageously) put even one toe on the “spiritual path” are already familiar with this metaphysical principle, how often do we consider it within the context of Parenting? 

    It’s likely that when we’ve worked with this idea in the past we’ve drudged up the most recent interactions not with our children but with our romantic partner or co-worker or employer or close friend—and then humbly saw what might need attention within ourselves. But how can this awareness be applied in the dynamic of parent-to-child and child-to-parent?

    I don’t believe parenting with the New Spirituality requires anything unusual or unrealistic.  And — much like the “effortless parenting” practice I pointed to in my last article — I think there is a skill lying dormant in us that can be easily awakened when we gently notice that what’s appearing outside of us is really the very same thing that’s appearing inside of us.  “Fooling myself” is how I first referred to this back when I began to recognize my tendency to imagine that what my children were displaying “out there” was anything different or other than what was already living “in here.”

    Fooling ourselves is an innocent daily ritual for most of us, and usually we don’t even know that we’re doing it.  Think of all of the times you have lost patience with your children, felt angry or overwhelmed.  These feelings are usually experienced and believed to be your natural outward reaction to the challenging situation of the moment.  But what if you noticed that the lack of patience you are having with your child might be because you are feeling little patience with yourself that day?  What if your anger is on the rise not because your child is displaying anger, but because you were angry with yourself already?  And suppose your intolerance toward your child is because you are not feeling very tolerant of the perfectly imperfect human being that your Soul came here to experience!  What if all of these emotions stem from the fact that you have forgotten in the flurry of parenting to tend to your own emotions; your inner self; your Soul?

    First, it’s a high level of Mastery to even notice and want to take responsibility for what we are experiencing on the “inside”– so let’s acknowledge what a huge shift that is in and of itself!

    As a parent — and especially a new one — it’s easy to imagine that because we are now in this society-created role, we should have it all figured out, and that losing patience or feeling angry or overwhelmed is no longer okay to experience.  There are a number of principles from the Conversations with God messages that might help ease the self-judgment that comes swimming in (sometimes like a tsunami!) in our daily interactions with our children. In this article, let’s add the concept “We Are All One” and notice that if this is a reality, how might both you and your children be working to heal the same Illusions?  Perhaps viewing your own ups & downs mirrored by your child back to you can remind you that your souls are always “on the same team,” and help you to feel more compassion and empathy for the whole dance you’re doing together on any given day.

    Even though it can at first seem more convenient to get past the moment and live in denial of what we’re feeling or what judgment we’re placing on our self, learning to pause and to take even one full minute to examine what is going on inside can improve our natural skills in dealing appropriately with the situations appearing on the outside.

    If we were to practice a 1-Minute meditation many times a day (because sometimes those short segments of time are all we’ve got!), how might it affect our overall experience of parenting and the exchanges we have with our children?  If you decided that the greatest gift you could give yourself today was to be patient or compassionate or understanding and tender with you, there would most likely be a natural tendency to then offer the same with your children, and continue to work on healing Illusions together.

    A “Mama Laurie Mantra” that might help (and one I still use often!):  “If I see it Out there, I’m looking In here!” 

    (Laurie Lankins Farley has worked with Neale Donald Walsch for approximately 10 years. She is the Executive Director of his non-profit The School of the New Spirituality and creative co-director of CwGforParents.com. Laurie has published an inspirational children’s book “The Positive Little Soul.” She can be contacted at Parenting@TheGlobalConversation.com.)

  • Bring on the bliss

    For those of you yearning to hear the internal whispers of your soul amidst the noisy chatter of an unruly mind…for those of you longing to experience the calm bliss of simply “being” when your experience of life at this moment feels like a never-ending cycle of “doing”…perhaps the soothing voice and gentle rhythms of Snatam Kaur is something you would be willing to make a regular part of your day.

    The transcendent power and healing qualities of the devotional chants of Snatam Kaur have elevated it to become one of my most beloved choices in my musical collection.   Her songs combine a unique blend of ancient chants sung in Gurumukhi, the sacred language of the Sikhs, and English.

    Snatam Kaur (whose name means universal, nucleus, and friend to all) uses her music to bridge diverse cultures, faiths, and traditions, and to promote peace and inner strength.  When asked what her definition of ‘peace’ is, she replied, “I feel peace is defined in each person’s life in the moments of their greatest struggles and challenges. Peace is the ability to stay true to yourself, and in any situation find the light or find the way to grow and transform in that situation, while uplifting yourself and other people.”

    The purity and clarity of Snatam’s voice radiates and her soft spiritual chants touch your soul.  Her albums “Anand,” “Celebrate Peace,” and “Grace” are just a few of my personal favorites.  You will quickly realize that understanding the language in some of the songs is not a necessary element to having a profound experience of bliss and peace, that her music transcends the confines of any one particular language, and that her universal message of oneness is one that is deeply felt.

    The book When Everything Changes, Change Everything speaks to the importance of meditation, whether that be a sitting meditation, a walking meditation, or a “doing” meditation; that some form of meditation is “the single most important commitment of your entire life: a commitment to your soul, to be with your soul, to meet your soul, to hear and listen to and interact with your soul.” 

    If your attempts at meditation thus far have been unsuccessful, I invite you to consider incorporating the sacred mantras of Snatam Kaur as a gentle assistive tool to elevate your meditative experience to the next level.

    I close now with the lyrics to one of Snatam’s songs, “Long Time Sun,” an old Irish blessing which is currently sung by thousands worldwide as a parting prayer in Kundalini yoga classes:

    “May the Long Time Sun
    Shine upon you
    All love surround you
    And the pure light within you
    Guide your way on
    Guide your way on.    “

    You may read more about Snatam Kaur and purchase her music on her website:

    www.snatamkaur.com 

    (If there is a book, movie, music CD, etc. that you would like to recommend to our worldwide audience, please submit it to our Managing Editor, Lisa McCormack, for possible publication in this space. Not all submissions can be published, due to the number of submissions and sometimes because of other content considerations, but all are encouraged. Send submissions to Lisa@TheGlobalConversation.com. Please label the topic: “Review”)