AuthorNina Edmondson - Hypnotherapist - Yoga Therapist - NLP Practitioner - Meditation Guide ![]() As I hesitantly handed over my phone to the admin of a meditation retreat, I had no idea my life was at a crossroads. This day marked the beginning of my journey into the unknown. The extraordinary venture below the surface of my rambling mind. At the time I felt I was agreeing to some kind of torture - which didn't fade as I put pen to paper, signing a promise to remain silent for the next 10 days. A fellow traveler had told me about a retreat he'd visited - and so, being a lover of curious escapades, I thought I'd give it a go. Although I'm grateful for this life-changing experience, diving into the deep-end like I did isn't necessary, even 10 minutes of meditation can open up a whole new world of well-being. The benefits of meditation have been championed by diverse personalities. Social media is heaving with inspirational quotes on the subject - and the majority of people have heard that it's supposed to do you good. Back then though in 2003 - before the internet had exploded information to the light of day, my brain was still living in a very dark cave. "Whatever", I remember thinking, "At least it'll make a good story". The Key To Happiness is Inside The biggest story to take seed, grow and change my life in those 10 days was this: My well-being depends on how I decide to view my world. "We all want to be happier, whatever our idea of that means," says Mattieu Ricard, once molecular biologist - now Buddhist monk, in his TED talk on The Habits of Happiness. He encourages us to stop looking outside for answers and to take a peek inside. After all, there's no escape from yourself. Wherever you go, here you are Fifteen years down the line, I still - of course - feel emotion like any other person, though thanks to meditation I understand my thoughts and feelings more deeply - and can deal with them in healthier, more constructive ways than I used to. As Jon Kabat-Zinn, founder of the Center for Mindfulness in Medicine says, "You can’t stop the waves, but you can learn to surf." The Key to Wisdom Want to be the best version of yourself? Want to be happier? Most of us trick ourselves into believing we'll finally be happy when we buy that car, get that partner, earn enough money, or go on that holiday. All of the above can of course add to our comfort and pleasure - temporarily. How long will it be though, before we chase after the next best thing? We constantly search for lasting contentment outside ourselves - and that never works. The way you habitually think creates your capacity for well-being - or creates your feelings of discontent. Meditation isn't about mind control or emptying the mind of thought. It's about connecting to yourself - knowing how your thoughts change the way you feel - how they influence your experience of life, and ultimately about connecting to others and the natural world - which brings a sense of expansiveness - of being a part of all there is. When we meditate we gain deeper insight, stop blindly reacting and see the bigger picture. One of possibility, beauty, peacefulness and love (the non-conditional kind). The Beginnings of Meditation Though it can seem like a modern trend, forms of meditation have been around for thousands of centuries in many varying countries, cultures, religions and schools of philosophy - east and west.
The earliest documentation of Meditation stems from the Vedas, ancient Hindu texts by true masters of mind and consciousness. If you're skeptical about notes scribbled by men in loincloths in the distant past, you don't have to take their word for it, even Opera Winfrey's been quoted as saying, "Only from that space (while meditating) can you create your best work and your best life."
0 Comments
|