SINCE I’VE BEEN WRITING ABOUT BREATHING AND MEDITATING, I’ve received quite a few messages asking how to do them. There is no trick, so all I can ever do is share what I do — with the acknowledgment that there may be a better way for you. Almost everyone has at least tried over the years, and certainly there are many of you who make meditation a regular practice. You may know much more than me. The thing is that most of us have not done it regularly, and regularly is what really makes the difference. When my little pup Bungee died three and a half years ago, I relied greatly on Eckhart Tolle and Pema Chodron for help. Pema described a way of breathing what-is into your heart, in other words, inhaling all that you actually feel. It was transformative for me, as in the past I’d always thought the proper thing was to breathe in love and exhale negativity. That is good too, but I learned a lot from what I understood Pema to be saying and sometimes I experienced the sensation of my pain and sorrow draining from my body like water. I have recently begun meditating much longer and more often than I ever have before and some very powerful revelations and understandings have been unfolding. My mood is lighter and I notice my old habits of fostering negative thoughts throughout the day. I am talking about the myriad of moments on our daily lives when we have anxiety or dread or fear or worry enter our thinking and stay for a while and drag us around like rag dolls. I think you know what I mean. Maybe it is playing out past conversations and arguments again and again, or getting stuck on the fear that there will not be enough money or that we will be ill or helpless if things go a certain way. That kind of thinking is unnecessary but it’s a huge part of our lives. That has been changing for me and I am thrilled to see how profoundly uplifting it can be to find that I have some control over it. Right now there are several folks I’ve been trying to help with their breathing and meditating, simply by describing what I do and some of the reasoning behind it. Over the next few weeks I will post a few of these descriptions in hope that those of you who are interested in slowing your racing mind and releasing your habit of anxiety and worry, may benefit from what I am doing and wish to try your own version. The last thing I’ll say about it for now is this: I am well aware that there are some fundamentalist religions who warn against meditation - and I do hear from a few of them. It is completely unfounded in my experience. There is no evil waiting for you to go into meditation so it can snatch you. Your heart is yours. Your soul is yours. You will never ever lose your power because you took the time to inhale and exhale consciously and sit with your inner knowing. In fact, you will be more true to yourself than you’ve ever been. If anything, the greatest danger to our world today is the fear and worry and chaotic thinking we have come to, where humanity has lost the ability to pause in their thinking and allow truth to come through. We are constantly at war with ourselves and each other and other nations. That could all change if fear was released and that is what breathing and meditating help you do. Yes, they are just tools, but why not use every tool we have? These are the things I will share over time. If that interests you, I hope you’ll stop by. And if you ever want to email or message me about it, I’ll do my best to share what I do and help you find your way. ~ Michael Tomlinson Concerts, Gatherings, CDs, Downloads michaeltomlinson mt@michaeltomlinson
Posted on: Tue, 30 Dec 2014 03:52:29 +0000
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