Day 8: Navigating Recovery And Overcoming Adversity

Day 8 of "Navigating Recovery And Overcoming Adversity." Dissolve the belief "That In order to have a successful meditation you need to stop your thoughts". Learn to elimate this misconception, so you can experience the many benefits meditation offers us in overcoming negative patterns and addictive behaviors.

I want to thank all my teachers, especially Deepak Chopra, Gabby Bernstein, and David Ji who have inspired me in inspiring you.

Transcript

Welcome again to Day 8 of our 22 Days of Guided Meditation,

Navigating Recovery and Overcoming Adversity.

Today,

We are going to discover and uncover one of the most widely held false beliefs about meditation.

Often,

Whenever meditation is suggested,

The response to that suggestion is,

I can't meditate because I can't empty my mind of its thoughts.

The belief that you have to stop your thoughts in order to have a successful meditation practice is incorrect.

In fact,

Stopping our thoughts is impossible,

And in today's meditation,

Our goal is to help you eliminate this misconception so it doesn't prevent you from meditating regularly and receiving this practice's many benefits that can play a role in freeing us from our negative habits.

Even though we can't force our mind to be quiet,

We can however decide how much attention we give to our thoughts.

Instead of trying to stop your thoughts in meditation,

The idea,

As we have already discovered in Day 3 of this series,

Is to disrupt the unconscious progression of our thoughts by focusing on a new object of attention.

The new object of attention that we have been and will continue to use for our meditations is the mantra that we silently repeat to ourselves.

As we learn during Day 3 together,

The mantras we use are pure sounds with no real meaning or emotional charge to trigger more thoughts,

And by just gently returning our attention to the mantra each time thoughts arise,

The mantra allows the mind to detach from its usual preoccupations and experience the spaciousness and calm within.

Ultimately,

If you think you can't meditate because your mind is too turbulent,

You're wrong.

The beauty of meditation is that we will always have thoughts,

And that's okay.

Thoughts are actually a good thing because they are the sign of the mechanics of stress releasing from our body.

So let go of the false idea that you can stop your thoughts and instead gently return your attention to the mantra when they do arise.

The truth is,

Meditation is not about forcing our mind to be quiet,

Instead it's a process of choosing to repeat the mantra over thoughts,

And in this organic experience of letting thoughts arise and gently returning our attention to our mantra,

We rediscover the stillness and silence that's already there but is usually overshadowed by our mind's activity.

With that said,

It's time to totally let go of the belief that in order to have a successful meditation practice,

We need to stop our thoughts,

And instead let's start to judge our meditation practice only by if we're showing up for it or not.

Most importantly,

You can rest assured that as long as you're showing up for your daily practice and choosing to repeat the mantra whenever you have a choice,

You're meditating right.

Now,

Let's prepare for our meditation.

Begin by finding a comfortable seat and closing your eyes.

Now begin to become aware of the breath,

Not focusing or concentrating,

Just simply observing the breath as it naturally flows in and flows out.

Now easily and effortlessly,

Begin repeating the mantra,

Om Shanti Namaha,

Om Shanti Namaha.

Whenever you notice yourself distracted by thoughts,

Noises,

Or physical sensations,

Gently return your attention back to repeating the mantra,

Om Shanti Namaha,

Om Shanti Namaha,

Om Shanti Namaha.

Please continue with your meditation.

I'll watch the time,

And when it's time to end our meditation,

You'll hear me ring a soft chime.

When you hear the chime,

Stop repeating the mantra,

Om Shanti Namaha,

And continue sitting quietly with your eyes closed.

Enjoy your meditation.

Om Shanti Namaha,

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Reviews

Loved it

Great interpretation regarding the passage of thoughts using a non-emotional mantra. Thanks

Thank you and for your guidance and explanation! Simplifying! Namaste 🙏

Thanks George for your sharing.

To let our thoughts pass by without being drawn in is a very important skill to teach the addicted brain.

Meditating is NOT about having no thoughts in my head. I need to hear that once in a while. Great series of meditation this is. 🙏🏻

Again...Namaste🙏

Thank you Salty! ... and thank you George ... I found this incredibly useful ... look forward to tuning into the rest of your series... Om Shanti NaMa ... 🙏Namaste

Thanks George, really enjoying your series and service, TY.

Very well put: you may only judge the fact whether you showed up to the meditation or not. The only other point that matters is to simply return to the object of concentration (the mantra) whenever you notice that your thoughts wandered.

Thank you so much for day 8... One Love, shalom

Thank You, Namaste

I am loving this series.

Beautiful- thank you! Namaste 🙏🏼

Common thing I hear from folks that don't meditate, that they can't silence their mind. Good advice to get past the misconception, for people that may not practice otherwise. Thanks, George!

Getting better and better

What's been working is noticing my breath. I'm usually not able to breathe through my nose; but can through this meditation.
Thanks 🌝

very helpful for someone who has a wondering mind, like myself. namaste!