A Meditation On My Meditations

This is my 100th meditation here on Insight TImer and I'm dedicating it to my dear friend Sue Anne Neal. We have been friends since 1970, the same year I started meditating. And it was her who encouraged me to come and teach meditation here on Insight Timer. In 100 meditations I've talked about a lot of things. Anxiety, fear, overwhelm, temptations, anger, loneliness, disappointment, self esteem, happiness, and lots more. I've lulled you to sleep on the shore of the Sea of Tranquility and amidst the trees in the Enchanted Forest. And one thing I'm sure of is that we are all on this path of mindfulness together. Join me. Music by Chris Collins. #100

Transcript

Welcome,

And I hope that each one of you will come to find peace within yourself.

This is my 100th meditation that I've recorded on Insight Timer,

And I'm dedicating it to my dear friend,

Sue Ann Neal.

We have been friends since 1970,

The same year that I started meditating,

And it was her who encouraged me to come and teach meditation here on Insight Timer.

I've been meditating now for 55 years,

And over time,

My practice has evolved into what it is today.

55 years ago,

There weren't any apps or websites.

There wasn't even any internet.

Everything I learned about meditation and mindfulness,

I learned from books,

And many of those books were very old.

So my early practice was very traditional,

And I studied everything I could find books on,

Poses,

Mudras,

Chakras,

Breathing.

I also studied yoga and tai chi,

And I practiced intently with a rigid posture in the lotus position with the chin mudra displayed with my tongue pressed against the roof of my mouth.

And doing this,

I uttered Sanskrit words.

But over time,

I began to realize that in spite of everything I'd learned,

In spite of all the things I'd studied,

What was really helping me in my life was the breath.

And no knowledge is ever wasted,

But it was apparent to me that it was the breathing that was making my life better.

So that's what I've focused on ever since.

In 100 meditations,

I've talked about a lot of things.

Just to name a few,

I've talked about anxiety,

Fear,

Overwhelm,

Temptations,

Anger,

Loneliness,

Depression,

Disappointment,

Self-esteem,

Happiness,

And lots more.

I've lulled you to sleep on the shore of the Sea of Tranquility and amidst the trees in the enchanted forest.

And in countless live sessions,

I've shared the personal stories from my own life and what I've learned from 55 years of meditation and nearly 76 years of being alive.

And looking back over 100 meditations,

I can see,

And I hope you can too,

That there are some recurring themes,

Things that I think are so important that I come back to them again and again.

The first is that the breath is everything and that getting in touch with your breath multiple times a day will change your life.

The second is that thoughts and words matter.

The things we think and the things we say also have the power to change our lives.

The third is that you have to be kind to yourself.

You have to show yourself love so that you can really love others.

The fourth is that all of the things we strive for are just points along the same path.

Being more in the present moment,

Letting go,

Being kind to ourselves and having positive energy,

All of them on the same path.

That path begins and ends with the breath.

And when you find one of the things,

You can find them all.

And we're all on the same path.

And lastly,

That this is your meditation.

When it gets right down to it,

There is no right way to meditate.

Many teachers preach to you that you have to sit a certain way,

Or breathe a certain way,

Or hold your eyes a certain way,

Or be perfectly still,

And that's simply not true.

I'm just a guide,

But I'm a guide who's been on this path of mindfulness for most of my life.

One of the reasons why I decided to teach was because after listening to so many meditations for a few years,

I felt that too many teachers were trying to make meditation too mystical,

Too mysterious,

Like it can only be done one way.

And that's simply not true.

You can choose a position by what is comfortable.

You can breathe at your own pace,

Not mine.

Just be comfortable and alert,

And remember that you're not paralyzed.

You can move when you meditate.

So close your eyes now,

And let's get in touch with our breath.

And it doesn't matter if you're sitting,

Standing,

Lying down,

Or kicked back in your favorite recliner.

The only thing that matters when you meditate is that you're comfortable and alert.

So as we start to settle in and focusing on our breath,

Let's scan our body.

Relax your face,

Unfurl your brow,

And unclench your jaw.

Relax your neck and your shoulders,

Common places of tension in today's world.

Relax your arms and your hands.

Let go of any tension that you might feel in your chest or belly,

And feel yourself getting heavier with each breath.

Relax your legs and your feet.

And as you begin to relax,

Let's start to focus on our breath.

Our breath is like a river,

As it flows in and flows out.

Just inhale slowly,

And then gently exhale.

But notice your breath.

Notice where you feel it in your body.

Maybe a cool sensation as it comes in through your nose,

Or the movement of your chest and belly as the breath flows in and flows out.

Continue to breathe at your normal pace,

And don't force anything.

Just let your breath move in and out.

Let your breath flow like a river,

Sure and tranquil and calm.

Just continue to breathe,

Continue to relax,

And just listen to my voice.

Meditation has the power to change your life in so many ways.

And the breath is one of the only things in your life that you have some control over.

And getting in touch with your breath multiple times a day makes your life better,

Smoother,

And more balanced.

And your breath can eliminate and negate all of the bad things caused by fear and tension and stress and anxiety.

And that's not just my opinion,

That's been proven scientifically.

Meditation has helped me through all of the difficult times in my life.

It helped me after I suffered devastating strokes when I was 30.

It helped me when I learned to walk again.

It helped me through painful tests and procedures,

Through troubled relationships,

And through times at the dentist.

And what you need to know is that meditation can do the same for you.

All it takes is commitment,

Some time,

A little dedication,

And practice.

And all the while,

We're just breathing in and breathing out,

One breath at a time.

Here I'm going to pause for a minute so you can just breathe and think about what I've said.

And then I'll be back.

Now I've done a couple of live sessions talking about how we're all on this path of mindfulness together.

And I've talked about it in a live session,

But never in a meditation.

So here in my 100th meditation,

I'll do it.

In the movie The Matrix,

The main character Morpheus says to the character Neo,

There's a difference between knowing the path and walking the path.

And that statement is so true in so many areas of life.

There's a difference between knowing a part and acting a part.

There's a difference between knowing what's right and doing what's right.

There's a difference between knowing a job and doing a job.

I could cite endless examples that knowledge isn't the same as practice.

So that saying there's a difference between knowing the path and walking the path is a very true statement.

Now I want you to picture any map,

A map of a park,

A map of a river,

A map of a road.

Whatever kind of a map it is,

You can study it.

And most maps will show you every twist and turn.

They'll show you every bridge.

They'll show you important buildings.

They'll show you all these sinks.

You can even look online and find people talking about their experience on this road or in this park or on this river.

You can study all of these sinks in minute detail.

And it would give you a pretty good knowledge of whatever it is you're looking at.

But you would never truly know that place until you were on it.

Until you walked the path.

Until you canoed the river.

Until you crossed the road.

So it doesn't matter how good you are at looking at maps.

Or how many maps you study.

You never really know a thing until you've done it.

Until you've walked it.

And what's my point?

Is that your practice of meditation and my practice of meditation and mindfulness is also a path.

You've heard me refer to it this way before.

It's a path that leads us to being more centered.

A path that leads us to being more calm and tranquil.

A path that can lead us to live more in the present moment.

And it's a path that can lead you to finding peace within yourself.

And it's very important to me that each one of you realize that we are on the same path.

You and I are on the same path.

I've just been down it more times.

And this is what I mean when I say that all the things we strive for are just points along the same path.

You hear it all the time.

You need to find inner peace.

You have to let go.

You have to love yourself and accept yourself.

You have to be more in the present moment.

And what I'm telling you is that all of those things,

All of them,

Are just points along the same path.

Just different bridges over a river.

And the path is reached breathing in and breathing out.

Just one breath at a time.

Now,

If you feel willing,

I'd like you to say the following affirmations either to yourself or out loud.

And I'll say each one twice.

The path of mindfulness starts with the breath.

The path of mindfulness starts with the breath.

The longest journey starts with one step.

The longest journey starts with one step.

And lastly,

We are on this path of mindfulness together.

We are on this path of mindfulness together.

Now,

As we come into a close,

Open your eyes and come back into the room.

Wiggle your fingers and toes and stretch and feel how good it is to be alive.

How good it is to be here in this moment.

I hope you have found this helpful.

And I'm honored that you're listening to my 100th meditation on Insight Timer.

It's been a journey that started off with one step.

And now we're quite a few steps in.

We're all on this path of mindfulness together,

You and I.

And let's see where the path leads from here on out.

Till next time.

Reviews

Thank you for everything you do. You are my favorite meditation teacher 💕

So glad to have joined you on your hundredth Michael .It always makes sense. You certainly know, same here. It’s called clearing the mind.

Thank you Michael for this wonderful gift ❤️ you have given us all : you have condensed the wisdom of 55 years of practice and 76 years of living life fully, into this very special 100 th meditation ❤️
Thank you ❤️🙏

Truly special meditation dear Teacher- and congratulations on your 💯 th track! So grateful for you and your shared wisdom wishing ourselves mamy more tracks and lives with you, Michael 🙏🏾 💕✨️🌞