It's not uncommon to begin a meditation practice with the specific intention of relieving anxiety,
Overcoming bad habits,
Or finding solutions to problems.
Frustration may arise when you sit down to meditate and don't feel relaxed because you keep thinking.
Or perhaps after a few meditations you haven't experienced any noticeable changes in your life.
You're not doing anything wrong but you may have employed an ineffective approach to meditation.
You may be relying on your willpower to meditate.
Willpower is the mental strength to resist impulses and pursue long-term goals.
It involves self-control,
Determination,
And conscious decision-making.
Willpower is a great tool to get you to actually sit down on your cushion even when you don't feel like it.
But once you're seated it's best to leave the willpower behind.
Let me explain.
Meditation is a state of being.
Therefore it's crucial to adopt the right philosophy,
One that differs from your everyday approach to life.
Meditation is about cultivating a sense of presence,
Mindfulness,
And inner calm.
It's a practice that goes beyond mere effort and requires openness,
Surrender,
And a willingness to let go of control.
Trying to force or will yourself into meditation often leads to tension and frustration,
Hindering the true benefits that come from a genuine meditative state.
Here's some good news.
All you have to do is invest a short time each day to sit quietly with a shifted perspective from willfulness to willingness.
So in this,
Meditation requires a little bit of trust,
Which can be difficult for many people.
We've been groomed to constantly try to control our environments,
Our lives,
So releasing willpower,
In other words becoming a passive observer,
Can be challenging.
Here's the interesting paradox of meditation.
It works better when you try less.
By relinquishing excessive attachments to particular results,
You can cultivate a sense of flexibility and openness,
Allowing for greater adaptability and resilience in the face of challenges.
This mindset shift enables you to focus on the process and take meaningful action,
Rather than fixating solely on an end result.
Ultimately,
By loosening your grip on the outcome,
You can harness the power of meditation.
According to the author Miranda Macpherson,
This is called relaxing the ego.
Let's take a look at the ego.
The ego is essentially the story we construct about ourselves to protect and pursue what we want from life.
You can think of the ego as the autobiographical self.
It's our constructed personal identity.
The ego is not inherently bad.
It's a valuable part of who we are.
Its function is to ensure that our mind is constantly working on our behalf.
So don't worry,
Meditation doesn't ask you to get rid of the ego.
But know that ego wants a guarantee that we obtain everything we need and desire in life.
This is part of the root cause of stress,
Anxiety,
And personal problems,
Because we don't always get what we want in life and the ego just won't accept this.
And you can't will away your ego,
Just like you can't use force to relax.
Life doesn't come with guarantees,
So accepting life on its terms is the path of meditation.
Since the ego doesn't grasp this concept,
Meditation is the softened grip.
The practice offers respite and an opportunity to learn.
Through meditation we can connect with our ego-less state,
Our universal self,
The part of us that is interconnected with the energy of the world around us and beyond.
We become more accepting of life and the things we cannot change.
This is how meditation helps us relax in the moment,
As well as gain new perspectives.
Do you know about worry dolls?
These tiny handmade dolls originated from the creative traditions of the indigenous people of Guatemala.
Children traditionally used them to express worries,
Which they then placed under the pillow at night.
By entrusting their worries to the dolls,
The children objectify their problems and essentially let go of control.
They trust that things will be okay,
Even though they're not interfering.
This is also how meditation works.
It relieves us of the burdens of responsibility,
Allowing us to release worries,
Plans,
Needs,
And goals.
We let go and stop striving willfully to move from point A to point B.
Instead we relax into the state of willingness to allow life to unfold.
Meditation is about sitting in a state of trust,
Being open to whatever arises.
Consider your meditation practice as a sacred time,
Distinct from your everyday activities.
It's a time when you step away from the scrutiny of your ego.
Sacred time invites the ego self,
Someone who often feels separate,
Insecure,
And fearful,
That someone who automatically falls back into historical patterns of control,
To step aside and stop being the director of your life for a little bit.
So if you find yourself sitting and trying to meditate,
Take your hands off the controls.
Relax.
Remember the worry dolls.
You'll soon find you're comfortably relaxed in the flow of universal energy,
Fully engaged and fully alive.
Let's take a short practice.
Close your eyes and find a comfortable sitting position.
Take a breath in and as you exhale let go of any tension or stress.
Now bring your attention to the sound of the bell.
As you hear its resonating tone allow your focus to rest solely on the sound,
Letting it guide you into a state of stillness and presence.
Soon the sound of my voice will disappear as will the bells.
Here lies the opportunity to release yourself from all doing,
Expectation,
Concerns,
And worries.
Sit as an observer,
A passenger,
Open and curious.
I'll return.
Scan the body for any tension,
Any congestion,
Tightness.
This may be the body responding to the mind's wish for control.
Let it go.
The success of your meditation today is not a result of the experience you had but because you came and practiced.
You have this same opportunity again tomorrow.
Have a wonderful day.
