Does it feel as if you can’t meditate, even though you'd love to?
Meditation, we hear so much about it lately. It is supposed to relieve us of almost anything: stress, health issues, worries, heart-ache, lack of sleep, anxiety, depression, etc.
Many of my coaching and counselling clients would love to meditate, but they believe they aren’t any good at it, or have no idea how to fit it into their busy lives.
Would you like to be one those people who seem to go through life without things affecting them too much? Would you love a bit of that inner peace, that calm radiance that they seem to possess? How do they do it? What's their secret?
If that's you, enjoy reading.
If you are not your thoughts…
then who are you?
Longing to feel Zen?
Lessons on Meditation by a Buddhist Monk
Meditation was once defined to me by a Buddhist monk in Nepal as "the space between two thoughts". When you prolong that space a stillness appears, a gap, and in that gap you find peace and answers; it's where you re-connect with yourself. This is what it means to meditate.
He also told me that when you start to meditate and you notice lots and lots of thoughts rushing through your mind, that this is a good thing. Do not fear that this is a sign of failure or an indication of not being good at meditation. It's a sign that you have become a witness of your own mind.
And who is it that witness? You are not your mind. You are not the chaotic, stressful, cacophony of thoughts that seems to blur your ability to focus, think clearly or feel peaceful. You are the still, listening, attentive, alert and awake being that is always present. It's as if you are the vast sky, and your thoughts are just the clouds passing by.
I liked the definition of meditation of this monk, as it made meditation seem more accessible and worth a shot.
Meditation means to prolong the space between two thoughts. That sounds do-able, even if it's just a nano-second at a time…
Easy yet profound Guided Meditations to instantly feel calmer and more joyous in your day-to-day life.
When we quiet our mind a deeper source of wisdom will speak. Being aware of - and listening to - this innate and intrinsic inner guidance is a cornerstone to living a life you love.
“In the beginning you will fall into the gaps in between thoughts – after practising for years, you become the gap.”
J. Kleykamp
And one more thing, don't think you can only meditate when you wake up super early and sit on a cushion. Be mindful not to make meditation a new "should" on your to-do list. Stay playful and joyous; you can do it in the tube to work, on the platform waiting for the train, in the toilet cubicle before that stressful meeting, lying in bed before falling asleep, even while waiting in the queue at the bank. Really, enjoy meditating :)
During the coaching sessions I help you reduce stress and experience a greater sense of balance, peace and calm by doing guided meditations together. Many clients told me that it's easier for them to meditate if a voice is guiding them. That made a lot of sense to me. So I overcame my shyness to listen to the sound of my own voice (I even have trouble when I hear my own voice messages on a phone) and I recorded these thoughtful meditations for you. And guess what, people keep telling me they love the sound of my voice ;)
Warmly,
Karin Peeters
Life & Executive Coach - Counsellor & Psychotherapist
