I have written about it here, as have many others.  One of the principal goals of meditation is to build mindfulness within ourselves, and to show us all how to live and thrive in the present. 

What I would like to see many more of us understand is what an important role meditation can play in helping us heal and leave behind past hurts, anger and frustrations, and move toward a brighter, healthier day.

Let’s face it–we all have baggage.  And until we can pack that baggage away, and eliminate it altogether, it will be very difficult for any of us to make the progress we desire.  The Dalai Lama shares this very concept in The Wisdom of Forgiveness.  In order for us to move to another level of consciousness, we must forgive ourselves and others, free our spirits and our minds of past hurts and perceived injustices.  We must grow. And that requires a lot of time and effort.

I am undertaking this very significant challenge in my daily meditation.  It’s tough.  There’s so much I wish I could go back and change.  But there’s a reason we have our own personal histories–to better direct us in the present and into the future. Dwelling upon mistakes and misfortunes won’t change the past, and can significantly impact our futures, if we allow them to continue. 

I make it a point every morning now to empty my mind, and try and create a blank slate for the day.  I encourage myself to look at the world with new eyes and an open heart, to view every experience as a new opportunity to make a difference for the people I love, for people I may not even know, and for myself. 

To free our minds and our spirits, we must commit to thinking new, more productive thoughts, and sometimes that takes training.  What better way to move your thoughts in a more positive direction than meditation?

I see this as a personal responsibility, and one that if successfully–and seriously–undertaken, will help create a better life for me, and a much healthier universe for everyone around me.

In order to grow spiritually,  we must forgive ourselves and free our minds.  To clear our minds, we must focus.  To focus our thoughts and inner voices, we must meditate.  

It’s that simple. And that beautiful.

Peace. 

Post from: EveryJoe

Meditate Your Way to a New You

Day Three: The Beginning of the End (I hope so)

In case you are wondering, there are several symptoms of caffeine withdrawal.  And they are all too real.  I thought some of this stuff was made up,  exaggerated.  I am here to report, sadly, not.

Here are the typical symptoms you can expect:

-Headaches, the most common symptom, which affects at least of 50 percent of people in caffeine withdrawal

-Fatigue and drowsiness

-”Unhappy” mood, depression, or irritability (bingo!)

-Difficulty concentrating (what’s that?)

-Flu-like symptoms including nausea, vomiting, muscle pain, and stiffness

Every single one of the above hit me today. Every bloody one.  I woke up with a headache, lasted all morning. Just woke up from my second unexpected nap (good thing I wasn’t driving).  So I better not sit still for long if I expect to get anything done.  Unhappy mood–well, just ask my friends, two of them are not returning my calls for a week.  Definitely irritable :-)

Difficulty concentrating–and this is why I am giving the stuff up!  And the muscle pain, yikes.  My legs and arms are so stiff I cannot express how uncomfortable I am.  Although, this last one might be caused by me clenching the arm rests on my office chair, not to mention screwing by backside firmly into the seat of it to prevent myself from running to Starbucks.  Could be.

Ok, so this experiment has its challenges.  On the plus side, I was excruciatingly focused during my morning practice and meditation.  So, once the residue is finally gone, I expect great things to come my way.  Now if only I can find an intern who doesn’t read my blog and know about my decaffeination.  Maybe I could just have one little taste. 

Like the headline says, holding on tight. 

Tomorrow is another day.

Um, Peace? 

Post from: EveryJoe

Day Three: Holding on Tight