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I was recently diagnosed with fibromyalgia. It was recommended to me to begin yoga and meditation. I do not have a full understanding of these concepts. I have done a little research and downloaded tons of info on the yoga. Can you shed a little light on meditation for me? I am only beginning. Thank you!!!
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Hi Bridgett,
Meditation is basically a method used to enable you to quite your mind and enter into a relaxed and altered state of consciousness. There are two paths or schools to Meditation. The most common is to use meditation to get to a place of peace and tranquility, away from the troubles and burdens of everyday life. Much like in the way people use alcohol, drugs, smoking, work, sex or whatever to distract themselves from their issues.
The other path is far less traveled and one that I am on, and that is to use meditation to find the source and causes of ones problems and issues and there by resolve and end them.
If you would like to know more or "how to" meditate, I can help you there also. The method is basically the same for each path; it is only the intent that is different.
John
Thank you for your quick response. I would like to know exactly how to meditate. I want to learn how to manage my pain without the use of medications, so I, too, would be following the second path. Any info would be extremely helpful. I used to teach lamaze, so I think I understand the breathing aspect of meditation. Do I need to learn the first path before I can learn the second? Again, thank you for your help.
bridgett
Answer -
Hi Bridgett,
What I'm into isn't about "managing" my pain, but finding and healing the cause of my pain whether it's mental, emotional or physical. Fibromyalgia as with all types of disease, has its roots in denied emotions. Whether you want to go into this area is your choice.
I also have a website with info on it that you might be interested in. You can find it at www.saysame.com
Anyway, I've cut and pasted a part of my manuscript dealing with Meditation and it takes you up to visualizations. Actually this is the turning point. Go no further and you are in the first group. Take the red pill (I think it was the red pill in the movie the Matrix) and I'll show you how deep the rabbit hole goes.
John
PS: There is a glitch in the cut and paste in that instead of "quotes" and commas' have weird things.. I even tried it in a htm format and still the same. If you can't read it I can e-nmail you a copy in th eform of a word document, one that you can read.
APPENDIX
Originally I was going to insert the ?otools?? and techniques as I went along but then felt it would be better served in the form of an appendix. This way, it could also serve as a handy reference guide for the reader and would also enable me to add any future experiences and insights related to that topic. I?Tll be discussing all the tools that I?Tve used but I feel it?Ts important to give you the Meditation /Visualization techniques in detail, as it is used as a springboard for all other journeys.
While I write from the perspective of doing these journeys with another or by yourself, there is nothing stopping you from experiencing any of these tools in a group setting. Sometimes the experiences wouldn?Tt be as intensive, while other times they are more so. If you?Tre interested in working with a group, I would suggest that you begin by doing guided meditations and visualizations. I also recommend that you have several personal and shared experiences before you set out to conduct any of the other journeys in a group format. This will give you some experience so that you?Tll know what to expect and how to assist a member of the group should they get into difficulty.
I?Tve arranged these ?otools?? in the order I feel they should be experienced if you?Tre just starting out. If you?Tve already experienced any of what I?Tm presenting here, it would be beneficial if you allowed yourself to be open to this process as what I?Tm giving you here has ?okey?? information. Once you?Tve become familiar with the basic techniques and have experienced the various journeys, you can then apply what you feel is right for you and you will be guided to the next step. It?Ts easier to teach an open mind, someone who has never experienced what you are showing them, than to try to change the mind of someone who thinks they know what they are doing. What I?Tm saying here is, put aside what you?Tve been taught, if it differs from what I?Tm offering you as that will only hamper your experience, but again, that is your choice and your experience, so forget what I just said. (Smile) As stated, you will have conscious awareness of what you?Tre experiencing, simply allow yourself to begin, to trust your intuition and to go or experience where or what you need to. I?Tm on a journey like you are and new experiences are always unfolding, bringing new insights and tools. What I share with you now is what I?Tve experienced and what I know and believe to be true in this moment. I feel that anything new I discover will not change what I?Tve said here, but rather add to it, as will what you experience on your journeys add to your knowing.
And now, these are the ?otools?? I?Tve discovered that have helped me on my inner journey. I?Tve divided the journey into eight separate sections of (breath, grounding, relaxing the body, centering), our intent, the journey, returning, and integrating. Before you do any meditation/visualization or any of the other journeys, you will need to prepare yourself by going through the basics techniques of (Breath, Grounding, Relaxing, and Centering). Like I said earlier, once you?Tre familiar with the tools and have experienced the journeys you can adapt your own unique style, but until you are comfortable on your own, it would be best to follow these guidelines. Having reached your place of centre, your individual journey will begin from there with (Our intent). This same place of centre will also be the ending point of all your journeys when you return.
This next part may be a bit confusing to you at first, but I?Tm sure you?Tll appreciate it when you get the hang of it. I use the same basic techniques of (Breath, Grounding, Relaxing, and Centering) for the beginning of each journey and so instead of repeating myself, I?Tve decided to refer you back to the section on Meditation in order for you to begin any journey. In this way, what I?Tll present for each specific journey or tool will just focus on what is different and important for that journey. It will begin with Our intent, then move into The journey and conclude with (Returning and Integrating). Returning and integrating are also basically the same but as they?Tre relatively short, I?Tve included them with each journey as it helps maintain the flow. Any extra details and insights for the particular journey will be found under Notes.
(The following basic techniques apply to all journeys)
******* Breath, Grounding, Relaxing and Centering *******
Begin by finding a comfortable room or place where you will not be disturbed. Turn off your telephones, pagers, and turn down your answering machine if you have one. You can meditate in silence or if you have any soft instrumental music where there are no lyrics, or recordings of the sounds of nature, these are beneficial especially it there is any background noise that you have no control of that might otherwise disturb you. You may also want to burn some incense or light a candle to assist you. If you do, make sure that it is done safely as it will be basically left unattended for an hour unless you have someone guiding you. Find a comfortable chair with a back if you prefer but one where both feet can be placed flat on the floor. If your feet don?Tt touch the floor, get a book or a number of books or anything else to be able to support the bottom of your feet. If you desire, you can also sit on a cushion on the floor or directly on the floor if you are comfortable with that. It really doesn?Tt matter as long as you can remain in this position for an hour or so without major cramping up or having to make any major movements as that will tend to bring you out of your altered state, especially when you are first beginning to meditate. If you do come out, simply begin to re-focus yourself to get back to where you were, or to a place you remember and start from there. You might also find that you come out of your altered state because of what you were experiencing, when this happens allow yourself to express whatever emotions need to be expressed in the moment.
You can do a meditation by yourself, where you act as your own guide and you simply allow yourself to experience whatever servers your highest purpose and good. You can read the procedure I?Tm about to outline and then follow it as best you can from memory, or you can make a tape of it. If you have a friend that is also interested you can have them read it aloud and guide you, and then later you can do it for them. The latter technique prepares you for working with a partner and assisting others in the future.
An important note that I need to stress before you begin, is that if for whatever reason you are abruptly disturbed from your meditation or journey and you are not able to continue, then before you terminate your meditation or journey and return to your full conscious state, make it your intent to bring back all your power and essence pertaining to the Earth plane and this physical body in the here and now. If you don?Tt bring these parts back, you?Tll feel scattered and disoriented until they slowly return by themselves. You can assist the process by re-grounding yourself, clapping your hands together three or four times, jumping up and down, or by washing your hands and face. So now, if you are ready lets begin by getting comfortable, loosen any tight or constricting clothing, make sure that you are warm and close your eyes.
Breath: Once you are comfortable, bring your conscious awareness to your breath. Feel yourself breathing in and out, inhaling and exhaling, becoming aware of how your body feels when it is breathing, breathing deeply into your diaphragm. (Pause) Now focus on your breath by breathing in through your nose to the count of four and exhaling through your mouth to the count of four and continue to do this a few times. (Pause) Now slowing down again, inhale through your nose to the count of four, hold your breath to the count of four, and then exhale through your mouth to the count of four and hold to the count of four. (Pause) You may also want to reverse this cycle, or to breathe only through your nose or mouth; it really doesn?Tt matter, do what feels comfortable for you. (Pause). Keep repeating this cycle and if you so desire, you might want to lengthen your counts or shorten them if you feel strained. Let yourself feel and be aware of your breath and how it feels to your body. (Pause two to three minutes) Now allow your breathing to return to its natural rhythm, to what is comfortable for you. (Short pause)
Grounding: Now bring your consciousness to your feet, wiggle your toes and feel them move. At this point visualize yourself ankle deep in water, it can be at the sea, lake, stream or wherever you imagine. (Short pause) Now imagine yourself wiggling and moving your feet, feeling them sink into the sand beneath the water and connecting you with the Earth. If water doesn?Tt feel comfortable for you, then visualize yourself as a tree and feel yourself putting down roots into the Earth, as deep as you feel you need to go to feel connected to the Earth. (Pause)
Relaxing the body: Now that you?Tre grounded, bring this feeling of peace and relaxation up into your feet, relaxing your feet, ankles and calves. (Short pause) Feel them relax, feel the energy flowing up from the Earth and in to your feet, letting them relax and also allowing all your mental thoughts, cares and worries to flow down thorough your body, into your feet and then into the Earth. (Short pause) Now allow this relaxed feeling to move up to your knees, relaxing them, feel them relaxing. (Pause) Now slowly moving up to your thighs, feel them grow limp and heavy as they relax. (Pause) Now moving this relaxing energy up to your hips and feel your hips relax, feel you whole lower body relaxing now and connected to the Earth. Let your thoughts and worries of the day flow down your body, into the Earth as you feel this peaceful and relaxed energy moving up into your body. (Pause)
Now, allow this relaxing energy to move slowly up your back, feel your back relax. (Pause) Moving slowly now all the way up to your shoulders, move your shoulders slightly, feel them relax. Feel the tension and anxiety that you are holding there dissolve and drain down through your body and into the Earth. (Pause) Feel your back and shoulders relaxing, growing lighter and heavier at the same time and becoming peaceful. (Pause) Now move this relaxed feeling up into your neck, move your neck and head slightly, feel the tension in your neck and jaw, move your jaw, yawn if you like and feel your neck and jaw relax and release. (Pause) Take a few deep breaths and just let all your cares, thoughts and worries go, feel them flowing into the Earth. At the same time feel the relaxing energy moving up your body relaxing it, and feel your body connected to the Earth (Pause) Now relaxing your mouth, your lips, even your teeth are relaxed. (Short pause) Your cheeks, your face, your eyes and eyelids are relaxed. (Short pause) You are feeling at peace, drifting deeper and deeper into total relaxation yet conscious and aware. (Short pause) Now slowly moving up to your forehead, scalp and even your hair is relaxing, letting go. (Short pause) Now moving down the back and side of your head, relaxing your ears and moving into your neck and down to your shoulders again, feeling them relax even more (Short pause) Now moving down into your arms, feeling your arms and elbows relax. (Pause) Now slowly moving down now to your wrists and hands, to your fingers and even your fingernails are relaxed. Feel your hands and arms growing heavier and heavier yet lighter at the same time as they relax. (Pause)
Feel your whole body relaxing now as you go deeper and deeper, feeling more and more peaceful and in tune with your body. (Short pause) Now bring your awareness to your internal organs, your brain, your lungs, heart, liver, kidneys, spleen, intestines, feel them all relax. (Pause) Now slowly scan your body and if there is any part of you that still doesn?Tt feel relaxed, simply bring your consciousness there and allow it to relax. Take a moment to do this now and to be with your body, feel the energy moving up into every part of your body and feel yourself totally connected to the Earth. (Longer pause)
Centering: Now bringing your awareness to your heart, your heart centre, feel it beating, feel its rhythm. (Short pause) Now slowly move your awareness up to your third eye, located between your eyes and your ears in the middle of your head. Feeling safe, secure and at peace, resting comfortably and relaxed. (Pause) This place of centre will be the starting point, as well as the ending point of your inner journey. We now call upon our guides of love, light and life to assist us in whatever is appropriate that serves your highest purpose and good. (Pause) Also, give yourself permission to express any emotions you may feel in the course of your inner journey. (Pause)
This concludes the (Breath, Grounding, Relaxing and Centering) technique portion of your journey. At this point, you would now state your specific intent for the journey that you desire to experience.
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Meditation
Meditation like everything else has its duality and is a double edged sword. It can be used as means to control, calm and still the mind, your consciousness, or it can be used as a doorway to expand your consciousness, your view of yourself and your life. Meditation can be spontaneous or it can be a deliberately self-induced state of altered consciousness. Meditation is not hypnotism. Everyone meditates although they don't realize it as a form of meditation. Whenever you daydream or drift off for a moment, that is actually a form of meditation, an altered state of consciousness. It can happen while you are watching TV, driving the car, or at work when suddenly you snap back to conscious awareness of your present reality and out of your altered state and you become aware that minutes, or even hours have passed. Sometimes you?Tll remember your experiences and other times they are lost the moment you return. Daydreaming also allows you to take yourself out of an undesirable or boring situation to experience what you desire. Of note, traumatic events also cause altered states of consciousness where one is not able to recall any conscious memory of the experience. This is important as it also ties into fragmentation and the ?oouter child?? that will be discussed later.
Meditation requires an absence of effort; you cannot work hard at meditation, the practice of doing nothing, as that defeats the purpose of meditation the first place. To meditate, you have to let yourself go, to relax completely as if you were going to sleep. If you do fall asleep during your meditation that?Ts OK, as that is what you needed to do as your conscious mind wasn?Tt ready to see what was being shown to you. Also don't worry that you?Tll get lost or wouldn't come back during meditation. If you follow the simple guidelines I?Tm going to be giving you and your intuition, you?Tll be totally safe. However, I must caution you that you shouldn?Tt try to meditate or journey if you are under drugs, including prescription or have been drinking, as you are already in an altered state of consciousness. Usually these people will simply fall asleep, but the possibility is there for them to become lost and disoriented and to not be able to bring their consciousness back as quickly. Intent is the key here and will determine what the person experiences.
At the denial end of meditation, the ultimate goal is to control and still the mind, to block out all thoughts and feelings including those of the physical body and to be in a state of emptiness or nothingness. Having said that, it is difficult to remain in this state of non-conscious thought, non-being, so to speak, as sooner or later words or pictures will come to mind. At first one merely allows whatever words, pictures, or feelings to come into their conscious awareness, to be the silent witness. At the same time, if your goal is denial, to still the mind, then this is not desired and so you choose to move these thoughts out of your consciousness.
The next progression is to enter into an internal dialogue with the voices and sights that are coming to your awareness. Following that, is the deliberate guiding of the conscious mind to different realms and aspects of self and to simply becoming aware of what you are experiencing or to allow yourself to verbally express it. This step then takes us to yet to another level, that of channeling. As you still the conscious mind, you become aware of the thoughts, images, and feelings that are coming to you. Knowing that they are not your thoughts or words, that they are separate from your present consciousness, you have the choice of allowing them to be spoken through you or to write them down. Channeling will be presented in its own unique manner and form later in this appendix. Like I said earlier, meditation like everything has its duality and is a double edge sword. It is important to note that all of these different tools and levels also have a denial aspect to them and can be used to either deny, or to openly explore what you?Tre experiencing or feeling.
Before you begin this journey you will need to prepare yourself by going through the basics techniques of breath, grounding, relaxing, centering yourself, see Meditation for details.
Our intent is to be guided to whatever serves my/our highest purpose and good and to receive any insights to the issues I/we have, or what I/we need to look at in my/our life at this time.
Meditation: Now from your place of centre, this quiet place, your sanctuary, simply allow your mind to become still, to open, and to receive. Once you?Tve reached this point there is nothing more you need do, but to allow your awareness to become still in this space. As you enter this silent inner space you may begin to hear, see, or sense things around you, sometimes the communication is vivid and direct, other times it is soft, subtle or symbolic. If interfering, judgmental and critical thoughts come up, simply acknowledge them, and ask them to wait until you are finished your meditation or to join you in this quiet time. Allow yourself to stay here as long as you feel you need to, or you may have previously determined how long you are going to meditate.
Returning: If you are doing a meditation by yourself, you will usually come out of it by yourself or when the music stops. As your consciousness returns to you, state that you now intend to bring back all your power and essence pertaining to the Earth plane and this physical body in the here and now. Allow yourself to come back slowly and to begin to feel your consciousness returning to your body. Begin to move your fingers and toes and slowly move your neck and head. Take a few deep breaths and when you are ready, move the rest of your body.
Integrating: Stay in your seated position for a few minutes and reflect on your experience and the feeling in your body. If you keep a diary or journal you can write your entries. If you become emotional from your experience, allow the emotions to move in whatever way they desire and express them as you feel you can. If you had a friend guiding you, then after a few moments you can share your experience with them if you so choose.
Notes: During a meditation, you may experience strange physical sensations, especially one of feeling HUGE, as in galactic terms or at the other end of the scale, becoming an infinitesimal speck of light. You may also feel physically hot or cold, see of feel yourself floating or surrounded in clouds of coloured light, see specks of light around you, or you might hear music, a kind you have never heard before. Nothing is impossible and expect the unexpected.
Visualization / Journeys
After experiencing how to relax your body and still the mind in a meditation, the next step is a guided visualization. Your visualization journey can be anything from a walk along a beach, a swim in and under the water, to exploring a cave or finding a treasure chest to retrieve a gift. You could also visualize a walk in the woods or jungle, strolling beside a river, then dipping under a waterfall, entering a cave, and exploring it. Or you might go to a sanctuary where you have to enter and explore different rooms or climb up or down steps to different levels. Whatever the journey, be aware of what you see, hear and especially feel and allow yourself to stop your experience to ask any questions you may have. Another unique journey is to visualize yourself laying on a beach or floating on the water. Then to allow yourself to move out of that body, attached by a silver chord, to then fly off to an island mountain top or a sacred place to do whatever you have to. When you?Tve completed that part of the journey, you return to your body on the beach or floating in the water and then back to mist outside your present body and then back into your present body. There is no limit as to what you can explore and experience.
Again these visualizations can be self-directed or you can purchase one of hundreds of visualization audio tapes available. Better yet, have a friend assist you on your journey and both of you can get involved in what is being experienced as your friend can guide you into areas that they feel are important for you. Where as a taped visualization is always the same journey but, you can also have different experiences each time you listen to it.
If you are guiding someone, try not to use too many specific details like colours or types of animals or trees as this will tend to confuse or distract the person on the journey if they are seeing something else. If you can give them options like a junction in the path, one leading to the left, another to the right and allow them to choose one. They might respond with, ?oYes, I see the fork in the road, I?Tm going to follow the one on the right as that is where my animal guide, my wolf is leading me.?? Also allow yourself to share what you are experiencing with your friend even though it is you that is guiding them. The more journeys you do and help guide, the more open you become as your intuition begins to surface and you get reinforcements from the other person that your intuition was correct.
For visualizations and especially journeys, I would recommend that at least for the first few times that you have a partner. One that is on the same path as you and has the same intent to heal as you do, so that you can assist each other and guide one another on your journeys. I have to add that no journey is ever only for the benefit of the one doing the journey as the person assisting and doing the guiding will also become involved in the journey. The lesson or experience for the one doing the guiding is to allow yourself to be open, to feel and intuit what the other person is feeling and expressing, as well as allowing yourself to feel and express your own intuition and emotions. By allowing yourself to express what you?Tre picking up you will assist or trigger the person doing the journey into acknowledging what they are feeling, but may be denying expressing as they may feel it?Ts their imagination or isn?Tt important and so on. Also don?Tt be fooled into thinking that just because the person you are guiding has a particular issue that you don?Tt have involvement also, if you didn?Tt, it wouldn?Tt be coming up for you to witness and to feel. The ?oblue mist?? that I?Tll be mentioning, is the starting point for doing either a visualization or any of the other journeys. The more journeys you do, the quicker you can get yourself into and out of the mist as you develop your own unique techniques.
Meditation/Visualization is the key to open all the other inner tools or doorways. It is utilized in all the journeys, from meeting your higher self, guides and animal totems, channeling, clearing your astral attachments, past lives, Shamanic, Archetypal and multi-dimensional journeys and most importantly doing inner and outer child regression and healing the emotions. Having said that, once the door has been opened, you no longer need meditation/visualization to take you to where you want to go. If you?Tre new to all of this, it?Ts important to follow the steps until you are familiar with them, like riding a bike and then you can strike out on your own and develop what feels right for you. Although I recommend you begin each journey using this form of meditation/visualization, it is not mandatory for every experience. The more open and familiar you become with the techniques and the process, the easier and quicker it is for you to reach this altered state of conscious awareness. With people that I?Tve worked with before, I can go directly to. ??Close your eyes, visualize yourself ankle deep in water at the lake or sea, feel yourself grounded and connected with the Earth. Now visualize (a time or place) and let me know when you are there.?? From this point, they can take themselves on any journey, to go wherever they need to, and all in a matter of seconds.
Before you begin this journey you will need to prepare yourself by going through the basics techniques of breath, grounding, relaxing, centering yourself, see Meditation for details.
Our intent this day is to connect with my/our higher self and guides, and to receive any insights as to the issues that I/we have in my/our life in this moment and to be guided to whatever serves my/our highest purpose and good. During this journey it?Ts OK to talk about what you are experiencing, to ask or answer questions as well as to express any emotions that you are feeling.
The journey: Now, visualise a blue mist before you and allow yourself to move out from your place of centre and to slowly move into the mist. It might be blue or green or whatever other colour is appropriate. You may not see a mist and that is OK too, you may just sense or feel that you are in the mist or somewhere outside your physical body. You are about to begin your journey and when you return, you will come back to this place in the mist before returning to your body. (Short pause) Tell me when you feel you are in this mist, this space feeling safe and secure? (Pause) Waiting for a ?oyes, I?Tm in the mist??.
Now allow and feel yourself moving through the mist and as you do, you see the mist beginning to clear. (Short pause) Before you lies a beautiful beach and beyond the beach is a body of water, note the colour of the sand and the water. (Short pause) Notice if there is anything or anyone on the beach or in the water. (Short pause) Notice if there are clouds or anything else in the sky? (Short pause) Allow yourself to walk toward the beach, feel the temperature and texture of the sand beneath your feet change as you near the waters edge. (Short pause) Feel the sun on your face and the wind on your body; notice what you are wearing. (Short pause) Listen to the sounds around you as you breathe the air. (Short pause)
I?Tve stopped the journey here as I feel that with what I?Tve already given you that you are quite able to grasp the format and techniques of completing the journey. Once you?Tre in the mist, your journey is limited only by your imagination. I?Tll be doing other journeys in more detail and that will also help you if you have a problem here. After the journey, the next important steps are the return and the integrating which I will now present. If you are guiding someone on a visualization journey and you feel that it?Ts time for them to return, the following is the procedure I use and if you are doing your own journey, the same basic format is also used.
Returning: It is now time to return, to end your journey and to re-enter the blue mist, (Pause) Let me know when you are back in the mist? (Short pause) Waiting for the reply ?oyes, I?Tm going back in the mist??. Now allow yourself to come back through the mist to outside your physical body, resting comfortably, safe and secure, let me know when you are back to this place? (Pause, again waiting for a, ??yes, I?Tm back??) Now, bring back all your power and essence pertaining to the Earth plane and this physical body in the here and now. (Short pause) Now slowly leave the mist and return to your physical body, to your place of centre in the middle of your head, between your ears and eyes, the place where you began your journey, resting comfortable, secure and at peace. (Short pause) Now slowly allow yourself to begin to feel your consciousness returning to your physical body. Begin to move your fingers and toes and to slowly move your neck and head. (Short pause) Take a few slow, deep breaths and when you?Tre ready, begin to move the rest of your body, your shoulders, arms, and feet. (Short pause) You?Tre now fully conscious and aware of everything that happened to you on your journey that you need to remember at this time. (Short pause) When you are ready, you can slowly open your eyes.
Integrating: Stay in your seated position for a few minutes and reflect on your experience and the feeling in your body. If you had a friend guiding you, then after a few moments you can share your experience with them, or if you keep a diary or journal you can write your experiences. As previously mentioned, it is desirable to express your emotions as you?Tre feeling and experiencing them, but if you become emotional after your journey, then allow the emotions to move and express them as you can. Also express yourself to express your fear of expressing or any other fears that may come up.
Notes: Again, if for whatever reason you are abruptly disturbed from your journey and you are not able to continue, then before you terminate your journey make it your conscious intent to bring back all your power and essence pertaining to the Earth plane and this physical body in the here and now. If on the other hand you ask them to return to the mist and there is no answer, ask again. If there is still no answer, ask them where they are. Depending on their response, repeat the first step and tell them that their journey is over and that they are now to return to their physical body. If they still seem to be ?ooff?? somewhere and you can?Tt seem to reach them, then place your hand or hands on the tops of their feet, knees or shoulders as this will help ground them and bring them back. It might take a few minutes if they have really gone deep or ?ooff?? somewhere. If a person is on drugs, or has been drinking, or seems detached or scattered, do not take them on a journey. There will be times when you will be doing a visualization and you will go ?ooff?? as I call it and you will not remember where you went or what you experienced, it?Ts as if you were asleep for twenty minutes or an hour. I feel that these are our inner journeys with our higher self and guides, to do work on other levels that our conscious mind isn?Tt ready to be a part of yet.
I have read your entire message, and just by reading and making the conscious effort of remembering the steps and trying to put myself in the frame of mind to remember these steps, I feel a sense of relaxation. I am so sorry, but I have a couple other questions. The first is, my main pain point is my hips. Sometimes sitting for a period of time causes pain. Should I lay down, or because my focus is to relax, find the cause, and eliminate the pain, should I sit? The second is, meditation, in and of itself, will allow me to eliminate the pain, if only for a short time, is what I got that you are telling me. That I should not settle for managing the pain. Is this correct? I am sorry, you can tell that I am meditation-illiterate, right? lol Thank you so much for your help. I cannot express what your help means.
Answer
Hi Bridgett,
No problem with the questions, anytime. If you have problems sitting then lay down if that is what you feel like doing, there are no rules, only guidelines. But saying that, you you could also try to go into a meditative state with your pain and make it your intent to find the causes of the pain. Or if you were still in pain when you laid down, then do the same thing. Either way is OK.
Meditation is not a cure, like I said it's a temporay escape from reality. BUT it can be used as a tool to find the cause and not just manage, but heal the issues and the pain, BUT.. you have to do the work because it's YOUR pain and your issues.
I feel that the pain in your hips has to do with your being afraid of life and of moving forward, afraid of the future, afraid of failure, not being good enough, not doing the right thing. Your hips are only part of your body that is being affected.
You also put yourself out for others, you give others what you can't give yourself, and that is love. You sacrifice yourself, and I don't mean just physicaly, I mean emotionally and mentally too. You express very little of what you are really feeling. You keep it in and pretend you are strong for others and you also take on others cares and worries. You are also carrying lots of guilt and that is part of the reason you do things for others. You are also an energy sponge but the energy that you are taking in is not yours or loving and furthermore you are, by your unloving actions toward yourself directing more unloving energy towards the parts of you that you deem unacceptable, those things that you don't like about yourself.
OK, well that just came up out of the blue, but that's what I do.. Hey I'm a poet also :)
I have about 40 - 50 pages on using meditation to heal emotions, let me know when you are ready. and like I said, there is a lot on the website "message board"
John
