Something magical is unleashed in my life when I take my own advice to meditate and journal daily. Yes … DAILY. I've said it time and time again, these practices are crucial to my wellbeing, and support me in ways I always find surprising and refreshing. I don't know if this ever happens for you, but even after writing about the amazing impact these practices have on my life, I invariably lose my consistency for one reason or another. Then, when all hell breaks loose because I've lost touch with balance, perspective, intuition, peace, and often health, I desperately crawl my way back to my practice, and find myself pleasantly astonished to so quickly and easily regain what I had lost. Oh hey! How about that? Waddya know.
What is this? Some kind of selective memory? IT WORKS LIKE THIS EVERY TIME, ALEXIS. Get over the surprise. It's not a coincidence!
Humans.
One of these days I'll start and never, ever stop - probably when I stop eating chocolate, which may or may not ever happen. There should be a 12-step program for people who are addicted to frequently neglecting their meditation practice.
My name is Alexis, and I forgot to meditate again.
In the meantime, I'll just keep writing about it and hope that it sinks in for me at some point. That said, here's what's been working for me.
Journaling has always been an important way of processing thoughts and safely exploring my emotions. Lately, it's become an integral part of my meditation practice. The meditation part is about getting grounded, clearing my energy, and activating my chakras. This helps me open up to source energy, intuition, divine wisdom, or whatever you want to call it. It's all really the same thing. Then … I open up my journal and I write. This is the receiving part. This is my way, I suppose, of hearing guidance.
I often have written conversations with my higher self, Spirit, intuition, God, guides, angels – whatever word happens to feel comfortable for me on a given day. It helps me to answer myself in the second person. Sometimes, it's as simple as:
Me: What do I need to know today, Spirit? What will help me stay connected, open and inspired?
Spirit: Don't eat any more of that chocolate.
Me: Yeah, well, except for that.
Spirit: …
(On that particular day, I chose to ignore the advice, and paid the price of feeling scattered and accomplishing nothing.)Another time, I asked for guidance about some new ideas I was tossing around related to the direction of my writing. Spirit said, "Focus on your own happiness and then notice what flows from that. REMEMBER THIS." and then, "Notice Lucas – how he's counting, cuddling, socializing, storytelling, loving. Notice how food affects him."
For whatever reason, this exchange launched me into a flurry of fast and furious writing, outlining, planning, and pondering that formed a very exciting seed of new things to come with my writing. More on that later.
Yesterday, I was pondering whether or not I should attempt to interview Kim John Payne, an amazing speaker and author who writes about Simplicity Parenting and Social Inclusion. He's coming to town at the end of this month, and I'll be going to see his lecture. I could feel the self-doubt emanating from my pores, and so I decided to have a conversation between Spirit, my inner critic, and finally me.
Critic: Why would Kim John Payne spend time giving you an interview? Who are you to him? You don't even have your new blog concept reorganized yet.
Spirit: He'll do it because you asked him. You are a bright spirit and he can sense that. The blog will take shape in time.
Critic: You don't even know how to do an interview. Your questions are lame.
Spirit: You are smart. You can figure it out if you give it some time and effort.
Me: Okay, so Spirit, can you help me come up with some questions?
Spirit: Sure.
And within five minutes, "we" had my interview planned and written. It may take another journal conversation or two to work up the nerve to ask him for the interview, but at least I'm prepared now.The journaling and the meditation go hand in hand. When I journal without meditating first, it's more like a normal diary: "Lucas is napping. The weather's been lovely but we've been stuck inside all week since he's been sick. Blah, blah, blah." It's more difficult for me to get in touch with that higher consciousness when I don't clear out my energy and quiet my mind first. Although, if something specific is bothering me, I can get on a roll pretty quickly. For instance, all of the healing work I did around Bossy-boss Lina was made possible simply by putting those first pestering thoughts to paper and following their lead.
Since I got sick last month, I've been meditating daily and I've filled half my journal already. I feel grounded, focused, connected, and prolific! So, are you ready to join my Meditation Avoiders Anonymous group?
Cheers!
Alexis
8 comments:
Your story and clearing from your last post was fascinating. It is amazing what our psyche can bring to us, huh?
I like your 'spirit' answers, they are very encouraging and right on the money I think! And re: interviewing I think it helps to remember that if someone has a book out, they WANT you to interview them, and link to their book and/or website. You are helping highlight their work, so I don't think you should ever hesitate to ask. They might be busy, but I don't think they'd turn you down just because you're not from, say, TIME magazine!!
It is so interesting to me how journaling works for you; I know others like that but journaling has never been a big part of my path. On the other hand, meditation is and has been fairly easy for me to maintain (I have failed miserably whenever I have tried to journal regularly.) So as in everything, different things work for different people. Maybe you don't need to meditate daily? Of course, you are saying here that you feel better when you do, so maybe you do need to do it daily. But not everyone does, I think. It's very individual I think.
But then again, that has become my mantra in just about everything lately - "it's very individual"!!!
haha, I love this so much! ;)
Me: What do I need to know today, Spirit? What will help me stay connected, open and inspired?
Spirit: Don't eat any more of that chocolate.
Me: Yeah, well, except for that.
I journal almost daily and adore it, and yes it does ground and clear my thoughts and it is a beautiful process. I have not tried dialoguing as you did but I also resonate with how at times higher self, angels, God or whatever name will come through as it wants to for that day. This is also neat!
I like your site very much! :) ~Jenn
Lisa~Thanks so much for the kind words. As for authors promoting their books, what you mentioned here finally did occur to me last night, so that's encouraging. :-)
You're right that "it's very individual" when it comes to meditating and journaling and other practices. Everyone will experience it differently, and everyone will have different layers of resistance or interest. So true. The journaling certainly works for me, but I've been doing it much longer than I've been meditating. I've only been meditating regularly since last year this time. I've journaled for years. Whereas you have meditated for many years, very consistently and consciously, so I imagine your meditation practice would feel much more like a second skin than journaling would. Meditation only started working for me when I started working it, so to speak.
But again, everything is individual. If someone told me the only way they could get really fit was to take spin classes, that wouldn't work for me and I'd have no interest in trying it. Pilates and yoga are my exercise practices of choice.
Jenn~ Glad you liked my chocolate conversation. It made me laugh, too. It's nice to have you here as a reader and commenter. I'm so glad you are enjoying it!
Cheers!
Alexis
Hi Alexis: I also have had conversations with Spirit using a journal format and also find it very effective. It's been a while since I've done it though, so it's a good reminder... :-)
Janice
loved your conversation with your spirit. And the advice with regard to the chocolate (even more that you didn't take it!) I don't meditate as such each day, but have just started over the past couple of weeks doing yoga every morning, and [sort of] meditating whilst doing that, and it's making a real difference to how I feel and think during the day, so I might follow along, but with my yoga practice and sort of meditating as my daily goal.
Janice~ I'm glad this post offered up a little nudge for you. Yay!
Julie~ Thanks! Yoga can certainly be a very meditative practice. How great for you that you're developing such a healthy new habit. You mentioned noticing a difference to your days when you do your yoga. Even if you don't journal, it might provide some additional incentive if you jotted down how you feel each day, especially if you happen to miss a day of the yoga. That way you'll have it in writing that it really does make a positive difference for you. You won't as easily be able to tell yourself that perhaps the benefit was just in your head or just coincidence.
Cheers!
Alexis
Did you ask HIM???? The answer won't matter and if he says no--I will personally kick him in the shins...and show him my words.
Katybeth ~ Um... not yet.
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