Now is the Best Time to Travel to Nowhere Land

Meditation is an activity that more of us are getting into. Whatever the reasons for our seeking out this practice is of little consequence, the most important thing is that we found it, started and we are well on our way to nowhere.

Meditation allows me to sit in the now, to connect with the greater part of who I am, and to be present. It asks me to put aside all of my troubles from yesterday and my fears of tomorrow and just sit.

I saw the look pass across your face, one of chagrin and a bit of pain because you have been doing this meditation thing for a while now and as far as you are concerned, it is not working. Your definition of 'not working' is the constant presence of thoughts - good thoughts and bad thoughts that pass by just because you have a thinking mind. On more than one occasion, you check out of the twenty minutes you had set for yourself because you were unable to relax, you were unable to still your thoughts, you did not connect to anything outside of your head. You failed. Frustration mounted. You are seriously thinking of putting aside this meditation thing.

Before you do, I would like to encourage you to try one other trick. I use the work trick because over time I learned that I needed a way to 'outsmart' the thinking mind, not that I was trying to stop it from doing what it does because I cannot, but that I was using that same thinking mind to work for me.

Here is what I do: Once I have settled into a nice comfortable position -  (comfort is key, you can never relax as long as the physical body is not experiencing ease), I relax from head to the toe with my eyes closed, allowing my breathing to settle down into a smooth, clean rhythm, and then I begin to notice my thoughts as they come rushing in. They were patiently waiting for this moment. Now that they had me all to themselves, they intended to hijack those same twenty minutes I had set aside to meditate. 

Thoughts of the chores I have to complete.
Thoughts of my children and how they are doing.
Thoughts of another day being unemployed.
Thoughts of my mother-in-law coming by for dinner that evening.
Thoughts of the state of our planet.
Thoughts of not meditating because I was having thoughts.

Empty random thoughts that attempt to unsettle the calm I was trying to broker…….
And now the trick: when each thought comes, I show gratitude for it;

I am grateful for a strong, sprightly body that can still perform my chores without pain.
Thankful for having children that love and respect themselves.
Happy that even though I am unemployed, my Maslow's pyramid is still quite full.
Pleasantly indebted to my mother-in-law for creating my marvelous spouse.
Appreciative that our planet is still supporting me, and awaiting my return to enjoy its beauty.
Pleased that I have thoughts, that my brain is functioning and my mind is still active.

And before I know it, that feeling of gratitude builds and courses through me, raising my vibration and separating my energy body from my physical body, and I am transported into the welcoming embrace of the One Consciousness. Here, thoughts are of no consequence, thoughts are not even noticed and it was not that they disappeared but that I had traveled to nowhere.