Meditation
Let’s talk Meditation
Have you ever thought to yourself, “I can’t meditate”
or “My mind just won’t slow down”?
Let me first say, that we have ALL had these thoughts. We all had to start somewhere, and when we are first learning to meditate, there tend to be those fearful thoughts that pop in and try to hold us back from beginning the practice of meditation. But that is exactly what it is… a practice. And just like anything else, it takes desire, a little dedication, and consistency to turn a beginner into a Practitioner of Meditation.
so how do I begin?
The first time I tried to sit in Meditation, I was on my couch, I crossed my legs and tried to sit in what I thought was Lotus Pose. I closed my eyes and that was it. Immediately the thoughts came rushing in… rambling on… I sat there for 20 more seconds, waiting for my mind to “clear and quiet”. I don’t think I made it to one minute before I opened my eyes and said to myself, I can’t do this. My mind is going a million miles an hour. I thought how does anyone do this? The good news is that I didn’t give up because I knew I wanted to try meditation. Somehow, I just knew this was something I needed in my life and I was going to keep trying. My inner voice was still asking, How does everyone else do it? How do I begin?
This lead me to ask questions and here is what happened. The Universe saw fit to place into my life, my very first teacher. I received a “random” phone call asking if I wanted to attend a mini-retreat where I would sit in Guided Meditations, do yoga, do some writing, communing, and meet some new people. I was so nervous, but I immediately knew it was right. I said yes, absolutely! For 3 days I attended the retreat and let go of fears and insecurities. I put aside doubts and allowed my spirit to guide me. This retreat literally changed my life. I am not saying my practice was perfect, I am saying that attending Guided Meditation helped me get started on the journey that would change my life forever. It helped me see that we are not trying to shut up our minds, but rather coexist with the mind, to allow the thoughts to come and go, to not let the obsessive thoughts take over, but rather acknowledge them, and let them pass. When we practice, even just a few minutes at a time, our thoughts will eventually, and naturally, take a back seat. There is much more to learn on this subject.
I say all this to say, wherever you begin is perfect. The only thing is that you do begin. Guided Meditation is an excellent place to begin. It is how I got started and it worked for me.
chakras
The Sanskrit word Chakra translates to “wheel” or “disk”. Chakras are the concentrated energy centres (wheels) within the body, and each one has its own function and purpose. There are Major and Minor Chakras within our energetic body systems. The seven main Chakras align along the spine, beginning at the base of the spine up to the crown of the head. These Chakras run along the spine and extend beyond and through the front, back, and both sides of your body. Chakras are energy centres that are not seen with the eye, but they can be felt, seen and sensed with intuition. That Energy is called Prana, which flows through and around us, keeping us healthy, vibrant and alive.
Chakras store energy within them from our thoughts, feelings, experiences, memories and actions. Our behaviour and mindset are affected by what we store within our Chakras. Our inner reality affects our outer reality. So when we have stored negativity and past emotional turmoil, and the like, it can manifest outwardly and harshly affect our lives. When we practice healing our Chakras, we are transmuting and releasing the life force of each Chakra, so that we can consciously bring in what we want instead of experiencing more of the same. We can intentionally connect with our stored energy to understand how our past is affecting our future, and influencing our behaviours, health, relationships and more.
The seven main Chakras correspond to and contain a multitude of nerves, organs, emotions, and spiritual states of being, and because everything moves around, energetically, it is very important to keep those energy centres open, aligned and moving. When our Chakras are blocked, the energy flow is restricted and the energy has nowhere to go, so it sits there, stagnant and grows more negative energy and discontent within the system. This physical part can be fixed easily if we have an awareness of it. Keeping them open can be a little more tricky, but can be done. Even the simple practice of Meditation can open blockages within the Chakras. Bringing awareness to the blockage of a specific Chakra can help to open the other Chakras, as well. There are many ways, in addition, to heal and open our Chakras. We can incorporate sound, herbs, colours, crystals and more into our practice to help us along. There is much more to learn on the subject of Chakras and Prana. I recommend beginning a Meditation practice and building awareness of the energy centres within your body and Aura and using your intuition toward healing yourself.
Herbs for chakras
imbalance
When a Chakra is out of balance, it can manifest in many different ways in the systems of the body. For example, when our Sacral Chakra is blocked, we may be sexually dysfunctional, uncreative, ashamed, or have compulsive behaviours. Physically, we may have lower back pain, reproductive issues, kidney and stomach disorders and infertility.
So what can we do?
Along with meditations focusing on our Sacral Chakra, we may try taking a Tincture of Calendula or Lemon Balm to help balance that Chakra and placing a Carnelian Crystal over the Chakra during the meditation. Because Calendula is such a gentle remedy, it can be used as needed to support different systems in the body and help get us back to a balanced state of being. As an added bonus, Calendula is a wonderful immune-supporting ally as well as excellent for the skin. Lemon Balm is excellent for digestion and for relieving anxiety and stress, also bringing us into a place of alignment and feeling centred. There are many ways of adding herbal remedies into our daily practices to support our physical and energetic bodies.
Another example of an imbalance could be if we are under a tremendous amount of stress, to the point where our physical body feels like it is attacking itself. I have some experience with this. It can feel like many systems are working against us. That can be very true. When our mind is stressed, we have physical manifestations that can feel terrible and debilitating at times. In this case, we could simply do a meditation where we focus on our Crown Chakra and bringing in healing energy from above, and sending it down through our entire system, slowly moving downward, until reaching our Root Chakra. Inhaling healing light, and exhaling dark or low energies that don’t belong to us. I use herbs to balance all systems of my body, depending on the physical manifestations and the Chakras I discover to be blocked. When the Crown Chakra is out of balance, we may feel disoriented or “disconnected”. We could experience discontent, stress and a feeling of longing for no apparent reason. This is where our Spiritual connection can be blocked and we can feel even a little lost. Physically we can have anxiety which can affect stress levels and many other systems or even the whole body. When the Crown Chakra is balanced, we feel connected, aligned, fulfilled, open-minded, and have compassion. Here is a wonderful thing about compassion, it can literallyheal relationships. It helps us see others as we see ourselves. Just human. Humans who have also has trauma, pain, injustice, or any of those hardships that cause us to act out of character. We see people as they are. Remember, hurt people, hurt people. If we can shift our perspective, we can heal.
Herbs to support the Crown Chakra include Lavender, Chamomile, Tulsi, Ginseng, Ginko, Violets, Lemon Balm.
practice
Over the years, I began to Meditate every morning. I soon became a seasoned, and natural meditator with a consistent and beautiful Meditation practice. I healed myself of debilitating anxiety, stress and insomnia with Meditation and got myself on the most beautiful road to healing with practices I use every day to maintain a level of peace and harmony I never thought was possible. I then became a Meditation teacher and started a business called Oside Wellness Workshop in Oceanside, California. A place for Healing the Mind Body and Spirit. Sharing the space with other healers, and opening the space to the public for art and other representations of people and their spiritual journeys. I am a huge advocate for Natural Healing with Plants, Meditation, and Reiki and I share what I know with others. If ever you have a question about how to begin or wish to share any stories of your own journey, I am so happy to hear it. Please reach out and I will answer back as soon as I can.
UPDATE: 03-13-2021
We recently had to shut down our beautiful space due to Covid-19. Since then, my classes have had to move to my home, and other places while I work toward a new space. Please reach out with any questions regarding classes and circles.