Dogen

I absolutely loved The Practice of Mediation. I used to work for a company that was based around yoga and I had the opportunity to try many types of yoga and meditation techniques. I was quite skeptical when I joined the company because I’d never done either yoga or mediation before and I didn’t think I had the mental power to free my mind. Nor did I want to turn into a hippy, which is what I figured all modern-day yogis were. Boy, was I wrong! I learned to relax my body and clear my mind so it was free enough to really take in life instead of rushing through it. And, I did it all without becoming a hippy!

“Meditation is not a way to enlightenment, nor is it a method of achieving anything at all.” That is not true! I don’t think so, anyway. Meditation clears your mind over time of the busy-body everyday worries to make way for new and insightful thoughts. It leaves you feeling refreshed and in doing so it gives you a little bit of a new outlook on life. What you achieve is a feeling of the world being lifted off your shoulders and a deeper appreciation for what you have (health, patience, time). I always thought of it as emptying a filing cabinet at the end of the year. I know that is weird, but let me explain. You go into mediation worrying, thinking and stressing about various things. When you reach the state of nothingness your brain goes through the file cabinet of your day and shreds all of the unnecessary stuff and leaves plenty of room for things that really take priority. When you “come to” and pull yourself into thinking again, “you yourself are the mirror reflecting the solution of your problems.” I am more focused and much less overwhelmed and just move forward instead of spinning my wheels. I can more clearly see what needs to be done, what I can and cannot do, and that what I cannot do I shouldn’t worry about. It rocks!