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Who Has Time to Meditate? A Meditation Technique for the Dynamic Personality
from: Kim-Marie WardThere are probably as many ways to meditate as there are people
who do it. I've heard so many people say, "Oh, I can't meditate.
I've tried, but it never works." Yet these people still try from
time to time because they want to achieve the peace of mind
they've been told will be theirs. This is especially true for
chronic worriers, Type-A personalities, and other
energetically-minded people.
Our methods of processing information are unique for each of us,
and individuality is, in fact, a natural part of our life
experience. While the basic information we take in may be the
same, the outcomes must ultimately vary for each person.
For example, individuality is the trait that makes
"brainstorming" sessions successful. A few people may come up
with similar ideas, but they will rarely be identical, and there
will often be enough variety to give managers a great deal of
information to draw upon. Unique viewpoints bring us new
products and all the varied technologies we encounter on a
constant basis. Uniqueness is at the core of our being, and
meditation is about getting to that core, and finding peace
within.
Using that same individual-minded approach can make your
meditation session a profound and beautifully personal
experience.
Well known methods of meditation include sitting in a quiet
room, focused on breathing, and clearing the mind. However, the
more advanced our world becomes, technologically speaking, the
more difficult it is for many of us to a) find the time, and b)
quiet our minds enough to benefit from a meditation session.
People with especially hectic mind processes can't often achieve
calmness in such settings, and only "achieve" frustration. Yet,
there are benefits to calming one's mind. It does leave you
feeling more at peace, and more ready to take on the next
challenge with much-needed clarity.
With a system to getting to that calmness, that works
with your personality, you'll no longer grow bored during
a meditation session or start thinking about other things you
could be doing. You'll work with your strong imagination
and no longer spend that time daydreaming or making mental lists
of things to do tomorrow, because you begin on a dynamic path
that gently moves to a state of tranquility naturally.
It works for me, for others who have tried it, and it just might
work for you. You'll use the colors of the chakra* (think of a
rainbow and those colors are basically what you'll find in the
chakra). You can try the example right now, and later, try the
entire system.
Red will be the starting point for this example because it is a
color not easily ignored, and it is the "root" color in the
Chakras.
* First, close your eyes and imagine a red table. The entire
table is a rich, vibrant, red. The legs, the top of it, the
underside. There is no other color, no other decoration on it.
It is pure red.
* Next, envision a red chair in front of the table. It's
entirely red too. Even if you envision a cushion, then that's
red, as well. Make it a comfortable looking chair that you'd sit
in if you could, or something out of a futuristic novel. It's
your chair. Just make sure it is completely red.
* Now, once you've got these as solid in your mind as you can
manage, imagine that this red table and this red chair are in a
white room. The walls are white. The floor is white. The door
and the closed curtains on the window are white. Any other
furnishings in the room are completely white. Fill it with as
much or as little furniture as you like, so long as all of it is
white. Yet the table and chair are still red.
* Envision a red lamp on that table. The base of it, the shade
on it, and if it has a cord that plugs into the wall, the cord
is red too.
* Okay, get ready. You're going to envision that lamp turning on
- magically or manually is up to you - but the bulb in it will
be red and will fill the room with a soft red glow. It is a
powerful bulb and the whole room is lit in red.
* Look around at all that was white and see how it is washed in
a soft red now. Go slowly. Take your time and look at everything
and if it doesn't seem to have a red glow, increase your lamp's
power. Turn on an overhead light in the white room if you must -
but be sure the bulb is red. Once you're satisfied with your
results, open your eyes and marvel that you made this vision and
that it turned it out pretty well for a first time. Take pride
in that.
When one man who tried this visualization/meditation method
opened his eyes at the end of the exercise, he asked, "When you
do this, does the red from the chair sort of bleed into the
white of the floor?" That has never happened to me, but proved
the point that while we may begin with the same basic tools, our
results will vary. They won't be right or wrong, just different.
If you'd like to try the full spectrum, begin again with red
and move through the seven colors of the rainbow: red - orange -
yellow - green - blue - purple - indigo (a deep purplish-blue).
Go through them as slowly or as quickly as you'd like.
By the time you get to the end, you'll find your breathing has
slowed, you've cleared your mind of worries, and if you feel
comfortable with it, you can move on to pure white where an even
greater sense of calmness can often be experienced.
Even if your vision didn't come out exactly as you'd hoped, at
least you know that you do have the tools within you to reach
your own state of tranquility in your own way. No one ever ran a
marathon without first learning to walk. The more you do this,
the better you'll get.
Over time, you'll not only create stronger visualizations,
you'll find yourself creating settings that are uniquely your
own. If the table and chair don't work for you, try what does.
Incorporate your favorite sport or hobby, or even a favorite
location. Make it personal, or keep using the table and chair.
Do what works for you, what matches your dynamic personality.
Embark on your personal journey to inner peace.
Chakra Colors
* Red
* Orange
* Yellow
* Green
* Blue
* Purple
* Indigo (or violet)
To learn more about Chakras, visit your local library or
bookstore, or try an online search. One source that has been
available for years and offers a basic overview is at
http://www.healer.ch/Chakras-
Another good source is
http://www.sacredcenters.com/chakras.html
About the author:
Kim-Marie Ward is a freelance editor of both non-fiction books
and fiction novels, a ghostwriter, and has written several
articles for various ezines and newsletters (online and in
print). She's an active member on http://www.Writing.Com, an
online community for
her portfolio at:
Writing.Com.
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