Each January offers us a fresh start to begin again. A time to recall the time spent with family and friends. How did you connect with them? How did you connect with yourself? How does it all make you feel? Now may be the time to pause, reflect, recreate and live in gratitude. Metta Meditation is a way to start down that path.
Meditation is a practice of stillness. Many find that being still is the hardest part. Many say that they are unable to meditate because they are unable to clear their minds. A misconception of clearing the mind is thinking the mind needs to be blank with no thoughts. Actually, our minds are always active and always creating thoughts. Even the monks that dedicate their lives to meditation have thoughts. The practice of meditation is to manage the thoughts by allowing thoughts to flow. It is only when we attach a story to each thought that we fall out of meditation. Rather, it is a practice of allowing the thought to surface and then allowing them to go. There is no control or resisting of thoughts, merely creating a flow. Imagine watching an old 8mm film strip movie. One frame at a time, each frame separate and apart from the other. It is only when the scenes are linked together that it tells a story. The same is true with the thoughts of our mind. When we allow a thought to come and imagine it flowing away on a cloud, that is meditation.
In organized religion, prayer is a form of meditation. Many rituals are repetitive, such as praying the rosary. The repeating of prayers brings our minds into an altered state of calmness. Prayer is talking to God, a Higher Power or whatever we choose to believe to be. Meditation is listening for an answer to a prayer. Sitting in stillness allows our thoughts to provide an answer. The practice of meditation is a guidance of seeing, hearing, feeling the essence of all potential. It serves as an opportunity for growth, deepening and expansion of our thoughts and awareness.
Metta Meditation origins are in Hinduism and Buddhism traditions. It is an excellent form for those new to meditation, as well as those who have a meditation practice. Performed as a guided meditation sitting as a group provides collective energy which is a powerful benefit to each other and beyond the circle. Metta means the slightest of energy magnified to be set free. Metta meditation gracefully flows one thought to the next creating a sense of a higher self for a higher purpose. It is a practice of Lovingkindness, a means to connect with ourselves and to each other. It begins with connecting to our breathe, a means of centering and grounding our body and mind. This leads to the fundamental path in opening our heart. In this space, we begin to trust the safety of self-love. Our thoughts become observations of merely what is, a non-judgmental existence. In this security, the cultivation of good allows a revision of the limited views we hold of our own potential. A spiritual practice creates a view to align with an expansive vision and sustain our real moment to moment experience of that vision. In this we find peace. So let us end with a Metta Meditation Mantra: May we be safe. May we be happy. May we be free of suffering. May we live in Lovingkindness.
Roseann Petropoulos has been practicing meditation for most of her life. She is a certified Hypnotherapist and Reiki Master. Private and group sessions are available to break the cycle unwanted behavior and release one's full potential. Roseann believes that our vibrational energy creates our thoughts and well-being. Create a new lifestyle. Call for a free phone consultation 732.894.3197 www.Belmarwellness.com