1. Choose a form of meditation that works for you:
I am using the term meditation in its broadest sense. It is any spiritual practice that can help you to quiet the mind.
Prayer is a form of meditation. When you pray you become open to the wisdom of God through listening with all your senses.
With intention, we can turn many life-giving activities into meditation. What do you enjoy doing? Do you love to work with the soil? Do you like to create things with your hands?
Today there are apps out there to help you meditate. The App I like the best is called “Insight Timer” which is available at The App Store or Google Play.
One of my favorite types of meditation is called Centering Prayer. First, you choose a focus word. Just be silent for a few moments and see what word comes to your mind.
Start with a few minutes gradually increasing the length of your meditations to between thirty and sixty minutes every day.
Just allow your thoughts to pass through your head and when you start to focus on an idea go back to your focus word to bring yourself back to the present.
Over time you will look forward to your daily practice and notice the difference when you miss a meditation.
There are many forms of meditation that include chanting, yoga, mindfulness, circle dances and more.
2. Practice:
Learning to meditate takes practice. The more you do it, the easier it will be.
There is no telling when you will experience those holy moments with God. But the more you practice, the more likely you are to notice the sacred moments that happen every day.
Learning to meditate is all about quieting your mind. Learning to meditate is all about becoming freed up to notice the wisdom you have been given through your body, heart, and mind.
You are not only to practice meditating but to improve your observation skills. Spirit is sharing wisdom with you every day. As you strengthen your ability to notice what is going on within you and around you, you will be rewarded with a depth of spiritual wisdom that will change your life.
3. Journal:
Journaling is a great way to observe and name what is going on in your daily life. If you don’t like writing you could do an audio journal recording it on your smartphone.
Take time every day to name what you are learning through the sensations of your body, your emotions, and your thoughts. Write this down whether that be in prose, poetry and/or drawings.
Give yourself time to fully experience the ups and downs of your day to day life.
Honor whatever you come up with. It is all good!
4. Listen to the feelings of your body:
Your body is full of wisdom. The spirit of God often communicates with you through the sensations of your body.
In the beginning, these sensations may feel intense and overwhelming. But the good news is that the more you can be with these feelings the less power they have over you.
Often when trauma is not treated, the energy will get stuck in your body. So every time you get stressed out this physical memory gets activated. But the more you can be with your feelings and release those old memories you become more open to the present.
As you live more and more in the moment, the spirit of God will be able to better communicate with you through your body. God working through your body will help you know if you are on the right path.
When your body is entirely online, you will inwardly know how you need to live your life. You will know without any effort.