Meet Jacob: How to know if you are Meditating.
Meditation Q + A Series. Post #4
Hi Folks,
Post #4 in our Meditation Series is here, if you are following along, please skip to the next section, what you see in this intro section is the introduction that was present for posts 1-3. If you are new, please read the Intro, it will give you helpful background information.
Intro:
This series is based on real life conversations I have with my clients. People from all walks of life come to me seeking support with a variety of ailments, dis-eases’s and obstacles. Some of these people are seeking to learn about meditation because they were told this modality can support them to overcome the suffering they are living in. Many of my clients come to me after having tried meditation and “failed.” They tend to be confused, frustrated and wondering how the heck can anyone just sit there and quiet their mind?
If you are seeking a life affirming approach to meditation that does not demand you to sit still and try to “quiet your mind” this series is for you.
My aim is to keep these posts practical and accessible. Meaning you will not have to read through pages and pages of content in order to get to the juicy bits. I will share a question I have been asked and then share my answer. At the end I will leave a mini-practice for the week. Because I am using real life examples, I will change the names of my clients. If you missed the last post in the series, click here for post #3.
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*Image from Lorin Roche and The Radiance Sutras School of Meditation*
Q + A, #4
“Meditation is not quieting the mind. Meditation is following and flowing with the currents of the mind.” -Instinctive Meditation Community Member
Question from my client Jacob: “I think I am meditating, how will I know when I am actually doing it?”
Answer: I love this question Jacob, thank you for bringing it to our session today. What first comes to mind is taking a moment to define what Meditation is. Meditation can mean lots of different things depending on who you are speaking to and what lineage of thought that person is learning from.
I would like to pose this question to you Jacob: What is Meditation to you? Why Meditate?
Jacob: I would like to Meditate in order to get to a more loving and kind state. Meditation, to me, is a practice in learning how to love myself. Meditation, to me, is about learning how to be with myself long enough so that the loving parts come to the surface.
Heather: What a beautiful way to describe Meditation Jacob. You mentioned something so wise, I would like to extract the thought and expand on it more. “Learning how to be with yourself for long enough that the loving parts come to the surface.”
Yes, what I would like to add is learning how to be with yourself through all the layers of discomfort and intensity that will naturally be a part of your Meditation practices. On the other side of love is terror, grieving and pain. In the space of Meditation we learn how to be with and welcome it all. This brings me to a great lesson in Instinctive Meditation that is a teaching around the Phases of Meditation.
At some point in ones Meditation explorations, it makes sense to map the phases of Meditation. You have come to this point Jacob. I believe this will help you come to your own understanding about whether you are Meditating or not.
In Instinctive Meditation we use three different maps in order to better understand the inner journey of Meditation. For simplicity and ease, let’s begin with what we call the Triple Shakti Model.
In the Triple Shakti model, we break down a Meditation practice into three phases: the resting phase, the healing phase and the action phase. Throughout every meditation practice we will cycle through these three phases. Round and round we all go.
Let me give you an example: it is quite typical to arrive to an afternoon Meditation in the action or active phase of the cycle. We just lived a whole morning and afternoon worth of activity. So, as we arrive to our Meditation practice, it makes sense that all the movements of the day will be alive inside of us. So, we welcome the action. We might watch and engage with the replaying of conversations, things that still need to get done, the exhaustion or excitement we are aware of from all the living thus far in the day.
As we continue following the flow of thought, the pain of the stress we are under whether physical, mental, emotional or energetic will rise to the surface. This often initiates a shift into the healing phase. We become aware of that which needs to be healed and this can sometimes be uncomfortable and itchy. We learn to tolerate this type of inner discomfort. It’s a similar process as when a physical wound is healing, like a scab. Can you recall that itchy phase of your body healing a scab? This too, happens in inner healing.
Our attention does not necessarily move sequentially through the three phases. We can move from action straight to rest and recovery. Or, we might begin with the healing phase move into action and pulsate between these two phases for a while before shifting into rest and recovery. The resting phase can often feel like those delicious moments right before you fall asleep. In Meditation, we can have experiences of lingering in this state for what feels like minutes at a time. This phase can feel deeper and more rejuvenating than sleep!
So, Jacob circling back to you. How will you know when you are Meditating? When asked through the lens of the triple shakti model, we can say you know you are meditating if you are allowing for these phases of energy movement to take place. When you give yourself dedicated practice time and freedom to move with all the inner fluctuations, you indeed are meditating. The whole experience from beginning to when the timer goes off is meditation.
Meditation is not just a mental or brain wave state. Meditation is a way and process of being with ourselves.
Meditation is not quieting the mind. Meditation is following and flowing with the currents of the mind.
Takeaways this week:
There are many ways to map the Meditation Journey.
One map is what we call the Triple Shakti Model
The invitation for you this week:
Answer the same questions I asked Jacob: What is Meditation to you? Why Meditate?
Before heading into your meditation practice this week, recall the three phases. Action, Healing, Resting.
While inside of your practice, take note of what phase you are in as your awareness moves. Allow for all phases.
Do you have a question or comment?
If you have Meditation questions you would like to ask and be answered in this series, please post your question in the comments thread.
And, if after reading, you feel inspired to begin or enhance your own Meditation practice, please send me a DM. We can book a free discovery call to see if working together would be a good next step for you.
Thank you for being here, you are appreciated! With love, HB