My Meditation Journey
Discovery and commitment
Once I discovered meditation, my practice became a part of my daily life. I’ve always included pre-meditation techniques like breathwork to center and prepare myself for more concentrated, deeper meditation. For many years I woke up early in the morning to meditate before engaging with my day.
I practiced hatha yoga daily for over thirty years, and during my child-raising years, I did yoga practice around work and kids in the afternoon or evening followed immediately by meditation. There have been times that I would simply sit for meditation whenever an opening during a busy day would allow, including meditating on airplanes while traveling for work. I would don eye mask and ear plugs (and still do!) and meditate. Adjusting my meditation practice to what was happening in my life, keeping meditation as a priority, and the willingness to be flexible allowed me to continuously meditate over the years.
My first experience with meditation took place over 40 years ago while attending a Yoga class. I was a teenager, looking for a way to bring peace and happiness into my life. I was attracted to the possibility of living an inspired, happier, more meaningful life, and thought that working with my inner self and higher consciousness might be the answer.
Luckily, I had a very good Yoga instructor, who at the end of class, lead us into deep, relaxing meditation. I experienced a part of myself that evening that I had not previously been aware of. The result was that I was happy and uplifted. I felt energized and clear, while peaceful and calm. This was exactly what I had hoped for! I was transformed, and there was no looking back.
Teaching
I truly love to share information and have taught in different arenas throughout my life. Before changing careers in order to work as a therapist, I worked as a helicopter pilot, and began working as a flight instructor when I was twenty-one years old. I found that I had a passion for teaching, and that teaching was a natural fit for me. Important details of how to teach effectively, that I learned as a flight instructor, allowed my students to learn to fly confidently and safely. Those ways of thinking are still with me, and they enhanced the many years that I taught Neuromuscular Therapy and Craniosacral Therapy workshops to large groups of students. I’ve always welcomed the opportunity and challenge of finding keys to learning and understanding concepts when someone might need to experience information in different ways.
Long ago, I realized that meditation would be an easy way for my clients to center themselves and relax inwardly, and that it would improve their lives while making our work together easier. Having the ability to reset daily – to find inner peace and higher consciousness through meditation is a valuable tool to use during the healing process. I taught very basic meditation techniques, and my clients reported that they were grateful to have a free, simple way to bring peace, stress relief, and pain reduction into their lives. Being empowered to do something effective for themselves, that gave them hope, encouraged me to teach as many clients as possible how to meditate. My meditation teaching now consists of private meditation classes, teaching meditation workshops to groups, and leading meditation retreats.
Transformation
I firmly believe that not only our personal experiences significantly improve due to meditation, but the lives of our friends and families are positively influenced as well due to the transformation that we undergo. Imagine facing conflict with a more centered, clearer ability to focus and think about what is actually happening. I have no doubt that the world can be a better place if more people meditate. If more of us experience the positive outcomes of meditation, we will naturally offer more compassion, creativity, and happiness to our families, friends, and coworkers.
Through calming and clarifying the mind and heart in meditation, you can make better choices in life, and be at peace with yourself and the world around you. You’ll experience life more from your center, and less from external input.