There is no dress rehearsal for life; this is it, right now. So how on earth do we make the most of it? We can practise adopting the right frame of mind to set us up for dealing better with what gets thrown at us, being more open to people, places, situations, handling our emotions with care and ultimately having the capacity for more joy. This practice is meditation.
For some of us meditation may feel ‘new age’ or in some way religious and our egos can run wild with this, cue the thoughts ‘this is for hippies… what will people think… this isn’t the kind of thing I do.’
Well we have already established that these thoughts aren’t you, they are a voice in your head, a voice that you can help to quiet through meditation, so you decide. What is more stupid, listening to a voice constantly criticise you or taking some time out to focus and clear your mind? Do you care what people think? If we know that most of our own thoughts are likely to be irrelevant then how can what anyone else thinks be any more relevant?
If the idea of meditation makes you feel uncomfortable, then don’t think of it; it’s your thoughts that create the feeling of discomfort not the meditation itself. Listen to the ‘chatter’ that surrounds your discomfort, recognise that those thoughts are not you and let them come and go. Plus ‘meditation’ is just a word, a label.
Meditation helps you focus on the now so that this can then be carried through to the rest of your life. It sets your intention to be mindful and reminds us how refreshing this can be. Plus it has many health benefits which it’s not the purpose of this book to go on about but that hundreds of recent scientific studies can testify to.
There is a space that exists beyond the world we’ve constructed from concepts, this reality we’ve built with bricks of words. Meditation is a key that unlocks the door to this space.
Frances Trussell's passion lies in making the magic of mindfulness accessible to all. Having suffered from severe depression since her teens the former broadcast journalists’ life was transformed through mindfulness. She has helped many hundreds of people find a mindfully happy way of living. In January 2017 she featured as a mindfulness coach on ITV1 prime time show Sugar Free Farm. A pioneer of Mindfulness-based RT Therapy, Frances advises on mindfulness in schools, charities, public sector employers and private businesses. She lives in Surrey, UK.
Visit Frances online: www.francestrussell.com
Categories:
0 comments on this article
Leave a comment
