“Why Meditate?”
“Why Meditate?” by Jacqualine Haller
Founder & Director of Jaya Yoga Toronto, voice/creator of Jaya Meditation and The Global OM Movement.
Today is day 23 of my 30-day meditation challenge. There are only 7-days remaining, and I find that my mind is drifting out of the present moment as I start to realize we only have a week left together. I am going to miss this experience and seeing my students in this capacity each day.
If we have learnt anything through this process, it is that having our mind too much in the future takes us out of the present moment, so I let that go. It is 5:30am and I am at the studio setting up – inspired to write this blog before anyone arrives.
Personally, I am used to having a regular meditation practice. But I can’t help wondering if some people might be asking themselves…
Why meditate?
In my experience, diving into a Meditation practice usually comes out of the need for something. I surely don’t mean to project on anyone here, but that is why I started. For me, it was out of a place of wanting to learn more, of wanting to move out of a continuous cycle of repetitive experiences in my life – and I also wanted to explore what the hype was all about.
Maybe (similar to my experience), you are tired of having the same theme in life repeat over and over again or possibly you might be feeling stuck, craving a more authentic human experience. Maybe you are dealing with a personal issue or a breakup.
Meditation creates a pathway between us and beyond what we think we are. It helps us get out of the way of ourselves and allows us to notice where we might be creating our own roadblocks.
When our minds are busy with mental chatter from our life experiences, whether that be our upbringing, experiences from childhood or our experiences as an adult (even the mental chatter from what happened yesterday), it keeps us in a circular spin in our lives. When we are able to get quiet and grounded, we begin to notice the subtleties of our thoughts and the patterns of our lives that might be holding us back. We are able to identify them as a witness, without engaging. And through that awareness we are able to let go, clearing a pathway to new experiences in life.
It is far from boring.
Meditation is the gateway to a world of deep connectivity and knowing oneself. It is the place that we can go to when everything around us is noisy and chaotic. It is getting to know yourself in a way that most never do in a lifetime.
There is an internal world of amazingness waiting for you. And yes, sometimes you’ll achieve these incredible esoteric experiences, and sometimes your mind will be focussed on the fact that your leg fell asleep. That’s just the way it goes. It is a practice. Each experience will be completely different from the time before.
If you have tried it and decided it was not for you, I would encourage you to come back and try again. One experience does not define all the different options that are available out there. Keep at it until you find something that works for you.
My meditations are designed in a way where a portion of the session is seated, and a portion is done laying down. I’ve created it this way as this is how I learned for myself. And if you want to sit in a lotus pose with your legs crossed for a whole class, there are courses out there that will teach you that way.
I believe that the body needs to be in a natural comfortable state for the mind to relax. And because of this, my meditations are designed in this way.
We need tools to be able to function in a healthy way, in today’s society. Without a mindful practice to help relieve stress, we create more stress in the world by our unconscious actions and words. Gift yourself mental calm and relaxation, get centered and move forward in the world with greater self-awareness. I promise you; you will notice your inner world shifting.
OM,
Jacqualine (Jaya!)
Link into my Youtube account to hear me read this BLOG: Jacqualine Haller