Tuesday, September 13, 2011

Listen to Your Action Signals!

Have you ever wondered WHY we feel anger, frustration, fear and sadness? Wouldn't life be so much better if we only had positive feelings?

Bob Stahl, my meditation teacher, puts it like this: negative feelings are signals for you to realise that something is not in balance. That there is something that is incongruent to your values or that you need to work on.

Instead of pretending that everything is just fine and ignoring negative feelings, we acknowledge them in our meditation practice. We notice all of the feelings that are coming up, pleasant or unpleasant, then we sit with them and observe how they run their course. Often they are fickle and of very short existence. They come and go like a bad mood. So we let go of them when it's time.

However, some negative feelings are of longer lasting nature and contain a deeper message for us. Then we should pay closer attention and really listen into that feeling. Where does it come from? What does it indicate? When does it occur? But try not to over-analyse! Feelings are rooted much more deeply and get interpreted too fast. So leave aside your opinions and story-lines. Especially anger may actually be rooted in a different emotion, such as a being hurt and longing for acceptance and love. Maybe we are angry because we want to be heard, seen and respected..

Sit with that feeling. Observe it, get into it. Feel it in your body. Maybe you can locate it in your chest, stomach or throat.

It might take us a while to understand where that feeling comes from or what it means. That's part of the process. A strong negative feeling will return to us until we have dealt with it and got its message. Meditation gives us time and space to listen and observe.

So don't try to ignore bad feelings. Like Bob says, "Don't try to be the family dog - always happy and content". Dealing with our feelings means learning, growing and developing wisdom. Be open, don't judge or over-analyse, just be aware and take actions along the way.

Your heart never lies. Your gut feeling never does either.

Tuesday, September 6, 2011

Increase Your Concentration Trough One-Pointedness

Meditation is a great tool to increase your concentration. In our everyday life, we are constantly distracted by emails, messages, mobile phones, TV and radio. Studies have shown that our ability to concentrate has decreased over time. We seem to be real experts in multitasking nowadays. However, all those external stimuli really drain our energy reserves and decrease our productivity. In order to achieve great results and live in balance we need to train our concentration. This is not an excerpt from the Budhhist Dharma but from contemporary time and human resources management literature.

So how can meditation increase your concentration? During your meditation practice you focus on one thing at a time. You start with observing your breath, your inhalations and exhalations. As simple as that. Simple but not easy.. You will notice that your mind is wondering of a million times and that your body is itching nonstop. But don't worry, this is absolutely normal! It is part of the process. Acknowledge how busy your mind and body are and stay seated anyway! With every breath bring back your awareness to your breathing. Let go of everything else, just stay with your breath. This method is called one-pointedness and it trains your concentration.

After only a few weeks of practice you will experience some improvement. Focussing on your breath will get easier and your overall concentration will increase too.

One-pointedness and mindfulness go hand in hand. Carrying out your activities mindfully means focussing on one thing at a time from moment to moment. This reduces things like careless mistakes, forgetfulness and inadvertence.

By the way, mindfulness does not mean to be slow! You can be mindful and focussed while running, speaking or acting fast. This being said, one-pointedness and mindfulness are even more important when you speed! Think about it!

Thursday, September 1, 2011

Meditation Is About Restoring Our Balance

Our life often requires full power in all areas. Every day, we are supposed to perform at our best at work, in our partnerships and friendships, our recreational and sports activities etc. The to-do-lists are endless. And we try to push through our agenda, because we "have" to. Most of the times we don't even notice how exhausted we are. This is when we start to burn our energy reserves. We are ignoring our inner warning signals.

Our body and mind are highly sensitive indicators of our well-being. They show us how much energy is left, what is good for us and what is congruent to our values. Whether good or bad feelings, positive or negative thoughts, health or illness they all indicate what is going on and what we need to deal with.

Meditation is the practice of listening to ourselves and restoring that fine alert system of ours. We sit, we observe what is coming up and we allow it to be because it holds valuable information for us. When we practice regularly we can enhance our sensitivity and see what is happening early on before we burn out, get unbalanced or upset.

In a nutshell, meditation helps us:
-to increase our concentration
-to see what is happening inside and what we need to work on
-to understand how body, feelings and state of mind are interrelated.

Meditation is finding that inner wisdom that tells us exactly what is going right or wrong. On this basis we can re-evaluate and adjust our behaviour to keep and restore our well-being.