22. Meditation

"The unreflected / unexamined life is not worth living." - Socrates Why this topic? We live in this crazy world of noise, rush, schedules, busyness, deadlines. Sometimes in the midst of all of this we can feel lost. It is that treadmill feeling. So many of us really want to find a method or time to just stand still, breathe in deeply and get balance and focus back. See more at www.universalman.org What is meditation? It's a space of stillness, a space of calmness, a space where in the midst of busy-ness and noise, you can be at one. We could call this topic stillness - or oneness - or being. Meditation in its hundreds of forms is the way to achieve this state. Many people confuse this topic with being like a Buddhist monk sitting cross legged with a ramrod straight back for an hour each day. Sure, for some that works, but ultimately each person has to find their way to achieve or access their inner peace. This  is about finding your space or pathways to stillness and peace often in the midst of the rush and noise. So we are talking here about YOUR way to access your inner pool of stillness, quiet and strength,  sometimes when the pressure is off and sometimes in the midst of chaos. It is your doorway to being centred regardless of what is going on around you. What does it mean? Meditation means to think, to reflect, to consider. In the modern day, what we're really saying when we talk about meditation is creating a space where those things happen very naturally and to the best, highest level. We live in a time when there is so much noise and rush, so often with our egos running our lives, we're busy, busy, busy. There's a real danger that in the midst of all of that, we don't find the little space to slow down, to be still and that means we can lose our sense of self. What we want to achieve here is to find OUR way to listen inside, to hear the deeper message that can only be heard when you are still and quiet! How do we become aware of the messages in the midst of all the rush of life and learn from them? So for us 'meditation' can be anything from the one hour sit in the early morning accompanied by breathing exercises and mantras to the ten second breathing, centring focus on nature or body sensation just before your next meeting and everything in between. But the results are the same or similar. It's that clarity that you can get from the deeper wisdom that you can unlock when you meditate, and listen not just to your own voice, but the world around you and inside of you.