The Dark Side of Meditation {part 2}

In this meditation series, we are exploring the Dark. Winter is, by its very nature, the darkest time of the year, and our meditation practice, so often taught as an opportunity to chase enlightenment, can also be an invitation to linger in and celebrate endarkenment (as Deborah Eden Tull has phrased it).The dark so often is associated with something scary, and yet it is really simply something quiet.The quiet is only scary when you think you might hear something you don’t want to hear.Stillness is uncomfortable because you might have to feel something you’ve been trying to ignore.I’ve come to think that meditation is only perceived as difficult because we are so hellbent on chasing the light. The moment we let go of that control, the moment we open up to the mysterious darkness is the moment our practice becomes easeful. The dark is not logical, linear or binary. It is all things messy, chaotic and unknown. The dark says courage, dear one. Trust your senses. Listen. Feel. And as we decide to linger in the darkness without rushing to turn on a light, we must be fiercely compassionate. This is not easy. There is a reason the winter months are difficult for many of us. A reason that SAD exists. Light is much needed for our survival, AND, we all know there can be too much of a good thing.Join me for today’s episode of The Mindful Minute as we explore how chasing the light shows up in our meditation practice {and in life!}, and what it means to be fiercely compassionate in the dark. Sign up for my newsletter at http://eepurl.com/dBYEUL to receive free mini meditations each month, creative musings, and more.Make a donation or learn more about my free offerings and live classes by visiting merylarnett.com.IG: @merylarnett #meditatewithmeryl