Woolly? Come on. What meditation can be for you.

From one of my former guests from Australia, I am still having contact with her, I got the question this week about ‘What meditation means?’

She asked me if I already wrote a blog about this and actually, so far, I did not. There is a lot to find on internet about it but, working and experiencing it here in Thailand, a Buddhist country, I will try to explain in my own words and in my own way. The way I often tell and explain in my daily morning meditation classes I guide in Thailand.

In my opinion meditation means ‘being there’, ‘being available’. First of all it is the art of stopping. Not trying to stop thinking, this is not possible and there is no switch. Stopping in relation to meditation means to grand yourself “I-time”. A gift to yourself. Not an egoistic thing. After all, when you do not give attention to yourself first to feel good, you cannot be there for the world around you to share the best of your unique talents and gifts in an optimal way.

So actually when you do not find (better to say do not take) the time for meditation, you skip a present for yourself. Meditation does not ‘take time’. After a while of practicing you will find that at the end of the day this ‘spoiled time’ brought you more revenue than you ever could think about.

Meditation does not mean you have to sit, stand, walk or lie down to do it. And yes these are the main ways you can practice meditation. Gardening or washing the dishes you can see as meditation as well when you are aware of it. Reading or watching television or a movie is not because it helps the mind to ‘run away’ even when you think it calms you, physically and mentally, down. Meditation means coming and feeling home. Home into yourself. For a lot of people, at first, this does not feel comfortable and sometimes is even confronting. Because a lot of times we have a war within. We want to run away... 

Meditation is giving attention to the mind. One of the things in the practice of a holistic health approach. You can see it as ‘medication’ for the mind. Treatment to create space, to organize and to clean. To be aware of or guard what you want to come into your mind. You can see your mind as a garden but, most of the time, it is a terrible mess in your garden. A dump of all things from the past, sorrows for the future, desires and suffering. It’s not at all organized. You take care of your physical body but how much time do you really give car of your mind. Remember, your mind is the engine. So cleaning the outside of your car maybe looks great but does not serve the car going from A to B in top condition. The mind first of all needs regular and sustainable maintenance, the battery time to recharge. Meditation helps you to clean, to organize, to create space. See meditation as a caring gardener and guard.

Meditation means disconnect to connect. ‘Being there’, ‘being available’ in two ways.

It helps you to connect with and be fully aware of the so called present moment. Take your time to calm down and relax. The first step in stopping practice. Breathing- and relaxation exercises can help you with this. They are to prepare yourself to start meditating out of the intention that you are the centre and you connect with the world around you. You make use of the five main senses and in a later state also your sixth sense (energy connection / aether). You practice for instance the art of listening with the ears of a musician, watching with the eyes of an artist / painter, smelling with the nose of a cook, etc.. It’s the art of observing (without judging) and total connection with the outside world in the present moment.

Be aware you have an appointment with life. The only moment you can touch life is now, in the present moment. So when you are not aware of the present moment, you miss your appointment with life. Because so many people are not aware, without even knowing they practice the art of running. They live as if they will never going to die and die as if they have never lived… not practicing the art of celebrating the successes they already have now. Always running to a future where they think happiness is waiting for them. Not aware that they are already standing on top of it now… It is already available in the here an now. The only thing you have to do is to stop and be aware of it.

The other way of being available, being there is being available for yourself. We call it inside / insight meditation. So you concentrate on yourself and practice the art of being aware of breathing and connecting with yourself. You leave the surrounding and sometimes disturbing world to be aware of your inner sensations. To connect deeper and deeper with your inner voice. Some call it intuition, some insight, some inner wisdom, most connecting with your inner voice.

And when you take a little bit time, you recognize your inner voice. The nice thing in this all is that this voice is not YOUR inner voice. It are the voices of your parents, ancestors, relationships, masters in your life who, out of their best intentions, told you in your life what is the best way to live. But, who are they? You have to make your own choices, you have to share all your unique set of (latent) talents and gifts with the world to fulfil your mission in life.

So the meaning of this inside / insight meditation is to connect with your inner source. You can see it as a well or a spring. When you take water out of this spring, more water (more answers) will come. This inner source is called ‘silence’. And silence is not the absence of something but the presence of everything.

Meditation is taking the time to understand the uniqueness of yourself and open up for all the life answers who are already available in yourself to fulfil your mission, serve, and to stay connected with the only goal in life called LIVING.  

Lots of people who still know me from my former job as a CEO think, living here, I am totally lost. Actually for me I feel more connected than ever before. An experience nobody ever can take away.

Want to know more? Feel free to ask or join one of our stunning playful programs in the Northern part of Thailand. 

Frans Captijn
Host / Catalyst / Talenteer at Captijn Insight

Captijn Insight: “Catalyst in your process to new sustainable flow. Whether you are an individual, couple, team or an organization.” 

www.captijninsight.com

captijninsight@gmail.com