Guided Meditation: Meditation Vacation
“Meditation is not an escape; it is a serene encounter with reality.” Thich Nhat Hanh
I’ve always known I was capable of great stress (or was that “great things”?). Well in my case, it’s the former. Stress is a way of life for many, and there was a time I thought chronic stress was the norm. I wasn’t happy about it, but I saw no way out either….when in Rome.
My first attempts at meditation felt like I was running toward my problems and worries. I expected an escape, but instead I was steam-rolled by the exact things I wanted to avoid. There I sat…worries…anxiety…louder than ever in my brain.
After several sessions though, something happened. I could relax and have problems! Worries and fears would surface during my meditation, but I also felt relaxed. I didn’t have to run around to stay ahead of my problems (as if that has ever worked). I could sit with them…and they looked less ominous.
Stress is inevitable, but your relationship and reaction to it can change drastically with meditation.
Eventually I learned to trust myself to provide my own vessel of relaxation; that housed within me was a retreat. I had only known my mind and body as a stressful, anxious and nearly uninhabitable place to be, but it turns out I was capable of relaxation, calm security…I was capable of great things 😉
“People look for retreats for themselves, in the country, by the coast, or in the hills. There is nowhere that a person can find a more peaceful and trouble-free retreat than in his own mind. . . . So constantly give yourself this retreat, and renew yourself.” Marcus Aurelius
In addition to cultivating the mind-body retreat within you, practicing meditation regularly sets you up to spontaneously discover solutions to problems or gain insight when you’re in the relaxing state of theta.
The following guided meditation is a simple mind-retreat and mini-vacation. You’ll experience connection with yourself in a relaxing and refreshing way as well as encouraging insight into yourself.
Peace and Be Well
Laura
Let me start by saying, you won’t find me dressed in monk-garb meditating on a mountaintop in Tibet, but you will find me practicing mindfulness and meditation effectively and successfully in my life!