"The one you are looking for is the one who is looking."
~Francis of Assisi
~Francis of Assisi
Happy Monday beautiful hearts! My heart has been blazing with curiosity in regards to meditation after a recent conversation with several Yoga friends. Since then I have been searching for resources to support this subtle and treasured spaciousness that lies within each one of us. My mind races with eagerness and loads of questions, can you relate? Here are some of my random and distracted thoughts-How can I come to know the 'Self?' What if I meet emotions that I don't like? I love life, maybe I don't really need to mediate. Oh shit...I forgot to pay my car payment this month...love...love...love! Am I meditating correctly? Why are the birds so loud today. Wow! This was a two minute segment in my brain. Do you ever experience this barrage of thought?
If you want to progress with anything in life, I think it is always appropriate to consult experts. An expert in the field of mediation is Sally Kempton. In her book, Meditation for the Love of it, she shares that we should not only look at our meditation as a process, but also a 'relationship.' "We would feel a lot better if we realized that mediation is like any other intimate relationship: it requires patience, commitment, and deep tolerance.
What does this relationship to the 'Self' look like in your life? Can you begin to notice your internal dialogue and way of relating to your Self? Sally explains that our meditation practices go through seasons. Throughout these seasons according to Sally, it only becomes important to incorporate 'play' and 'surrender' into our intentions. (No small tasks!) When we allow playfulness to enter into our meditation, we allow ourselves to entertain all seasons of our lives. I envision my six year old self experiencing and expressing a wide range of emotions. I feel her curiosity coming with me as I set an intention to explore an unedited Self. She is so darn excited about life and shares her resiliency with me.
I also allow myself to surrender to the range of emotions that I experience. One of my teachers recently shared with me that when we have a reaction to another, that is where our work lies. What is it about Self that I can uncover through these awarenesses? The gift of surrender allows us to expand into an 'infinite' that is more marvelous than we could ever entertain.
In this spaciousness of infinite surrender, we grant Self permission to explore such emotions as anger, sadness, fear, joy, grief, love, and anxiety. Surrender allows us to sit with the Self that I am in this moment. Not the Self that I want to be, but the totality of who I am...the richness of my life experiences. The angst of loss, the joy of love, the anxiety of living, and the self directed anger that sabotages movement. What gifts has fear offered to you? How can anger inform you of your relationship to Self? And if we were to sit with our anger instead of insisting that it wasn't present, how would we be able to transform our lives? What if we were to sit with these fleeting emotions instead of charging them up with resistance? As Ramana Maharishi shared, "Knowing the Self means being the Self."
On this day and everyday, may you be deeply committed, tolerant, and patient as you explore your intimate relationship with Self. Playfully explore the realms of Self and surrender into a realm of infinite opportunity. May you be blessed on your journey!
May You Sweetly Seek:)
In Gratitude,
Sarah
If you want to progress with anything in life, I think it is always appropriate to consult experts. An expert in the field of mediation is Sally Kempton. In her book, Meditation for the Love of it, she shares that we should not only look at our meditation as a process, but also a 'relationship.' "We would feel a lot better if we realized that mediation is like any other intimate relationship: it requires patience, commitment, and deep tolerance.
What does this relationship to the 'Self' look like in your life? Can you begin to notice your internal dialogue and way of relating to your Self? Sally explains that our meditation practices go through seasons. Throughout these seasons according to Sally, it only becomes important to incorporate 'play' and 'surrender' into our intentions. (No small tasks!) When we allow playfulness to enter into our meditation, we allow ourselves to entertain all seasons of our lives. I envision my six year old self experiencing and expressing a wide range of emotions. I feel her curiosity coming with me as I set an intention to explore an unedited Self. She is so darn excited about life and shares her resiliency with me.
I also allow myself to surrender to the range of emotions that I experience. One of my teachers recently shared with me that when we have a reaction to another, that is where our work lies. What is it about Self that I can uncover through these awarenesses? The gift of surrender allows us to expand into an 'infinite' that is more marvelous than we could ever entertain.
In this spaciousness of infinite surrender, we grant Self permission to explore such emotions as anger, sadness, fear, joy, grief, love, and anxiety. Surrender allows us to sit with the Self that I am in this moment. Not the Self that I want to be, but the totality of who I am...the richness of my life experiences. The angst of loss, the joy of love, the anxiety of living, and the self directed anger that sabotages movement. What gifts has fear offered to you? How can anger inform you of your relationship to Self? And if we were to sit with our anger instead of insisting that it wasn't present, how would we be able to transform our lives? What if we were to sit with these fleeting emotions instead of charging them up with resistance? As Ramana Maharishi shared, "Knowing the Self means being the Self."
On this day and everyday, may you be deeply committed, tolerant, and patient as you explore your intimate relationship with Self. Playfully explore the realms of Self and surrender into a realm of infinite opportunity. May you be blessed on your journey!
May You Sweetly Seek:)
In Gratitude,
Sarah
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