Many people practice meditation but what is it really about? You hear so many things about what you’re meant to get out of it – it can become really confusing.
Is meditation about getting in a state where nothing matters or are you meant to become fully aware of everything?
This morning I was practising my daily meditation while the rest of the house was still asleep.
Suddenly my 9 year old child walks into the room, sees me doing my meditation and calls out “Good morning dad”.
What are you supposed to do? You’re meditating for goodness sake!!!
Some might say, “Well just ignore them – they see that you are meditating and they should know better.” And by ignoring them you know you get to stay in your nice and quiet meditation space.
Others might say, “Just tell them to be quiet and to make sure not to disturb you in the future when you are meditating.”
But are these the best options?
No, of course not. The two responses above take you in the opposite direction of what meditation is really about. Wait! Isn’t meditation about being quiet and peaceful, and getting away from the crazy, busy world?
Yes, meditation is about being at peace with yourself and your surroundings. To ignore your surroundings, however, is to disconnect from them. By ignoring my child I disconnect myself from them and this is not a healthy option and certainly not in line with what I aim to do when meditating. Meditation is about remembering that we are all connected in the first place.
Let’s take a bit of an outrageous example and see how we’d react. What if suddenly a fire starts in the room where I am meditating but I have become so used to ignoring everything going on around me and am way deep inside myself that I continue to ignore it – what would happen? You guessed it, I wouldn’t be around to meditate much longer.
Returning to my child this morning… What should I do?
Ignoring them creates problems for both of us, and getting angry is no option at all as it will take me completely away from the purpose of meditating.
Therefore, it seems the best option in this case is just to stay in my meditation space and gently say “Good morning”.
Meditation is not something separate from daily life; it is not meant to be an escape from reality, but a tool to integrate spirituality into your world.
Before I head off for my day, let’s look at one more example.
What happens if the doorbell rings when you’re meditating? Will you ignore it, get angry or calmly walk to the door and open it?
You guessed it! The best thing to do is to get up and open the door. Bring your peacefulness to the door. There night be someone standing there needing your help, or maybe it is your partner coming home from work and wouldn’t it be nice for them to see a peaceful, happy partner opening the door?
So next time you feel that you are being disturbed in your meditation watch your reaction.
If it is only on our meditation pillow that we can stay calm and not off it then we need to look at what kind of meditation we are practising. True meditation will help you to gradually integrate that sense of peace into your daily life.
Excellent meditations are taught in the more traditional systems of Reiki to help you lead a more peaceful life – in every aspect. Come and learn them!
Based in Holland, Frans Stiene teaches in North America, Europe, UK, Australia and Asia.
Frans is also the author of Reiki Insights, it is the continuation of his previous book The Inner Heart of Reiki, taking your personal practice and understanding of the system of Reiki yet another step deeper.
Comments 1
Thank you, for this blog , excellent point . so many times we hear we need complete silence for meditation . Meditating in retreat / Himalayas is much easier then your own home with your own people who would not necessarily share your enthusiasm
So , next time my son will come to me I have to be calmer and reply and move on 🙂