Una's Blog

by Una Hearne.

Do you take regular time out just for yourself?

We all need quiet time to ourselves.

The length of time we each need varies a lot. This doesn’t matter, it’s the quality of time and what it does for you that matters.

It also doesn’t matter how you do it, what your ritual or practice is. It’s just being quiet. Still. Stop. Allow your thoughts to settle. Or think something through, free from distraction. Or just breathe and be.

Meditation is a special form of time out. It can be incredibly powerful and even blissful. It is a massive antidote to stress, depression and anxiety – like exercise. And, like exercise, it can be more than just an antidote. Meditation can give you the power to create positive feelings and to re-programme automatic thinking. It can put you in control of your mind in a way that allows you to make the best choices and create the best life for yourself.

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An integral idea of some types of meditation is the awareness of self, of who you really are. Quieten down for a few minutes and notice:

• You are not just who you are to other people.
• You are not just who you think you are.
• You are not just your thoughts and feelings.
• You are not just your work or obligations.
• You are not just your words and actions.

You are also the being who can step back from all these concepts and be aware of all these aspects of you. You are the being who can observe all your thoughts and feelings.

This inner you is called different names – the soul, the observer, your higher self, your subconscious and all sorts of other names. I don’t like getting caught up in labels and semantics because that way you miss the point. So whatever you call this part of you – it is you. Your private you. This you resides in a place of peace. Retreating into this inner sanctuary regularly and just being with yourself is a very powerful, life enhancing practice. It creates perspective, clarity, better quality thinking and therefore better quality actions.

If you are thinking of trying to meditate for the first time, remember the irony with learning to meditate is that you can’t ‘try’ to meditate or ‘make’ it happen. You have to allow it to happen. You allow it to be imperfect. You just turn up and be there regularly. It will become the practice you need it to be eventually when you learn to be and not to resist.

The best description of beginning meditation is on pages 138 – 144 of the book Eat, pray, Love. If you have ever ‘tried’  to meditate you will laugh out loud at pages 141 – 143.

 

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