Quiet Among the chaos

Let’s be honest, unless you go deep within the woods where no human life exists, there will be noise and lots of it. Our world is bustling and busy and very rarely do we experience a moment of quiet so how can one possibly learn to find quiet within among all the chaos?

Many people struggle with the word meditation, as did I. We see it as it is portrayed in the movies or television where one is sitting cross legged with a straight back, arms outstretched resting gently on your knees with a finger lightly touching the thumb to represent a specific symbol and chanting the word “om”.

Finding that “place”, the one depicted in movies where the guru tells you to “just be still and know that you are.” was extremely difficult for me to grasp. I would try to sit in a quiet room desperately attempting to shut out all the noise around me and all the thoughts racing in my brain while feeling the heat of frustration creep over my body with the realization that the self induced stress of failure was creating more harm than good. It was from this place of surrender and non judgement that I realized the quiet meditation that I longed for was actually already in my every day moments. I was simply unaware of it.

I began to take notice and found them while reading a book, writing, drawing, listening to music, taking my dog for a walk, hiking with my husband, enjoying a cup of hot tea by the fire while daydreaming or even listening to a podcast. These were the moments that I could feel myself calm and aligned even when things were bustling around me. I was in “my zone” so to speak and when I focused on how I felt in these moments I realized these are all forms of meditation for me. I learned to relax and instead of shutting the noise out I accepted it as part of the moment. To listen to it, learn from it, feel it’s triggers and then breathe through them. The noise became part of my guiding meditation as to what I needed in my life.

Now, years later, meditation has become an essential part of my chosen profession as an animal reiki practitioner, communicator and educator. It is important for me to stay aligned on a daily basis to be the best channel I can be for my clients and students. As much as I would love to spend most of my time in the realm of my inner light and where it takes me chanting my way to a place of zen it’s simply not possible in this one dimensional world. We are spiritual beings living a human life which means we have schedules to keep and lives to live. There are days that I simply find the quiet in moments instead of sitting for unlimited amounts of time to channel and chant. That’s not to say I don’t enjoy it when I do, it’s simply to say that my schedule does not always allow for it so have found a way to connect just as deeply in other ways.
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Most importantly through it all I had to focus on compassion for myself in the process of this revelation. It wasn’t always easy but over time meditation became a daily habit because my expectations were that of following my feelings not the teachings of others. To allow the noise to speak to me gently, sharing their messages and wisdom as to what I was feeling within the noise to help guide me. To understand that what may work for one may not be the answer for others. How each one of us connects to our divine being is a personal journey that comes with practice, patience and self awareness through non judgement, self love and compassion. But that my friends is a story for another day.