Life is a balancing act. How to juggle inner needs with responsibilities in the world? It is easy to lose your bearings in the midst of daily living. Your focus blurs. A balanced life requires wisdom. But you need quiet to hear your inner voice. How can you expect wisdom from within if you are never still enough to listen?
Step away from the world and focus your attention within.
The practice of meditation creates a quiet space in which to know your true Self. When your intention is clear, ten minutes has as much value as two hours. Consistency has value. What matters is taking time each day to nurture your Inner Spirit.
Meditation offers a way of tapping the divine energies of love and wisdom. Candles and music may help you relax. Focus on your breath. Feel the Source Energy that creates worlds flow through you. The Breath within the breath. When thoughts intrude, as they always do, gently let them go. Your mind feels open and spacious. The heart of meditation is contentment in the now. To align with the essence of your true Self, you simply need to make space.
Reconnect with Earth and your true Self through open-eye meditation.
The practice of open-eye meditation—walks alone in natural surroundings—may appeal to you. A walk in nature allows you to lose yourself for a brief period of time and connect with the rhythms of Earth. Energy exists everywhere. As you walk, nature’s energy flows into the core of your being. It affects your mood, your immune system and the self you are becoming. Nature’s restorative power transforms you. You feel connected to something larger than yourself. You return to the world refreshed and ready to share your gifts.
Nurture your inner peace and well-being with meditation practice.
The mind-body dialogue remains a thorny philosophical problem. But on a practical level, our understanding has made significant advances in the past twenty years. A new generation of brain-imaging studies and clinical trials wants to know: What happens to people who meditate? Results have shown that meditation induces more than a short-term state of relaxation. It creates inner calm, lowers blood pressure and boosts the immune system. These changes have long-term implications for overall well-being.
One of the most dramatic links between mind and body involves the response to stress. Chronic stress increases the risk for a host of diseases. It accelerates the aging process. Meditation seems effective in changing the way we respond to external events. We perceive the world as less threatening. We renew our life purpose. We live in more meaningful ways. Meditation may be the best life practice. It restores the body, calms the mind and empowers the spirit.
At times life can feel like a treadmill. With meditation you step off life’s treadmill and connect with your true Self. Your focus clears. You gain clarity of intention and purpose for your existence. You align with the power of your Being. This inner power transforms your life. You live with balance between world and spirit.
Mary Beth Ford, Ed. D., is the author of Wisdom from the Gardens: Life Lessons and creator of Garden Wisdom Teleseminars. She specializes in the area of life balance, which she describes as balance between outer world and inner Self. In her work Mary Beth shares her five powerful garden lessons for living with balance and joy. Using nature images she gives us a new vision of ourselves and our world. Her desire is to help busy people live with Spirit in the world. To learn more, visit Mary Beth's website at http://www.wisdomfromthegardens.com and listen to her inspiring reflection on world and Spirit.