I was given a gift this morning while meditating, one that I’d like to share with you. I'll keep it simple.
I was breathing deeply. I was sitting on my balcony here in Thailand. The sun was rising over the crest of the small hill. I could feel the warmth tickling my face. The sun’s rays were dancing in between the branches and leaves of trees. Although my eyes were closed I could sense the flickers of little shadows across my lids made by the foliage. I kept breathing slowly and deeply. My attention was brought back to the little shadows flickering across my lids. I sensed those shadows were like negative thoughts. I was feeling kind of negative actually, if I am really honest. I didn’t even want to meditate this morning. But I kept myself in my “seat”. I said this too will pass. I paid attention to the little shadow flickers more and more and then suddenly the sun came into is full glory above the tree line and burst with magnetism and power of light! Can you imagine where the shadows went? Yes they got absorbed into that light and I was instantly back in happy thoughts. Wow that was beautiful I said to myself.
Then I thought about doing my breathing exercises. I was a little stuffy in my nose to be honest. Again the shadows came in of…ah I can’t even breath in through one nostril clearly…I can do this another time. But I stayed in my seat. I breathed in to a count of four – I spoke inside positive words like: joy, energy, love, peace. When I exhaled I chose to imagine I was exhaling out: negativity, heavy thoughts, angst, and impatience. I repeated the pattern another five times each time changing the words. By the time I was finished my nostrils had cleared as did the negative thoughts! Yeah.
It reminds me when I go for my swim. Often the first 5 minutes are full of grudging thoughts of – ‘ah I am not into this, this is boring, I should be doing something else… blah blah, blah, and then the page turns and I am so in the water… I could swim past my self-imposed 30 minute time line. I see the dazzling light in the water – I see the small waves my body is making as no one else is in the pool with me; I hear the sound of the water moving and I feel the sun kissing my face every four strokes when I raise my head out of the water to take a breath. The other day I saw how the light and shadow of my arms moving in the water gave me the feeling I was swimming in a canvas of paint made from light and shadow. I was loving it!
So the simple part is this. I now give myself those 5 minutes to be ‘moody’ before I start my meditation or exercise routine or even answering business emails. I am making friends with this little shadow thoughts that I know are only waiting for the light of my own consciousness, the power of my positivity to move them out. I mean, what is 5 minutes?
On the day of the Spring Equinox Thursday March 20, 2014 those of us who practise the teaching given by Omraam Mikhaël Aïvanhov, begin our sun-rise meditation practice in the western hemisphere
Happy sun rise to everyone!
Denise Bertrand for The Aquarian Team