Hillary Oat Healing: 28 Day Meditation Challenge

A most useful approach to meditation practice is to consider it the most important activity of  each day. Schedule it as you would an extremely important appointment, and unfailingly keep your appointment with the infinite."                                               – Roy Eugene Davis We know what's good for us, yet human nature takes a rather lackadaisical approach to good practices. We floss and then we don't. We go to the gym and then take a break. Sometimes it is only when we give something up that we discover how much we need it. That is good to know and can tip us over from "I should" to "I want to". When I surveyed clients about meditation there were basically two reasons why they didn't sit. Lack of time and a potpourri of excuses including “I can’t”, “I don’t know how” and “it’s not my thing”.  Remember the song by the Guess Who?

  Personal transformation created through meaningful inner experience, might be the greatest benefit meditation offers. --Said by Me This is the part where I preach the virtues of meditation. Brace yourself. As an energy medicine practitioner with almost 30 years of experience working with clients, I see how meditation supports my clients. Healing is an inside job, and the more time we can spend being with ourselves without distraction, the greater is our opportunity to access awareness for change. You can only change what you are aware of. It doesn’t matter how much a therapist or healer knows about us, change only happens when the light goes on in our own consciousness Those who are serious about transforming their lives can do so with greater ease and grace if they have a meditation practice. The ah-ha that comes from finding meaning in connecting the dots of repeating but confusing life patterns, happens more often with meditators. According to Bruce Lipton, biologist,

  Meditation is not a means to an end. It is both the means and the end.                                                   - Jiddu Krishnamurti   Ok, we are sitting. Our tush is on the cush. Now what? The number one reason we quit meditation is because it does not meet our expectations and we think we are doing it wrong. No one likes feeling incompetent, so we stop sitting. The ONLY way we can fail is if we do not do it. Jimi Hendrix didn’t become a fantastic guitar player by wishing he could play better. He practiced! And that is exactly what we are going to do, just like we are preparing for Woodstock! How long do we sit? Start with 15 minutes. At first that will probably end up being 5 minutes settling in, 5 minutes meditating and 5 minutes wondering what time it is. Setting a timer reassures us that if we get lost in space we will not miss picking up the kids. It also keeps us from the d

  Mindfulness is often spoken of as the heart of Buddhist meditation. It is not about Buddhism, but about paying attention. That’s what all meditation is, no matter what tradition or particular technique is used.                                                                                                        - Jon Kabat-Zinn When it comes to meditating I am a purist, keeping it simple and focused. No music. No guided imagery. Just me and my breath. 1. Sit some where... This isn't real estate so location is really what ever works best for you and I have some suggestions. A room, a corner in a room or a chair can be a meditation nest as long as you are comfortable and won’t be disturbed . You want a place without distractions, including cats, kids, phones, computers, books, magazines, iPads, radio, or television. We often get chilled during meditation, so unless you live in the tropics you will want to have a blanket, shawl or jacket handy. A note pad and pen

“Nothing goes right on the outside when nothing is going right on the inside.”    --Matthieu Ricard                                                                                                  Introduction I have almost thirty years of experience as an energy medicine practitioner and I have seen how meditation supports deepening self-awareness, transformation and healing. I suggest meditation to every new client because it is one simple practice that requires no equipment, can be done anywhere for any length of time and offers enormous support for all manner of creativity or crisis. There is so much confusing information out there about how to meditate, from TM to Zen, that I wanted to offer really simple instructions so anyone would be able to pick it up easily. The title “Five Minutes In The John”, came about a number of years ago when a client found that the only time she had for meditation was five minutes in the restroom at work on her lunch hour. At first she did it to be a

Meditation is the one simple thing we can do to support physical, mental, and emotional well-being. Simple, but not easy, as they say. Why is that? All we are asked to do is sit quietly for a period of time. While it doesn't seem hard, it can be challenging to "do nothing" amid the myriad of responsibilities and distractions that go with everyday life. That is why meditation is called a practice. We work at it everyday not to get better at meditating, but to bring us benefits of health, wellness, spiritual connection and calm. If you decide to accept the challenge, it just might change your life. This is first part in a 28 day series to inspire and support your meditation practice.  Even in the midst of disturbance, the stillness of the mind can offer sanctuary. - Stephen Richards  I had a friend who was an avid meditator for years. Knowing her, you could tell there was something different about her. Her life wasn't unique, full of ups and downs like the rest