My meditation. With Joie, July 2013.
Last Thursday I started a 6-week class called “Who Am I?” It is a class being taught by David Van Handel who created the Self-Awareness Healing and Training Method.
I almost didn’t sign up for the class because I won’t be able to attend this coming Thursday due to another commitment. But something urged me to sign up anyway, so I followed that feeling. Boy, am I glad I did!
There are 13 women in the class, which I find fascinating in itself being there are no men in the class. We range from 22, to middle age and up. Ten minutes into the class I knew I was exactly in the right place at this time in my life. Did you ever just know that? It is a great space to be in when that happens. As I listened to David I knew I wanted more of what he is teaching.
I felt so at home with everything he was saying. He talked about ego and the mind, as well as what grace truly is. The more he talked about grace, which are steps to ultimate healing and getting back to the place we originated from, the more I know I want more of this. Like anything in life though, it takes practice. But more important, as I am realizing, it takes awareness.
We’ve all heard about the benefits of meditation and being present. But how easy is that to do, right? Especially when we get so caught up in the “busyness” and “doing” of our everyday lives.
I’ve tried meditating. Sitting in a chair, eyes closed, trying to clear my mind, but always get this overwhelming anxious feeling in the pit of my stomach. I end up getting frustrated and quit.
David shared a story that really helped me to understand being in the present moment and meditation. Having just moved back to Wisconsin after living in Conneticut the past 15 years or so, he is awaiting his license to be reinstated to practice therapy again in Wisconsin. Having a few hoops to jump through and taking longer than he anticipated, he was driving down the highway one day wondering what he could do in the meantime.
A sign appeared. Literally. Bus Drivers Wanted. He thought to himself, hmmm, I’ve always thought it would be fun to drive a bus. Instead of dismissing the thought, he decided to act on it. Long story, short, he currently is a bus driver for 1st graders.
The really cool part of this story, and listening to our intuition, is that what he discovered by driving bus for these sweet little kids. During those hours he is totally in the present moment. As he shared, driving a bus with parents children on board, and all that comes with that, you just have to be present.
When you are in the present moment you are also then in a form of meditation. All your other thoughts slip from your mind.
It was an aha moment for me! The times I am truly in the present moment are when I am with my dogs. While I knew this in a way, I now feel it on an even deeper level. They are my meditation. Whether walking Kylie, or brushing her, or snuggling with her, I realize now in a more profound way that in those moments nothing else is present in my mind.
How we get to living more in the present moment and finding our meditation is going to be different for each of us. Talking to my dear friend, Cassy, it is when she paints. It explains her drive to paint also as everything else falls away when she can be at the easel. For me, everything else falls away when I can be with Kylie, and every other dog I’ve had.
Driving home from class last Thursday so much more about life made sense to me. It put me back into this peaceful place I feel like I’ve been trying so hard to get back to. I can hardly wait for the next class in two weeks! I’ll share more aha insights as I have them over the next few weeks.