meditateandlove

What comes to your mind when you hear the word “meditation”?

You’re probably thinking of a Buddha-like figure or a group of monks sitting down cross-legged while they close their eyes and exude peace and wisdom from their being. While this is the stereotypical portrayal of meditation, it is much deeper than a simple sitting position.

Meditation is the act of living consciously.

You’d think that by definition we are all meditating all the time considering that we are “conscious,” right? Well, not exactly. You see, if you start to analyze your life second to second, from the moment you begin your day to the moment you drift away to sleep, you will realize the number of times your mind is not present in the moment.

You may be brushing your teeth and thinking about that dreadful task you have to do later. You may be driving in your car and thinking about a certain conversation that left you unsettled. You may even be reading this right now while your mind is wondering about the future, the past, the celebrity gossip you heard, a tv show…the list goes on and on! And when you take a step back and truly observe yourself as you go about your day, you’ll be shocked to realize that you have been living in a deep state of hypnosis induced by your own mind. You have been living on auto-pilot.

But why would our mind self-sabotage us?

Because we have neglected it our whole lives. Think of your mind as a dog. If you get a puppy and fail to train and nourish it properly, it will grow to be wild and untamed. You cannot expect it to learn on its own without guidance or habits. The same goes for our minds. If we have grown without awareness of our thoughts, we have probably suffered from the torments of negativity without knowing why. Life tends to be frustrating when we live unconsciously. We are constantly being bombarded by unwanted thoughts because we have no awareness to shield us from the world.

We have low-self esteem for “no reason,” yet we scroll through Instagram for hours while comparing ourselves to others. We have “unexplained” nightmares, yet we’ve been hooked on a show that promotes violent behavior. We have all these “sudden” bursts of emotions that we believe to be random because we are unaware of the many causes influencing our subconscious.

We are asleep.

“Stay woke,” they say. But truly. We must stay awake if we want to escape our suffering. And being awake doesn’t mean that we have more information on mindfulness than others, and it certainly does not create a hierarchy of superiority. True awakening requires us to fully exercise consciousness. And true consciousness requires our mind, body, and soul to be fully present in the moment in which we are living— without the filters of the ego, the subconscious, and all the conditioning that we have acquired throughout our journey.

To be conscious is easier said than done, but we cannot expect to get rid of all the years of conditioning in one day. We must apply habits of self-development into our lives. We must live every moment with purpose. We must honor ourselves through our choices. We cannot tame the mind if we don’t begin to observe it and become aware of it. This is why we practice exercises of meditation; to strengthen our ever fleeting concentration.

We can either stay sleeping in the comfort of our suffering or awaken and fight for our consciousness. Every moment we are faced with a choice: to control the mind or give away our power to it. It all comes down to one question: how badly do you want to be free?

“Follow your heart. Follow your intuition.”

I’m sure you have heard this advice every time you have faced a decisive moment in your life. Yet, somehow, that little voice seems to disappear when we need it the most. Why is it so difficult to listen to that “intuition” everyone speaks of? (And what is it, anyway?)

Intuition is the built-in wisdom within our Souls. We come into this world with an all-knowing inner guide that always knows what is best for us. But if that’s the case, why do many of our decisions contradict our ideology of a happy life?

As children, happiness was second nature to us. We knew what we wanted with ease because our minds were constantly tuned into the moment, ourselves, and intuition. But as we grew older, that child began to mold. Unconsciously, our minds started adapting to our environment, our parent’s and friends’ beliefs about the world, the latest trends, the media’s ideals, and just about everything that we have ever been exposed to. As the days and years went by, we built a new identity over the raw and pure being we once were. Sadly, our intuition was also sacrificed in the process as we buried it under the many layers of our developing personality. The signal of intuition which we were naturally drawn to as children began to fade, and its absence came with the confusion and indecision we suffer from today.

Feeling hopeless? Don’t!

Thankfully, we have tools to help us carve our way back into ourselves. Our intuition is still there, but we need a better understanding of it if we wish to retrieve it. An easy way to grasp this concept is to think of us as antennas and intuition as a radio station that requires specific tuning so we can hear it.

Like all radio stations, intuition is always there, but the radio is saturated with options… And we are saturated with ego (or identity layers). The ego loves the familiar tunes it’s been conditioned with its whole life, so we spend a great deal of our time listening to its favorite stations. When the ego is in charge, the frequency jumps from anger, lust, envy, fear, and depression– just like the waves of emotions that dictate our lives. Needless to say, the ego is too distracted to tune into intuition.

Simply stated, intuition is an exclusive station for those who venture on the journey of self-discovery through great sacrifice, patience, and self-discipline. It can only be heard by those who truly seek it and those who are willing to let go of their conditioning to find their inner child. It is not impossible, but it does require a deep cleanse from all the years we have neglected our true selves.

With all this being said, what about those “gut feelings” we get about certain people or certain situations?

Intuition is the Creator’s gift to us, and we are all called to the path of self-mastery, which is why we feel glimpses of it at times that are meant to guide us and protect us. But that’s just 1% of what true intuition can be if we fully tune in. Imagine always making the best decisions for your life? Imagine ending your suffering because your Highest Self is guiding your every step? That is true liberation, and that is the gift of a fully open intuition.

As we embark on this journey, we understand that suffering is inevitable, but a great reward awaits us. With every step we take forward, and our armor of willpower, patience, and persistence, we can slowly liberate the child within us. Only then can we tune back into the Divine station, which is ever-present, everlasting, and ever waiting for our return. All it takes is a reconnection of the Soul, and this can only be achieved when we are one with the highest power of existence: Love.

During times of turmoil, the last thing we want to hear is to “stay positive”; especially if we are dealing with feelings of deep pain, uncertainty, despair, and hopelessness. We are all entitled to feel. We can’t pretend that our emotions don’t exist because they’re real and part of the human experience. But emotions, like thoughts, are fleeting; and we get to decide if we’ll allow them to become permanent hosts or quick passengers in our minds.

If we wish to have any control over our lives, we must be equipped to face any challenge. Life tends to test us in ways that force us to grow. It can throw us into dark caves without providing us with any guidance or guarantee that we’ll ever make it out. But maybe, the challenge is not to escape the cave but to learn to adjust and live peacefully inside of it.

What we think of as a “challenge” always depends on our perspective. Ideally, we want to perceive all hurdles as merely stepping stones leading us to our highest potential- although this is easier said than done. I can’t tell you to pretend that life is perfect and difficulties don’t exist because that would be a lie. Obstacles do exist, and we are all allowed to complain, cry, and grief as we go through them. But we cannot linger in that mentality for too long. We must quickly shift gears if we don’t want to become targets of depression.

So what can we do in the face of hopelessness? Let’s look at some powerful tools that can be of great help in case we are struggling to stay afloat:

1. Meditate: Find some time for yourself throughout the day to sit quietly with your thoughts for at least 3 minutes. Can you see what’s disturbing you? Unless you become aware of the negative thoughts that are bringing you down, you will keep recycling them and falling into their never-ending cycle. Noticing your thoughts will bring you clarity and understanding of where your suffering is coming from, which you can slowly counteract with higher affirmations.

2. Set up a schedule: Build yourself a schedule with a to-do list for the day. This will maintain you busy and working on yourself. Have a checklist for every activity you accomplish. Visually seeing your triumphs will make you feel fulfilled and proud of yourself (even if they’re as simple as getting out of bed).

3. Journal: In a blank notebook or on your phone, write down what you’re doing with your time every hour. This will make you think twice about wasting away your days in activities that don’t serve your well-being since you physically have to write down how you’re spending it. Journaling is also a great incentive to work on yourself

4. Keep inspiration close: Whether you watch free uplifting videos on YouTube, read self-help books, or follow inspirational pages on social media, surround yourself with as much positivity as you can. Remember that there are people out there who have lived through similar situations as you, so they understand you and can give you advice. The internet has lots of great resources so take advantage!

5. Exercise: I know this may be the last thing you want to do. You may feel like crying all day or screaming as loud as you can, but draining your emotional energy is not the answer. Instead, you can try exercise and benefit from its natural high. You don’t have to do any strenuous work. Just get your body moving. Science has proven that exercising every day can give us the same effects as taking anti-depressants, so why not release some negative energy in a natural and healthy way?

6. Find an outlet to express yourself: Sometimes, the best way to release our emotions is by bringing them into the physical world. Think about how you liked to express yourself as a child. Was it through art, a sport, a hobby? Get back into it. You don’t have to become a professional; just think of this as a fun therapy to let go of some built-up emotions.

7. Get in touch with nature: Go outside. Refuel with the warm energy of the Sun. Ground yourself by walking barefoot and letting Gaia take care of your worries. Nature can give us a free cleansing and help us quickly tune into ourselves. This also includes surrounding yourself with animals—their pure hearts can rapidly uplift our spirit!

8. Surround yourself with people who love you: We may be drawn to spend time by ourselves when we are feeling down. Alone time is great for introspection, but during these times, we don’t want to become too comfortable being alone as depression tends to roam closely. Talk to your family or your friends. Allow them to comfort you even if it’s just by sharing some company. Love is a powerful potion.

9. Develop the habit of gratitude: Even on the darkest nights, there will always be something to be thankful for. Set up a reminder to practice gratitude every day. Write down a few things that you feel grateful for, even if on some days you can only think of the food you ate and the roof over your head (which are things we should never take for granted). Though you may be going through a difficult time, you’ll realize that you are far more blessed than you think.

10. Accept your emotions: Accept that your pain is present but that it will pass. Don’t brush off your emotions. They’re showing you deeper parts of yourself. Become aware of what you feel while consciously working towards a path of healing.

Staying positive can be a constant battle, but deep inside we all have unimaginable strength. Like everything in life, this will also pass. Sooner or later you will realize that the challenge you’re going through was preparing you for something much bigger than you ever thought possible. You are being sculpted. You are exactly where you need to be. Your soul is learning the lesson it needs in order to grow into the next level. And while this may not be easy to understand right now, don’t forget that you have 100% streak at getting through life’s challenges thus far. Which only means that if you keep going, you will certainly make it through this time.