Meditation Tips

Hello Love,

In this blog, I answer a question from a subscriber about meditation. They write: “I find my ability to meditate in a state of quiet awareness for longer than 10 minutes is limited by my drifting off into sleep. I do keep my posture erect, feet on the ground and am able to quiet my mind into nothingness. It seems as though my ego is sabotaging my meditation time.  Am I lacking discipline?  How do the yogis meditate for hours?”

Personally, I'm not a yogi by any stretch but I do find myself needing moments of peace and connection with my Source throughout the day. I find these moments necessary and extremely therapeutic. Taking time to connect with Source helps me to keep a Right-Minded perspective and I also find it comforting to take a break from the world and feel the safety and love of my Source. It really is nice to feel perfectly cared for if even for a few minutes.

When it comes to meditation, it is important to follow your heart as to what feels right for you. Acknowledge when you need quiet time and make the commitment to sit and rest your mind for a bit. If we're honest, it's not always feasible for us to take hours out of our day to meditate but, that doesn't mean you can't have a meaningful meditative practice. 

In the Course, meditation is mentioned only twice, yet the Course lessons themselves are meditative in nature. Meditation is about quieting the mind and as Course students, we are aware of how threatening a quiet mind can be to the ego. A quiet mind is where we are able to hear the Voice for our Source, the Holy Spirit, and it is also through a quiet mind that we are able to connect with our Source. This is very threatening to the ego.  

When we nod off while meditating or reading a spiritually-based book, what we are experiencing is ego resistance. So, even if you are sitting upright, it is possible to fall asleep while meditating. We can also experience distraction and tangential thinking where our thoughts go in many different directions and we can’t seem to focus. 

What I do want to highlight here, and this is something I write about in my latest book ‘Awakening Your Right Mind’ is that when our minds wander, it is a choice made on our part. It is very important to remember that when we have a chatty mind or our thoughts go here, there, and everywhere, we are allowing these things to happen. This is NOT something to feel guilty about but you do simply want to acknowledge that this something being done by you and not to you. From this point of recognition, you are wonderfully aware that you are in control and not a victim of the ego. As we are taught in the Course, "The key to salvation is but this; I am doing this unto myself." From this amazing point of awareness, you can start focusing your mind on where you want it to be, the peace of Spirit, instead of thinking the ego is some outside entity trying to bring you down.

Now, it is taught in the Course that meditating for hours is not necessary to achieve enlightenment. Jesus shares that one could meditate for hours and accomplish nothing whereas someone could connect with God in an instant. You are able to connect with your Source with ease because you are IN the Mind of Source – never are you apart.

To have a more fulfilling meditative practice, I encourage you to look at the goal of why you are meditating. In the section of the Course, “I Need Do Nothing” we are taught that meditation is best accomplished in the Holy Instant. It is in the Holy Instant that you accept your Oneness with Source and with us all. What happens in the Holy Instant is that you are acknowledging the Truth now, in the eternal present moment. It is the present moment we are being asked to focus our attention upon because it is in the now that we can accept the Holy Instant. Whereas the intention for meditating for long periods of time can be to accomplish the moment of the Holy Instant at some point in the future. Never doubt that you are fully capable of acknowledging the Truth and able to experience all of its loving qualities, now.

Be mindful of if your intention with meditation is to bring about a future experience and be open to the fact that you could experience the Truth now.  If your goal with meditation is to connect with your Source, you simply don’t need to be a master meditator. You can easily practice taking moments of connection with your Source and accepting that YOU ARE SPIRIT. As you practice this wonderful thought, it is easier for you to accept that you are fully capable of connecting with your Source.

If your goal for meditation is to quiet your mind for hours like a yogi, it will just simply require practice. Meditation is a form of mind training just like the Course lessons. If you are wanting to extend your periods of meditation then I encourage you to be gentle with yourself and allow yourself the process. Who knows the reasons why a yogi is able to quiet their mind so easily and for extended periods of time? Perhaps they had a previous physical experience where they were meditators before and it’s just easier for them this time around. Or, maybe they were introduced to meditation early in their life and it is simply a habit. Either way, you do want to make sure you don’t compare yourself as we are all set upon our own paths which will inevitably bring us back to the full awareness of our Source <3

If you are wanting to practice quieting your mind for long periods of time, I encourage you to remember that:

• The ego is not something being done to you but by you. Any form of resistance like racing thoughts or falling asleep while meditating are decisions on your part to resist the Truth of Who you are. To remedy this, you can invite the Holy Spirit, your loving Higher Self, to be in charge of your meditation which will take you out of ego mode. Also, just like we are guided in the Course lessons, if you catch your mind wandering, simply bring your focus back to the present moment.
• Next, be honest with yourself that meditation is a process, a form of mind training. Allow yourself the process. Perhaps you can try a guided meditation to help yourself stay awake. Then, when the guided meditation is over, you can practice keeping your mind in a meditative state.
• Don’t feel guilty or get into comparison if you find yourself struggling. Meditation is a very private practice which can bring you great benefits. Try not to give in to ego thoughts which may make you feel unworthy or incapable of such a beautiful practice. You are fully capable and you are in charge. 
• Accept the Holy Instant now and practice doing so. Your meditation practice can be about accepting the Truth now and not waiting for it to be something you accept in the future. The Holy Instant is always available to you. 

I hope these tips help and that it's clearer as to why you may fall asleep when meditating. You deserve to have your quiet time with your Source so try to remember that Source is with you, right now and forever, you need only bring your focus to that Truth. 

Much Love,

Fiona xo