Having a Meditation Practice

One of the most underrated things a person can do for themselves is to create a meditative practice. This can take on many forms. It could be sitting quietly and listening to silence for a period of time. It could be breathwork, yoga, martial art, or anything that allows you to get out of your analytical mind for a little bit and connect to a sense of flow. I feel that flow state is what most people are looking for, but many people look for it in ways that don't always serve them. When we are in addiction, we are in that flow state, just in the negative. We're not getting anything accomplished when we're in addiction, but the flow of time moves effortlessly in the same way it does in that flow state. The key is to create a meditative activity that allows you to access that flow state positively.

Having a meditative process also serves other functions. Having a meditative practice allows you to observe yourself more fully and deeply. You can observe your thoughts, how you're feeling, how you breathe, how each thought makes your body feel, and so much more. You get to know yourself a little bit more in this meditative state. You can come to understand what triggers you, your recurring thoughts, the familiar emotions in your body. These are essential things to know because they are constantly occurring. However, many of us ignore these things because we have so many ways of distracting ourselves from noticing these things. It's common for people to be angry, sad, anxious, and many other emotions and not be aware that they are feeling these emotions. It's important to know which emotions you're currently feeling because your current emotions will dictate your thoughts, those thoughts will dictate your words and actions, and those words and actions will dictate the life you live and who you become.

Through meditation, you can recognize that these emotions have a life of their own. They lock themselves onto your thoughts and actions to keep themselves alive. By bringing awareness to these thoughts, words, actions, and feelings, you can stop the whole process. You can change the direction. You can also disengage from the emotions altogether. There's a difference between being fully caught up in your emotion and being aware that it's there. Through meditation, you can come to know yourself more deeply, and by understanding yourself more deeply, you can find a deeper understanding of the world. Michael Singer said it best in his book "The Untethered Soul." "Come to know the one who watches the voice, and you will come to know the great mysteries of creation."

Get your copy of The Untethered Soul here: https://amzn.to/3KJY2OW. 

With gratitude,

Joey Hauss
joeyhauss.com

PS: If you prefer watching over reading, you can watch this video where I talk about this experience here.