Creating Space for Meditation

 

  



If you've been following along for February's month of meditation on my Instagram feed (nicmpip), you'll see that today's post is all about creating space to meditate.  The idea is to create a sensual experience (as in engaging the senses) by lighting incense, candles, ringing bells, playing music, using mantra or clearing your space with sage or palo santo.  This moves along with the idea of creating rituals and habits which serves to engage your mind into beginning the process of slowing down and relaxing. 
 
Dr. Joe Dizpenza describes it best in his book Breaking the Habit of Being Yourself: the brain works by repetition and association. As you move through the processes of moving to the mat, lighting your incense and beginning your meditation, neurons begin to fire in the brain. As repetition begins with your rituals, these processes become automatic and "the cascade of chemical reactions that is triggered within moments changes the body physiologically, and it happens subconsciously - with little or no conscious effort".  Can you imagine your body subconsciously moving into meditation? If you have meditated today, you are well on your way to creating the very neurological pathways that will enable this to enter into the subconscious mind. Including more sensual aspects such as scents and sounds will serve to enhance the experience.

As a Kundalini Yogini, each time I begin my kundalini practice, I open the space with the Adi Mantra which in turn tunes me into the Golden Chain of teachers who guide me in that elevated practice space. Opening the space with this mantra has become deeply rooted in my heart and has given tremendous meaning and intention to my practice. As a child, I was never taught any rituals or spiritual practices as I grew up: my family never prayed before dinner or bed, I never recited affirmations or counted my blessings, all of these things came years later when I entered the path of yoga. I have learned to create meaning in my everyday life through the practice of rituals, I have learned active gratitude by pausing before meals to appreciate the journey food has taken to make it to my plate, and I have learned to create change within myself and my surroundings by intentional focus. For me, these are the practices that lead to the fruits of life experience.

Moving forward in your meditation practice, what small ritual can you begin to further enhance your mediation experience?

meet you in the ethers... xoxo