The Way Out Is the Way In

Do you ever feel separated from others or nature? Isolated? Or like an alien from another planet? As technology rushes on our humanity can be ignored, leaving us feeling alone, alienated, and isolated from others. We can feel caught in the prison that Einstein speaks of below.

"A human being is part of the whole, called by us "universe" limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feelings as something separated from the rest--a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a prison, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons close to us. Our task must be to free ourselves from our prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all humanity and the whole of nature in its beauty."

While it sounds like he is talking about "out there," I believe Einstein was encouraging us to go within and explore the heart, where we listen for the wisdom to move us forward as part of the whole. If we listen within and follow our inner knowing, we can begin to move and dance with the one flow that moves in from the outside and out from the inside-like an Infinity symbol. With this flow of inner to outer, we can view ourselves as sacred and our world as sacred.

How do we develop this flow? Meditation is a good start. Most of us in America are too active to be comfortable just sitting. So start with a walking meditation. First, shake your arms and legs to loosen up. Then partially close your eyes or use soft focus and slowly walk around inside your house. Slow music can be beneficial. After a bit, take yourself outside and staying relaxed, pay attention to nature.

For me, energy healing was a moving meditation that helped me learn to be progressively still. I never would have been able to begin with sitting. I would have given up long ago. Because I came in through movement, I can sit today for two hours and stay relaxed.

It wasn't fast. I had to work up to it.

If you want to try sitting quietly, my album 20 Minutes to Peace: Meditation Made Easy is an easy way to start. With 15 minutes of breathing, grounding, centering and balancing the chakras with color, and then five minutes of silence with a sacred chant, the album takes you into a deeply peaceful state. Beginners sometimes just start with the first two parts of breathing and grounding and centering, then stop. Then after a bit of practice, they add the chakra balance. In this way of small bites, we can move forward gently without pressure or disappointment.

When the mind wanders from within into the outer world's concerns, pull your mind back within. Listen to your heartbeat. If you wander a couple of times close together, you may be fatigued and it is best to stop and sit again the next day for a few minutes.

There is no one way to make this work for you. But letting go of expectations that you must sit for a certain length of time and being gentle with yourself in the process will help you persist and be successful. Over time, you will learn to be more gentle with yourself and others, creating more room for connection.

Try a 5 minute walking or sitting meditation for three days. Notice how you feel. If you feel good, more integrated or more peaceful, give it to yourself as a daily gift of love.

You can hear a sample and order my album 20 Minutes to Peace here.