The dangers of Meditation

I have finally returned from my trip to California, a few days later than intended. After receiving my certificate in Ayurveda, I said goodbye to paradise and hit the tarmac. Arriving in Chicago, I rushed to make my connecting flight to Halifax, only to discover it was cancelled. Surrendering to the uncontrollable, I enjoyed a quiet evening in my airport hotel, reviewing the magnificent content of my course.

Early the next morning I was off to Newark, where I had a 5hr wait. Here’s where it gets a little funny and a lot embarrassing. As I tucked myself into my temporary home in a sunny corner of the airport, I marveled at the feeling of pure joy that fills me when I have quiet time to myself.

Much of the morning was spent writing, until a mother and son team sat down right beside me, popping my bubble of serenity. “Can’t she see that I’m engrossed in creative work here?” I complained quietly as their very noisy interruption continued. Remembering my meditation motto to ‘cling to nothing and push nothing away’, I closed my computer and decided to ‘lean into the knife’ as Pema Chodron advises.

Entering meditation, I invited the chaos of my external world to blend with the stillness of my internal world. Suddenly, I found myself in the midst of absolute alchemy. The young boy beside me, who I’m guessing was ADHD, stopped frantically fidgeting and complaining of being bored. Instead, he came closer and sat next to me, joining me in silence! Although children may appear to be stuck in unhealthy habits, they will openly explore other ways of being, when given the alternative.

This brief experience supports the many studies proving that our inner state of being directly influences our outer environment. We don’t have to wait for peace to appear around us, we can initiate the wave within and watch it ripple out.

After a delicious meditation practice with my new friend, I blissfully opened my eyes just in time to see my Halifax-bound flight taking off into the horizon. In total, I spent a full 12 hrs in the Newark airport on Tuesday—a reminder to clock my time in the zone.

Let stillness fill your summer, and I’ll see you in four more sleeps at the Berwick Yoga Fest!

Jenny