I’m open minded and willing to give new things a go and to try different activities. One activity that was suggested to me was meditation. So I bought the book, got the CD and threw myself into meditating. Or I tried and failed, many times. I could just not get there. I’m not use to having peace and quiet in my brain as my thoughts come thick and fast - probably why I end up talking so much and so quickly!
I still really wanted to understand meditation and the benefits it would have for me. But what I was doing so far was not working. If something doesn’t work the first time. I always give it another go, to see if it was just me, or if I need to change something in what I’m doing. In this instance it just wasn’t going to work. So instead of changing the goal, which was to meditate I needed to change the route to getting to meditation. A friend posted on Facebook about a guided meditation class that was taking place in the local area and I thought - perfect! It will cost me £4 but I can pop along and try guided meditation to see if I could follow it and get to understand what it’s all about.
The room was dark upstairs, there were big comfy cushions scattered about on the floor, a himalayan salt lamp, glowed pink in the corner. Walking into the room after removing my shoes, I felt a kind of peacefulness. It was the energy that was coming out of the room. You could feel the positivity. That’s how I felt anyway. There were six other people in the room, many of them from their conversations, regulars who had been coming awhile. The guide, welcomed us and explained what was going to happen.
I then closed my eyes and opened my mind and my thoughts, to the journey that was to take place, and it was a journey. She guided us on a pathway through a doorway and into a wood, following the path into the wood I came into a clearing, by a pond.
It was peaceful, quiet, calming, resting. It was gentle and spiritual. It was different and I’d never been anywhere like that before. It was relaxing and it did seem to calm me. I could have been there for hours, but really it was only forty minutes.
Everyone shared at the end and described their own personal doorways, the type of path they walked on, and the woods they entered. I enjoyed the sharing aspect, I wanted people to understand where I’d been. I know they wouldn’t be able to relate, as I wasn’t able to relate to their stories, but it was nice to share in an open, relaxed space.
The only one thing I noticed was my legs, after I stood up, I got horrendous cramps and shooting pains. This didn’t happen while I mediated only after we had finished. It was the strangest feeling, I wanted to stretch out and I needed to stamp my feet to the ground to reconnect them. I’m probably not describing it very well. But it was an odd sensation.
I felt mediation did work for me and I enjoyed the whole experience. I’d like to try it again to see what happens the next time. My mind has been opened and I want to explore this further!