I started the Oprah and Deepak Meditation series on April 10th. Not all, but many mornings my meditation leads to insight. I have been posting on Facebook, but in case you don't follow me there (YOU know who YOU are!!), I decided to write them here too.
Enjoy!
"I'm a mess." So many say this to me as they tell me about their aches and pains. But if you believe in God, this cannot be true. He/She made you in His/Her Image and therefore you are Perfect. The pain we experience is here for a reason. A belief in perfection moves you to understand what that reason is. As you understand, you heal.
Perfect. In this moment...
You
Are
Perfect.
It is your ideal of perfect that creates the struggle and pain. You set your sights on some internal judgement of what perfect is and berate yourself when it is not achieved.
Instead today, let go and know that you are Perfect in this moment.
And in this moment.
And this one too...
Judgement. Mindfulness is being in the present moment, without judgement. That may be the most difficult part for some. Observing your thoughts, allowing yourself to feel both emotionally and physically without judging whether the thoughts and feelings are "right" or "wrong". Just allowing yourself to be. And then extending the practice of non-judgement toward others. This takes work, but when you observe without judgement you open to compassion.
We all make mistakes. And yes, many times we deal with the external consequences of those mistakes. But there should NOT be internal consequences; i.e. that inner voice that says, "you're stupid", "you're not good enough", "how could I have done that", etc. Develop compassion in your mistakes. Just as you would have compassion for a child making a mistake, so too, have compassion for yourself. "It's OK. You'll do better the next time".
More on Judgement and Compassion. We are all just doing our best, right? If I feel like I'm doing my best right now with what I have, then you must be too. Yes, even you who takes too long to make that right turn. And you, who is taking forever to check me out at the grocery. What is my hurry? Breathe. Smile. Wonder, rather than judge someone else's circumstances. This. Will. Lead to Compassion. Try it and let me know how it goes.