My 6-Year-Old Meditator
MUSING
Upon rising one recent morning, our 6-year-old granddaughter, ever the early riser, asks if she can join me for my morning practice.
‘Certainly!’ was my immediate response. This was followed with, ‘And I do this in quiet so if you decide you need to leave so you can talk, you can do so. Please stay with me as long as you like, in silence.’
Now, this little Peanut Fish, (my name of endearment for her) is precocious and quite the non-stop conversationalist. While I welcome her presence, it was also knowing there was good possibility it would be short-lived. It was a welcome surprise that I was mistaken yet again.
So off to the ‘Yoga Room’ we went. I began my practice, taking time to pause and sink in. There was nary a peep from my companion seated next to me. After I’d finished my practice, I observed her. Forefinger and thumb touching on her knees, sitting up right, eyes closed and breathing deeply. I was the one who delightedly waited for her to finish.
When she was done, I asked her how it felt to meditate. She responded, ‘You know Gram, sometimes there is just too much noise in my class. The kids talk. The teacher talks. The projector talks. And sometimes I just need some quiet, so I meditate.’ These matter-of-fact words from this little one who is often being reminded by her teachers that school is more than socialization! And then she added, ‘So, I just sit and breathe and close my eyes and it all gets quieter. ‘
What a lesson from this little wonder! She is my teacher and so are those people around me. Mirrors back demanding that I see the world and people fresh each day.
We are invited to be surprised and see each day with freshness, with a letting go of the past that often clouds our vision. Releasing expectations – for ourselves and others – helps see life with more freshness, curiosity, and openness.
MODALITY
Spiritual & Somatic Introspection:
“The purpose of experience is to modify incorrect knowledge.” Vendanta
We can be told what is important in life, we can ask people we admire how to approach a situation, we even have the choice of relying on someone else to tell us how to feel and live and what choices to make.
This approach to life can seem to appear easier and, on many levels, it is. We do not need to accept our role in making choices and can readily point externally when something does not work out. Yet, on the larger level it misses the mark entirely. As we mature from our childhood into being an ‘adult’, we are invited to move beyond the reliance of a child on authority figures to tell us what to do. We are invited to move into experiencing and discerning the conundrums of life’s complexities. This path requires us to assume responsibility, learn from our choices, which often include painful, yet pivotal lessons.
A common, and in my experience, place of relying externally for answers is in religious constructs. This can include accepting what another person of religious authority instructs or interprets, without question. [Do not read that there is not value and guidance in this approach; religious teachings are often foundational tenants for living a fulfilling life.] It becomes a challenge when there is no room for question. When we do not allow our evolving understanding to question the underpinnings of the embedded systems of belief that sometimes can appear contradictory, it is stifling. It can result in extreme disappointment. The deconstructing of religiously imposed beliefs can often be a time of questioning what is real, what really matters, who am I really? This time can be a crossroads to step into an examination of what your experience suggests. A time of deconstruction has a unique potential to lead to growth and vitality, a deepening faith, once the muck has been examined and that which is no longer ‘real’, released.
This kind of work can often be supported with somatic, body sensing practices, that access the interior spaces of knowing often unexamined.
If this resonates, invite yourself to spend time breathing quietly, sitting amidst the chaos of confusion. Ask these questions:
What do your experiences indicate?
How can your personal and impersonal experience be used to modify incorrect knowledge?
Where do internal conflicts exist with external teachings? Can you find the commonality between the two?
Starting January of 2022, you may consider joining me for a yearlong spiritual adventure of exploring and moving inward. All a part of the spiritual journey we are willingly or unknowingly on.