Are You Listening?

Sitting here, experiencing another epic winter storm, it occurred to me that this is a perfect time to work on clearing my mind.  Instead of endless scrolling and adding to my Amazon cart, it is an opportunity to calm the chatter that the “roommate” in my head keeps on shuffle. 
As humans, it is a part of our nature to want to feel part of something bigger; family, church, community, political parties, occupations, etc. We tend to label ourselves by our groups and occupations as who we are when this isn’t the case at all.  You are as unique as your fingerprints.  There is no one in this universe like you, and you didn’t just appear.  You are part of a greater force and intelligence, and my belief is that the need to connect to this force is what drives our need to be part of something larger than ourselves. 
This force, or whatever you want to call it; God, Universal energy, etc., can only be connected to with silence.  We can speak to it through prayer or song, but that doesn’t let the answers come, only silence can do that.  How many times do you sing or pray and then take time to listen? 
Meditation is a way to connect directly to this force without the interference of dogma or people and organizations that let you believe you aren’t capable of connecting without them or making rules in how to do it.  We all came from this force and it is there, just waiting for you to let it through the noise. 
The noise has so many forms, most of it our inner thoughts or inner “roommate” chatting away.  The silence between these thoughts is where the magic happens.  Learning to extend these gaps is what meditation is about. 
Most people think meditation is hard and they aren’t capable of it.  This is the ego, that fragile sense of self, protecting itself because if we do away with it, what will that feel like and that scares us. 
Try this: Set the phone down.  Better yet, turn it off.  Sit or lay down comfortably, so that your head, neck, and torso are aligned, and you can expand your chest with breath.  Now close your eyes and hum.  This vibration will resonate in your head, and you might find your sinuses open.  It also affects your Vagus nerve, stimulating the parasympathetic system and taking you out of “flight or fight” mode.  Keep humming for about a minute or two. 
Now just breathe and listen to the silence.  At first you might only be able to do this for a moment or two and that is great!  I began my mediation practice for 30 seconds because with my squirrel brain, I knew I could at least do that.  Practice will help you increase the silencing of your brain.   
The more you try this, the more you will start to notice the effects; calm thoughts, relaxed body, feeling a connection to your soul. 
If you want to learn more about this, I highly recommend a powerful little book by Dr. Wayne Dyer, “Getting in the Gap”. 
I’d love to hear how this works for you. ​