By Nicky Tait
The Earth is boundless. Vast stretches of mountains, endless expanses of ocean, a sky stretching to infinity. It beckons us to open our minds to the possibilities, mirroring our true potential.
Prior to starting this meditation so often I thought of the ultimate destination as a place that existed somewhere outside myself. A tropical beach, a stunning mountain range, a peaceful path through the forest. If only I had the money and time to travel to these places, if only my life afforded me the opportunity to enjoy the world as I was meant to, then I could be truly happy.
Once I started the journey inward, however, I began to see the fleeting nature of these experiences, and discovered to my amazement that the ultimate destination has always existed within. From this point onward it became apparent to me that every event, every landscape, and every interaction was simply a reflection of myself. This meditation method gave me a map to chart these internal waters. Like the north star, it pointed me back home, back to my own humanity.
By focusing my energy to this end, many other aspects of my life have also improved. Since I started meditating daily, I miraculously stopped getting sick. I used to get really bad colds throughout my life that would keep me bed ridden for weeks sometimes. Since I dedicated myself to this practice over a year ago, my body has become much stronger and more immune to illness, and I haven’t been sick since then. The last time I caught a cold was during a period when I had stopped meditating while I was traveling, so it became obvious to me how important this meditation is for my overall health and well being.
It also became apparent to me that this meditation method is unlike any other. Meditation is becoming very popular these days as a way to calm our minds and ease tension in our bodies. While there’s no harm in relaxing your mind and body through awareness exercises and deep breathing, in the end these types of meditation have a limit to the depth of their treatment.
I was never able to fundamentally change my mind and treat the root cause of my stress and anxiety in any other practice. No place else in the world taught me exactly what the human mind is and how to release myself from the strong attachments and heavy emotional baggage, I had been carrying throughout my lifetime. Many spiritual practices and religions talk about the importance of clearing our minds, and connecting to a state of being beyond one’s self, but nowhere else was I able to find a simple, direct, and effective method to actually accomplish such a thing in my everyday life.
Because this meditation method addresses the entirety of our mind and even the habits we’ve inherited, it definitely takes some time, courage, and concentrated effort to complete. During this journey, I’ve realized the importance of patience, acceptance, and endurance. During times when I didn’t have the answers, I couldn’t see the bigger picture, and my current state was not where I wanted to be, it took every ounce of determination not to walk away.
It’s so tempting to give up when things don’t go the way we plan, but the universe asks us to trust that we are on the right path and to take heart in the journey. The more that I have faith in the process, the more gratitude I have for this meditation method even existing, and to the guides here for shining a light on what was once a dark and lonely path for me. This gratitude allows me to see the value in every obstacle I encounter, knowing it is steering me towards a destination of infinite potential.
The Earth is boundless. Vast stretches of mountains, endless expanses of ocean, a sky stretching to infinity. It beckons us to open our minds to the possibilities, mirroring our true potential. Looking at nature I am comforted knowing there is another way to live. Practicing this meditation I am amazed that there is a method that allows me to actually live this life. One of joy, freedom, and true connection. One of infinite potential that I always thought existed somewhere “out there”. Now I now that the ultimate destination has always been patiently waiting for me to find it within my mind and heart.
Source: http://berkeleymeditation.org
