Why Meditate
by Suzanne Toro
[Listen to Audio!]
 Meditation is the act of getting quiet and settling the mind. It’s the process of slowing and eventually stopping your thoughts, at which point you can bask in and feel the silence, trusting all that you need exists within you. When you dip into this place of stillness, you begin to touch your soul. It is absolutely one of the most divine and sumptuous ways to feed your inner and outer self.
On a physical level, meditation benefits your body; it acts as both a preventative and a reactive medicine. There are endless studies which show the direct and positive impact that meditation has on the entire human body. On a soul level, meditation impacts your personal existence and changes how you participate in and perceive your life to be. Using this tool on a daily basis will bring you peace and allow you to tap into your internal pot of gold. The infinite potential to transform and heal your life rests within you, and it is through meditation that this potential can be realized. The beauty of practicing meditation is that over time you will begin to experience its “ripple effects.” These ripples take shape in all different areas of your life: on a personal basis you are feeling grounded and centered; on a professional basis – you start to have clarity and opportunities appear; on a mental and physical basis your symptoms, issues begin to shift and healing occurs. On a spiritual basis, you begin to connect with your highest truth. Your life begins to flow. […]
Once you introduce meditation into your life, your soul and your physical, emotional, mental body actually crave the meditation, similar to the way you crave a certain food or activity. Meditation is the act of reconnecting with your internal self, your soul. You might wonder why you need to take time to meditate. Meditation replenishes the body, mind and spirit; it calms the mental turbulence, heals the physical, mental and spiritual body, and reduces stress. You would never deny yourself water or food yet the majority of humanity does not feed their soul; this nourishment is needed on an individual level and on a global level.
About the Author: Excerpted from Suzanne Toro’s book Bare Naked Bliss.
Latest Community Insights  |
Why Meditate
How do you relate to stillness providing a sumptuous way to feed your soul? Can you share a personal story of a time you felt meditation’s ‘ripple effects?’ What has helped you incorporate a meditation practice into your life? |
| xiaoshan pan wrote: I still remember clearly the summer of 2003 when I started the mediation practice the very first time in my life. The transformation in terms of my bodily and mental health, the shift of my perspecti… |
| david doane wrote: Stillness grants the opportunity to be in touch with one’s soul, which is the real self. And since my soul is an extension of God, in being in touch with my soul, I am in union with God. … |
| Share/Read Your Reflections |
|
Awakin Circles:
Many years ago, a couple friends got together to sit in silence for an hour, and share personal aha-moments. That birthed this newsletter, and rippled out as Awakin Circles in 80+ living rooms around the globe. To join in Santa Clara this week, RSVP online.
Some Good News
Video of the Week
Kindness Stories
Global call with Nilima Bhat!
 Join us for a conference call this Saturday, with a global group of ServiceSpace friends and our insightful guest speaker. Join the Forest Call >>
About
Back in 1997, one person started sending this simple “meditation reminder” to a few friends. Soon after, “Wednesdays” started, ServiceSpace blossomed, and the humble experiments of service took a life of its own. If you’d like to start an Awakin gathering in your area, we’d be happy to help you get started.
|
Richard Whittaker
Oh his solo bicycle ride across the U.S. Zilong said, “I had no experience biking. The longest I rode a bike before was for two hours.” He vowed not to use money for lodging, so each night of his two and a half month journey he knocked on the doors of strangers and asked to camp in their backyards. Each night a door opened. When I interviewed Zilong, he was three days away from embarking on an even grander bicycle odyssey…
“I met Jim Miller in 2005 at a sweat lodge. Later Jim pulled me aside and shared a dream. He was riding on a horse across South Dakota and Minnesota and saw a group of Dakota men singing. Then he witnessed an execution in his dream. Later he learned he’d dreamt of the largest mass execution in U.S. history in Mankato, MI on Dec. 26, 1862. He said, ‘I’m wondering if you could help me make a film to connect with our youth.’ It was one of those things where chills go up your spine.” …
Sangha of Auspicious Companions 