Finding Inspiration for meditation

One of the important things in keeping a meditation practice alive is to find inspiration in our lives in general. In fact one of the simple but profound truths that we learn in meditation is that whatever and however we are in our life in general will that be there with us in meditation.

In order then for our meditation sessions, however long or short they are to be alive and vital for us, it is really helpful for us to seek out and encourage inspiration in our lives.

We may find that simply being in nature, our gardens, parks or allotments gives us this sense of wonder, joy and creativity that is characteristic of being in an inspired state of mind. We may be inspired by art, spending time reading or looking at art in it's many forms. Examples of people's lives may provide us with inspiration, as may many spiritual teachings.

If I start a meditation with something that has inspired me, I find that I am mentally more alert and more interested in my meditation. I have a real sense of uplift that carries me past unhelpful states of mind more easily and leads me into a deeper sense of practice.

Mindfulness of thoughts.

" It is remarkable how liberating it feels to be able to see that your thoughts are just thoughts and they are not 'you' or 'reality' For instance, if you have the thought that you have to get a certain number of things done today and you don't recognize it as a thought but act as if it's 'the truth', then you have created a reality in that moment in which you really believe that those things must be done today"

So writes Jon Kabat-Zinn in Full Catastrophe Living"

For me this understanding was also really liberating, Thoughts have no arms and legs, they cannot hold me, the holding comes from this believing that my thoughts represent reality or 'the truth' as Jon kabat-Zinn writes. When I know that my thoughts are just thoughts, I can decide whether to act on them or not.

My thoughts are conditioned, they arise from my childhood, my upbringing, my culture and so on, for someone else other thoughts arise due to other conditions. If I can sit with some understanding of this I am no longer imprisoned by my thoughts.