Meditation of the month - Zen Warrior
A meditation for navigating confrontation with greater confidence and ease. By Jill Lawson
Are you someone who avoids confrontation? Do you steer clear of facing difficult situations? Is it easier for you to live with a problem rather than do what is necessary to resolve it? If so, the following meditation is for you.
Let’s face it, confrontation is awkward and can be massively uncomfortable .However, if you leave your problems to fate, chances are you won’t break through your shell and grow beyond whatever is gnawing at you.
Practice this meditation to feel powerful and expand your confidence. Use it to find the strength necessary to confront people or situations that are keeping you off your path to peace.
Do it now
Begin in a seated position with both feet flat on the floor. Sit up straight and touch your fingers and thumbs together as if you are holding a ball. Place your hands about an inch in front of your solar plexus. Imagine you are holding on to a glowing sphere of yellow light. See this light like the sun, shining far and wide.
Now, think of a situation that requires some kind of confrontation. See all the characters involved. Feel the energy in your body; whether it is excitement, anger, or discomfort.
Review in your head the words you might say. Keep your body in a position that exudes strength by continuing to sit up straight. Hold your head up high.
Next, take a deep breath and bring your attention to the ball of light you are holding in your hands. As you continue to confront the issue in your mind, imagine the light you are holding expanding. Begin to separate your fingers and hands as if to voluntarily make the light shine bigger and brighter. Imagine the light glowing on the people and places in your imagination. See this light as sunshine, burning through any fear, doubt, and negativity. What you are intending to do is bloom peace, not anger. Imagine that.
When it’s time to engage in a real-life confrontation, recall this meditation practice. If you feel like you are losing the battle, not being heard, or unable to control your emotions, reflect back to the light you carry and its intention.
We may never be able to avoid uncomfortable situations, and we wouldn’t want to. Like a seed in the sunshine bursting through its shell, we too must break through whatever is holding us back if we want to blossom beyond our challenges .
Jill Lawson is a writer and yoga teacher enjoying life on the island of Maui in Hawaii (jilllawson.net)
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