#active meditation

[diary-of-shutterpunk]

A conversation between gravity and curiosity.

[neurospicyu]

The Importance of Mindfulness for Neurodivergents: Embracing a Unique Journey

In a world that often feels overwhelming and overstimulating, mindfulness can serve as an anchor—a way to ground yourself amidst the chaos.

Traditional mindfulness practices don’t always work for neurodivergents, but that doesn’t mean mindfulness isn’t for you! Discover how to tailor grounding techniques, stimming-friendly practices, and active mindfulness for ADHD, autism, and other neurodivergent experiences. Your journey to calm starts here.

[jigglisticstoicism]

Being vulnerable takes great courage and strength. If you give yourself the opportunity to expose the core of who you are, it may do catastrophic damage to your delicately crafted internal and external reality, destroying the story you were taught to tell yourself and others. You may have nothing but pieces left after. In the wake of this destruction.....the possibility of a better way forward has the potential to emerge. The possibility of allowing your curiosity and intuition lead you to what you should have had in the first place. Don't be afraid of foundations and realities falling apart, its giving you and opportunity to see the raw truth of life in that particular degree. Growth will never exclude you. You came here to do just that, so embrace the chaos in order to find the golden lesson that will propel you towards devine peace, ascension and success.

[shamandrummer]

Finding Your Spiritual Dharma

The concept of dharma, or the "eternal spiritual path," is a key Hindu and Buddhist concept, referring to a law or principle which governs the universe. For an individual to live out their dharma, they must act in accordance with this law. In Hinduism, dharma is both the eternal order that rules the universe and the duty or law that governs one's life. In Buddhism, dharma is the doctrine, the universal truth common to all individuals at all times, proclaimed by the Buddha. Dharma, the Buddha, and the sangha (community of believers) make up the Triratna, "Three Jewels," to which Buddhists go for refuge. In Buddhism, dharma additionally means acting in accordance with the teachings of the Buddha. The Buddha's teachings and the path to enlightenment are symbolized by the Wheel of Dharma.

On an individual level, dharma can refer to a personal mission or purpose. Fulfilling one's dharma or purpose in life is considered the way to transcend suffering and the cycle of birth and death. It is said that all beings must accept their dharma for order and harmony to exist in the world. If one is following their dharma, they are pursuing their true calling and serving all other beings in the universe by carrying out their authentic role. According to the Hindu scripture "Bhagavad Gita," it is better to do your own dharma poorly than to do another's well.

Finding your spiritual dharma, or purpose, is more about introspection and self-discovery than about following the same path as others. The most important thing you can do is to develop a spiritual practice. A spiritual practice is the regular performance of actions and activities undertaken for the purpose of inducing spiritual experiences and cultivating spiritual development. This is where you practice a variety of techniques on a daily basis that are designed to expand your awareness with the intention of achieving higher states of consciousness and spiritual enlightenment. Here are a three techniques to finding your spiritual path:

1. Mindful Meditation: Meditation is probably the most ancient and well known spiritual practice. To meditate means to focus the mind on a particular object, thought, or activity in order to train attention and awareness, and promote calm and clarity. Mindfulness is the idea of learning how to be fully present and engaged in the moment, aware of your thoughts and feelings without distraction or judgment. Combining meditation and mindfulness together into a single practice optimizes the effects of both.

To practice mindful meditation, sit or lie comfortably, and then close your eyes. Begin by silently asking yourself: "What is my dharma or purpose in life?" Then simply focus on your breath and observe whatever comes up without judgment or attachment. You do not need to do anything to your breath. Just breathe naturally and focus your attention on where you feel your breath in your body. It may be in your abdomen, chest, throat or nostrils. As you do this, your mind may start to wander. This is perfectly natural. Just notice that your mind has wandered, and then gently redirect your attention back to the breathing. Stay here for five to seven minutes. It helps to set aside a designated time for mindful meditation each day.

2. Mindful Drumming: Drumming is perhaps the oldest form of active meditation known to humanity. It is a simple and effortless way to still the mind's internal dialogue in order to access personal revelation from within. Combining these two ancient practices -- drumming and mindfulness -- can be life-altering. Just like a yogi or a monk, who exists in a spiritual state most of the time because of constant devotional practices, we can readily induce profound states of deep meditation and heightened awareness by using a drum as an aid to meditation. Mindful drumming is a way to connect straight to the heart. The energy that comes in from the source is directed through our hearts. The essence of mindful drumming is the experience of direct revelation, which comes through as a feeling, impression or intuition.

To practice mindful drumming, sit comfortably, and then close your eyes. Silently ask yourself: "What is my dharma -- my purpose in life?" Next begin drumming a steady, monotonous rhythm and simply focus on the beat. If your mind wanders, gently redirect your attention back to the beat. Drum for five to seven minutes, maintaining a nonjudgmental awareness of sensations, feelings and insights. The punctuated sound of a regularly beating drum stills the incessant chatter of the mind, enabling you to achieve a mindful state almost instantly -- the fast path to self-revelation. This ease of meditation with a drum contrasts significantly with the often long periods of isolation and practice required by many other meditative disciplines before significant effects are experienced.

3. Shamanic Journeying: When we are unaware of our soul's true purpose, or simply not aligned in our actions, we often experience a malaise of the spirit. We can engage the blueprint of our soul path through the vehicle of journeying. Shamanic journeying is a time-tested medium for individual self-realization. We can journey within to access wisdom and energies that can help awaken our soul calling and restore us to wholeness. Journey practice connects us with our deepest core values and our highest vision of who we are and why we are here. It heightens our sense of mission and purpose, empowering our personal evolution.

Shamanism is based on the principle that innate wisdom and guidance can be accessed through the inner senses in ecstatic trance. Basically, shamanic journeying is a way of communicating with your inner or true self and retrieving information. Your inner self is in constant communication with all aspects of your environment, seen and unseen. You need only journey within to find answers to your questions. You should have a question or objective in mind from the start such as identifying your innermost purpose in life. After the journey, you must then interpret the meaning of your trance experience.

To enter a trance state and support your journey, you will need a drum or a shamanic drumming recording. The drum, sometimes called the shamans horse, provides a simple and effective way to induce ecstatic trance states. When a drum is played at an even tempo of three to four beats per second for at least fifteen minutes, most novices report that they can journey successfully even on their first attempt. Transported by the driving beat of the drum; the shamanic traveler journeys to the inner planes of consciousness. Try a shamanic journey.

[barberwitch]

Question, when I meditate I get this...pins and needles or tickling type of feeling right in the center of my forehead. Frankly it makes it difficult to focus on meditating because that is all I can focus on. What might that feeling be? What is it trying to tell me?

I don’t know, but I just pictured some random person and a ghost just poking their forehead and it made me giggle.

Remember that there are different ways to meditate, and sitting still isn’t for everyone!Active meditation is a really great option especially if you may have anxiety or get distracted.Knitting and crochet can be a really good repetitious action that can be a form of meditation.Same with walking, though I would suggest walking a specific route. You can listen to meditation soundtracks while you do it like breathing exercises or drumming.

Even watching something and sitting still may help/be an alternative. ASMR type stuff like colors swirling into water or paint. Or sitting outside and watching a tree. The meditation goes through some visualization. Watch the tree, the leaves, the bark, the movement from the wind. Then go to the small ants that may be crawling along the bark back down to the ground. And underneath the ground are the roots, absorbing water. The water falling from the sky. The clouds that dropped the rain were created from moisture over the ocean evaporating. The ocean holds creatures etc etc.You’re going through a mental timeline and mindfulness while still viewing the tree as what it is. You can do this with anything, and having some structure to the meditation may prevent that prickling feeling

Might help, might not, but that’s what I’ve got.

🦇Cheers, Barberwitch

[oscarangelreysoto]

Winter garden 48 x 89 cm 

Mixed technique on wood. I have been really sick for a week (my 2-year-old son also, in fact, he has brought the flu home from kindergarten)It's the first time in years that the disease has forced me to lie in bed without doing anything, apart from reading (not for more than 15 minutes in a row or dizziness and headache became unbearable) and thinking.I've had a lot of time to think about what I have, what I do not want to forget, what is important and what is not.Of the first two days in which I began to feel well, this painting was born.As I did, I thought of plants sprouting slowly at the end of winter (when it is still wet and something cold but there are more hours of light as I had seen years ago in the United Kingdom )You could also see a set of cells regenerating.The result seems unusual and a little different to what I've been doing for the last 12-14 months, maybe this is the beginning of a new path ... or not Jardín invernal

48 x 89 cm Técnica mixta sobre madera. He estado realmente enfermo por una semana (mi hijo de 2 años también, de hecho el a traído la gripe  a casa desde la guardería)Es la primera vez en mucho tiempo que la enfermedad me ha obligado a estar tendido en la cama sin poder hacer absolutamente nada, aparte de leer (no por mas de 15 minutos seguidos o los mareos y el dolor de cabeza se volvían insoportables ) y pensar.He tenido muchos dias para pensar en lo que tengo, lo que no quiero olvidar, lo que es importante y lo que no lo es.De los dos primeros días en los que empecé a encontrarme bien nació este cuadro.Mientras lo hacia, pensaba en plantas brotando lentamente al final del invierno (cuando todavía es húmedo y algo frió pero ya hay mas horas de luz tal como había visto años atrás en Reino Unido)También podría verse un conjunto de células regenerandose.El resultado me parece inusual y un poco diferente a lo que llevo haciendo por los  últimos 12-14 meses, tal vez esto sea el principio de un nuevo camino... o no.

[galathea3]

New mini BOS to take quick notes of anything that could be interesting. From a new recipe to a made out spell, this little one is coming with me wherever I go.

[oscarangelreysoto]

During my last exhibition at the Premarts gallery, I painted in front of about twenty people, without any previous plan, only inspired by the music of the harmonium of Denis. http://www.denis-andre.net/home.htm

One in front of the other, waiting for feedback.

Denis would play what he could see in my painting, I would paint what I could see in his music.

The result was very inspiring and really cathartic, I was not aware of what I painted until I saw it finished.At the end of the 40-minute performance, that for me was about 40 seconds, I was dizzy and tired but satisfied.Three paintings that danced with music (as a curiosity one of them would be stolen the next day)One of the spectators approached me and told me that the performance had reminded her of a poem by Pablo Neruda "The Poetry"

And it was at that age ... Poetry arrived in search of me. I don't know, I don't know where it came from, from winter or a river. I don't know how or when, no they were not voices, they were not words, nor silence, but from a street, I was summoned, from the branches of night, abruptly from the others, among violent fires or returning alone, there I was without a face and it touched me. I did not know what to say, my mouth had no way with names, my eyes were blind, and something started in my soul, fever or forgotten wings, and I made my own way, deciphering that fire, and I wrote the first faint line, faint, without substance, pure nonsense, pure wisdom of someone who knows nothing, and suddenly I saw the heavens unfastened and open, planets, palpitating plantations, shadow perforated, riddled with arrows, fire, and flowers, the winding night, the universe. And I, infinitesimal being, drunk with the great starry void, likeness, image of mystery, felt myself a pure part of the abyss, I wheeled with the stars, my heart broke loose on the wind.

Durante mi ultima exposición en la galería Premarts pinte en directo enfrente de unas veinte personas,sin ningún tipode plan previo, solo inspirado por la música del armonio de Denis.http://www.denis-andre.net/home.htm

Uno enfrente del otro, esperando retroalimentarnosDenis tocaría lo que viera en mi pintura, yo pintaría lo que pudiera ver en su música.El resultado fue muy inspirador y realmente catártico, no fui consciente de lo que pinte hasta que lo vi terminado.Al final de la actuación de 40 minutos que para mi fueron como 40 segundos, me encontraba mareado y cansado pero satisfecho.Tres pinturas que bailaban con la música (como curiosidad una de ellas seria robada al día siguiente)Una de las espectadoras se acerco y me dijo que la actuación le había recordado a un poema de Pablo Neruda "La poesía"

LA POESÍA

y fue a esa edad... Llegó la poesía a buscarme. No sé, no sé de dónde salió, de invierno o río. No sé cómo ni cuándo, no, no eran voces, no eran palabras, ni silencio, pero desde una calle me llamaba, desde las ramas de la noche, de pronto entre los otros, entre fuegos violentos o regresando solo, allí estaba sin rostro y me tocaba.

Yo no sabía qué decir, mi boca no sabía nombrar, mis ojos eran ciegos, y algo golpeaba en mi alma, fiebre o alas perdidas, y me fui haciendo solo, descifrando aquella quemadura, y escribí la primera línea vaga, vaga, sin cuerpo, pura tontería, pura sabiduría del que no sabe nada, y vi de pronto el cielo desgranado y abierto, planetas, plantaciones palpitantes, la sombra perforada, acribillada por flechas, fuego y flores, la noche arrolladora, el universo.

Y yo, mínimo ser, ebrio del gran vacío constelado, a semejanza, a imagen del misterio, me sentí parte pura del abismo, rodé con las estrellas, mi corazón se desató en el viento.