This post is also available in: Español (Spanish)
I have mentioned multiple times that one day I would write a complete post about meditation. I feel there are so many great things about meditation that I would need to write a book about it to do it justice, but in the meantime, I’ll share here and there those little, yet super powerful benefits of the practice.
If you have been reading my blog, you already know that I share my experiences when I understand the reasons behind them, so I can write in a way that might be beneficial to some of you. I am totally amazed by the way God teaches us. If we truly pay attention, we’ll find a lesson and an opportunity to grow behind pretty much every situation we face. Sometimes they are clear and easy to understand; some other times they require more of our effort.
Let me tell you a story about a situation I recently faced. It wasn’t anything crazy; in fact it was actually so little that I almost missed the huge lesson. I have wanted to get new tattoos for a while, but I wasn’t sure what to get, and I was a little anxious about the pain. Then a few days ago I was checking my Pinterest account, and out of nowhere a symbol popped up. It’s called Inguz. It’s a Greek symbol that means “where there is a will, there is a way.” I immediately fell in love with the concept, and I decided right away that was one of the tattoos I wanted.
The first tattoo I got almost 18 years ago doesn’t have any meaning. Come on, I was in my 20s—I didn’t think that deeply back then. So I wanted to get something meaningful this time. When I got that first tattoo, my brother told me, “Well, now that you’ve entered the tattoo world, let me tell you a very important thing.” (Big Bro Life Lessons, ladies and gentlemen.) “You must always have them in odd numbers. So when you decide to get a second one, you’ll need to get two more so you have a total of three.” I didn’t ask him the reason behind that (actually, I haven’t asked him yet), but that rule got imprinted in my head. So, I went all in and picked four symbols with meanings, so I would have a total of five tattoos.
Once I had my symbols, I started looking for a tattoo artist. You wouldn’t believe how hard is to get an appointment! I didn’t have any idea how busy they are. I also didn’t want to wait three months because, well, sometimes I’m impatient like that. I asked and worked a lot until I finally got an appointment for the very next day. Hey, if I learned anything from my ex-husband, it was not to accept no for an answer. Ever!
I woke up excited the next day, but when I was ready to meditate, all I could think about was how painful tattoos can be. I decided to do a meditation on how to handle pain. I know, right? I’m super smart that way. This might sound silly to you if you haven’t received the gift of mediation yet. But if you are familiar with the practice, you know what I’m talking about. The practice was completely centered on focusing my attention to my “out” breath. When we inhale, we’re tense, but when we exhale, we relax. When we feel a strong pain we tend to tense our muscles, and that intensifies the pain. However, if you do your best to relax your muscles and pay attention to your exhalation, the pain doesn’t feel as strong.
I went to my appointment, and as soon as the session started I let fear take over me. I didn’t ask the guy to stop, but I was feeling the pain 10 times stronger than it probably actually was. I was like that for about three minutes, and then I remembered my meditation. I opened my left hand. I relaxed my muscles, and I completely focused on my exhales. What a difference! The pain went from 10 to 4 almost immediately. I got my four tattoos in one session, and I have some lessons from that experience to share.
I had ups and downs during the two hours I was there, meaning some moments the pain made me forget about focusing on my exhales, and I had moments when I was in total control and didn’t let pain win. I can happily tell you that I had more moments when I was in control than I had painful ones. And I can assure you that the victory of having more control was thanks to meditation.
This experience can be exactly the same with our emotional pain. We have ups and downs. Sometimes we let pain win, and sometimes we become aware and take control. Meditation is a practice that helps us be aware, and being aware is the first step toward taking control. If you notice the pain, you can focus on dealing with it. The pain isn’t going to disappear, but if you notice that you’re focusing on feeling it and letting it get the better of you, you can snap yourself out of it and show pain that you are stronger. Emotional pain always has a lesson behind it, and the only way we can learn that lesson is by being aware. Meditation helps us form the habit of consciously deciding to be aware.
This is one of the many reasons I am beyond grateful for the gift of meditation. It has helped me in such a profound way that I wish I could give it to everyone.
Love,
Irene
