When coming across those who have a pretty consistent meditation practice we often think, ” They make it look so easy”. Seeing people who have been sitting for what seems to be long periods of time and the aspect of a quiet mind; may have us wondering how do you do that? The secrete is you can do it. We often times here people say I want to get into yoga and meditation but I ________. Preceding the big but is normally an excuse as to how hard it may be, it is tied to a religion, and/or they can not focus for a particular amount of time. Many of these things are merely limit we have placed on ourselves. We are here to help you strip away those limits with 4 encouraging tips you should know before giving meditation a try. Consider this a little beginners Guide to Meditation; giving you some tips and tools to make your practice a little easier.
For as long as I can remember I have always hated being rushed, something about it just truly makes me uneasy. When I do things at a steady pace it seems to turn out just right and I even get to learn something in the process. June has been such a stressful, busy month, and it seems like everyone is in such a rush. It’s almost as if everything is falling apart and no one seems to be themselves these days. Of course, when things aren’t going as planned it’s easy to go into instant panic mode. Although, I’m not one to say things are falling apart; things are merely falling into place in my perspective. Even if we can’t see it now because of our current situations, we just have to practicing the art of patience.
I am slowly learning to practice the art of patience and the fact of the matter is I had ZERO!!!!! Being raised as an only child you naturally gain the Burger King complex of having it your way at all times. But, everyone should know by now that is unhealthy and often times very unnecessary. Normally when people are in a rush it is because they have an ideal plan which needs to get done ASAP. The only problem is there is no room for suggestions, alterations, or adjustments. Nothing or no one can get in the way of your plan, well that’s perfect however, you can get in the way of YOU. When we get in a rush we can often be on a fast track to our own self destruction without even realizing it. We can be our own blinders; setting an unreasonable pace for ourselves. Have you ever stopped to ask yourself: WHAT’S THE RUSH (insert your name here)? No? Maybe it’s because we spend so much time consulting with our counsel of friends. Or we could merely be listening to their issues and ways of thinking, trying them on, and often times taking them on as our own. The interesting thing is we are all different; I started realizing one persons way of thing may not work for me. Everyone’s path is different and that is what makes each journey unique; we can always learn from one another but it is up to us to pick and choose what we take away from each lesson.
Some of us have the tendency to compare our lives to someone else; creating the game of Keeping Up With The Jones’. This does nothing but create negative vibes within ourselves and an excessive amounts of pressure. This is why it isn’t always a great idea to consult with our counsel of friends before consulting with ourselves. When we take time out for ourselves we obtain a clearer vision of what we need to do verses what we want to do. Many of us are ALWAYS in a rush; a rush to get somewhere, get a job, a house, a significant other, and a rush to get out of a situation to jump head first into another. Rushing is the key ingredient to chaos. It leads to a sea of unplanned accidents or situations with no silver lining of a way out. We make poorly thought out decisions based off of an unreasonable pace we feel we must obtain; which clouds our vision and way of thinking. As I took a step back, I realized moving in a hast is a result of baggage we carry with us. Often times we are running from things we aren’t ready to face or simply just do not want to deal with. Let’s ask ourselves this: HOW CAN WE GROW IF WE DON’T CONFRONT THOSE DEMONS? OK, maybe you aren’t running from anything……What are you holding on to? Often times we have a tendency to hold on to people because we want to help them, we’re afraid of loosing that friendship, or they’re a loyal friend. As we all look at ourselves let’s ask ourselves one last question: HOW ARE YOU GOING TO GROW IF YOU DON’T LET GO?
We all know you can’t help anyone until we help ourselves. Bringing someone else along for a journey we aren’t ready for mentally, physically, or spiritually would not only be doing them a disservice; but most importantly ourselves. Everyone isn’t meant to be a part of your journey in life; often times they are meant to teach you a lesson and move on. Some may serve the purpose of bringing complete chaos, to lift the veil from over your eyes, and reveal to you the type of people you don’t need in your life. And others are just leches; (What are you talking about Rose?) You ever notice whenever you are doing well, seems like everything is back in line, and then that one person pops up with more issues than you can carry……on top of what you are dealing with. They’re an amazing asset to your life friend wise but they always seem to suck you dry in some way; just one big sweet as sweet potato pie lech. It’s almost as though they always need something and it ends up inconveniencing you in a major way. You want to help them but it’s almost as though they aren’t ready to take the proper steps to help themselves. Time and time again life shows you there is no way you can’t help someone who doesn’t want to help themselves. Often times the people we hold on too have the power to weigh us down because we give them that much power. Taking a step back to get ourselves in line gives room and clarity to evaluate how we should properly deal with the company we keep. Time and situations reveal who our real friends are as well and if they serve a significant purpose in your life . ( This in no way means start charging your friends up or just start cutting people of left and right) It means take time to replay major situations in your life whether good or bad and evaluate the roles played by each person in your life during those times. If you measure the loyalty of friendship by the amount of time spent verses the quality, stability, and peace somethings may need to be evaluated within yourself. Sometimes we spend to much time with who may be more toxic than we realize; we don’t always have someone around or talk to someone daily. Everyone needs an escape; an outlet away from people every now and then to reevaluate the ups and down,the comings and goings that life may bring.
Sometimes it takes letting go of things to make room for patience to allow your life to become full circle. I like to believe patience is a sign of becoming complete so you can enjoy this journey of life. Patience is truly a virtue ; it allows you to see the beauty in things we once ignored or seen as waste of time. Some may not agree with me (looking back at the old me I wouldn’t have agreed). But there is true beauty in the art of patience. You allow yourself time…….. everyone deserves time even YOU. Patience gives us time to properly plan what it is exactly we need to do, what we want out of life, goals (reasonable ones), and we can evaluate our current situations. We even get to weigh our options, consult with ourselves, and God. Laying everything out on the table observing where we were and where we are; mapping out where we are going. One thing I try to keep in mind is leaving room for God. Although, We like to have things all figured out God has a way of slightly moving things around. Always leave room for God to push through. The universe has a way of working things out for the betterment of your Spiritual growth and journey; never ignore or put off the master plan you’ll miss the big picture. Seeing things for what they really are is what you gain when you practice patience.
All of this is easier said than done; it takes deep soul searching and cleansing. We have to do away with things we are accustomed to, to allow true growth. Many of us are afraid of change when we should be afraid of being stuck in neutral. Without patience we will all be in a constant rush into a break wall getting nowhere fast. Never deprive anyone of their time, allow them the time to grow, allow yourself time to learn, and allow others the time to breath. Without this many of us will push people away because we are too heavy ; constantly rushing is a burden. Pack light, be light, and live in light. Worrying and rushing go hand in hand; take the time break down what you are worrying about and you will find the answer to your problems. You can get in the way of YOU; when you take the proper time to yourself God reveals all things with……..perfect timing. Patience is Key.
CC: Ig @Spiritualtwin11
Peace and Blessing,
My thoughts my views, Share with me, vibe with me
– Rose
Meet THE RENAISSANCE MAN behind “Happy Feet Designs” a Greek letter design concept made by Happy Feet Jones {real name, Quincy Wheaton}. Happy Feet is from Houston, Texas and is currently a senior studying Mass Communication at the HBCU Grambling State University. With a concentration in broadcasting, Happy Feet is more than just an artist, but an emcee of different events, a musician, a singer, as well as a dancer (hence the name, Happy Feet). Inspiration for Happy Feet Designs was found in his love for art & the history of black culture, that Happy Feet loves to study in his spare time.
Photos by GC Studios
“I’ve always been a lover of art, as well as the black culture I experience around me everyday, especially being at a historically black university. So, with the thought of wanting to do more art, I wanted to also provide something for people, that would also just keep a bit of money in my pocket from time to time. I honestly didn’t expect business to get as big as it’s getting, nor did I really want it to. I try to balance & prioritize being a full time student, being in extracurricular activities & organizations, as well as manage to make time to paint different orders for people. I figured the Greek art business is like the hair business, as long as it keeps on growing, it’ll always be in business. It’s also a way for me to keep pursuing a passion for art. I try to make sure each design is original, & unlike any other. No design is the same, & that I put a lot of time & thought into how each customer would like their letters customized. It’s no better feeling than to hear that people really like my work, & can recognize it when they see it.”
If you look up the definition of the word Family you will find, “A group of related people including people who lived in the past.” When you read this what part of the text stuck out to you the most? “Including people who lived in the past.” When you think about the past many families lived in small communities/Tribes/Villages where everyone and everything was interrelated somehow all the way down to nature. Isn’t that beautiful?!!! Living in communities you learn a multitude of things; somethings you are forced to learn whether voluntarily or involuntarily. Other times they are taught to you along the way, things such as values, morals, laws, customs, traditions, etc. All these things build the foundation of what a family is to become over the years to come. Throughout each community you realize each person may have different customs and values making each encounter you have with someone unique. All these differences make up one big family; a melting pot pouring all these things and more into the youth that would later take our place making the community greater as time passes. Most families are full of rich history,stories of OUR ancestors and their struggles, achievements, dreams, and aspirations. One key factor in a family is communication. When living amongst others you must always have the proper form of communication to have an OVERSTANDING of one another as a people. Without communication how would the stories of our people get passed down? One major down fall many of us face is lack of communication within a society that is moving at a very fast pace. Living in such a competitive society that forces us to divide as a means to “succeed”, we must come together to hold one another up and accountable. Civilization is rooted in communication, to socialize you must communicate. Civilization is the considered to be the most advanced stage of SOCIAL development. Yet it seems these days we would rather race one another to the top as we tear one another down. A family is meant to help one another constantly strive to be the best individual each person can be as they pour into their community. Within that there is SECURITY.
