Why We Meditate
What if unbounded happiness in this human experience came down to one decision, repeated over and over again, many times each day: do you keep trying to re-arrange life to try to make yourself happy or are you able to surrender to reality as it is despite your own preferences and be able to witness yourself be aggravated or triggered by someone or something, and just let it go.
The challenge with chasing your own version of happiness is that it is unreliable and very specific to the physio-psycho-emotional profile of who you are today, based on your life experiences. Things have to not trigger you, and fit just right within your mental model of what is happiness. This is particularly hard because we are interfacing with people for anything that is worthwhile (relationships, friendships, creative projects, professional life, etc). Each person has their own trigger and their own vision of happiness. So each of us chasing our happiness often also interferes with each other's version of it.
Michael Singer, or Mickey, as he is often called, is a current spiritual teacher who has influenced millions of lives. He discusses exactly this dilemma in his most recent book, Living Untethered. The antidote, Mickey says, is distancing ourselves from the shallow preferences of the mind and emotions, and instead sitting in the seat of the observer consciousness - watching all things arise and fall. From this place, the heart is open and unhindered by our traumas, preferences, and narrow view of what it takes for us to be happy. The natural unlimited energy and flow of love and connection is what eventually ensues.
But, Mickey cautions, we have to do the work. We have to release the blockages that hold us back, cause us to be triggered, lead us to be overly attached to our preferences, and to close our heart. This is the work of healing. It can take many shapes and forms, but at its simplest, every time we are able to breathe through and witness a trigger, without identifying with it, we help to release blocked energy and get closer to fully healing. This is what meditation prepares us for - so we can be in that witness consciousness at the point of trigger, and release that energy, getting one step closer to emotional liberation.
I took a walk and had a 1-on-1 chat with Mickey on the day that I’m writing this newsletter which inspired me to share this. I am re-energized to keep moving forward in the work that we do here at Manifestations - identifying, investing in and helping to grow organizations that help people in their healing journeys towards living an untethered life.
May we all keep walking on the path of healing, being the witness and releasing the blockages, one trigger at a time.
“You who do the work of liberating yourself are to be deeply respected” - Michael Singer, Living Untethered.
We are currently focusing our attention on getting deeper within the integrative/functional medicine space, connecting with entrepreneurs and better understanding the businesses that can aid individuals on their chronic illness healing journeys as well as help the practitioners that support them.
I am very grateful to the great group of friends who have joined for our current meditation series where we are exploring the theme of “back to the basics” and covering six foundational steps to an effective meditation. Thank you for joining us and keep an eye out for future ones in the coming months.