Day 4: Saturday, Feb 2nd

Today was a particularly eye opening ,constructive and moving day. I started the morning off with Elsie's 8:30 Basic Yoga class. I have never had Elsie as a teacher before, but I had heard many great things about her. I also figured that while doing hand stands, head stands, crow pose, and box stand is fun and challenging, sometimes, we must go back to basics. Basic yoga does not necessarily mean easier or simpler, and can sometimes be the most challenging type of yoga. Elsie had spots set up for us before we showed up,equipped with an extra mat for cushioning, a pillow, and a blanket. She greeted me at the door with an extremely soft, yet cheery voice and demeanor. I could tell immediately that she would be a great yoga teacher, and I was right! Elsie focuses on the fundamentals and explains the different postures and their purposes very well. Her voice and way of speaking have a soothing and calming nature to them that made the hour and  a half yoga class feel like 10 minutes. She treated us with an extra long savasana, which is the state of total relaxation that one enters by closing the eyes and lying on the back with the legs out and the arms to a 45 degree angle to the body. Because it is a pose of total relaxation, it is also one of the most challenging postures. Elsie gradually brought us into and out of savasana and I left the class feeling light and energetic, ready to take on the day.

After yoga, I got myself an organic banana and fresh brewed coffee at The Alternative Food Co-op, which is located just down the street from All That Matters. Later in the day, I ate the leftovers of quinoa salad with chopped nuts and sautéed vegetables that I had made the night before. Sadly, I ran out of siracha. I think I only had this bottle for 2 weeks. Next time I buy a bottle I am going to keep track of how many days it takes me to go through a bottle. Yes, I have an addiction and I am not ashamed. I plan my meals around one things: can or can't I eat siracha with whatever it is?

What I really want to focus on today is the meditation chapter. Today, All That Matters offered a free, guided meditation course with Dr. Alan Post from 4:00-5:30 PM. Dr. Alan Post, who is a chiropractor and a long time practitioner and teacher of meditation,uses a specific style of meditation called Jyoti meditation. Jyoti means light in Sanskirt, and I will explain why later on. Although I was not familiar with this type of meditation, I viewed it as an opportunity to learn more about meditation in general. I walked into a small room of about 15 people sitting on the floor. The woman who I sat down next to immediately introduced herself to me as Tracy. Dr. Post started the meeting by asking us all to introduce ourselves and to say why we came to meditate today. The types of people in the room and their reasons for being there differed greatly. One man stated he was there because he" has chronic back pain and hopes that meditation will help to ease the pain." A couple stated that " they were new to the area and under a lot of stress due to the move to Rhode Island from Pennsylvania." Three young girls shared that " their best friend had died in a tragic car accident a few months and were hoping that meditation would help them to grieve and cope with their sadness." I mentioned that "I was in the 40 day program and was there to find guidance in my meditation practice." An elder man looked up and me and joked that "  you are in the 40 day program, but I have been in the 40 year club. I have been practicing meditation for many years and seek to share what I know with others and to continue as a student of meditation." Dr. Post addressed the vastness of reasons for coming to meditate, saying that meditation has an immense array of healing powers that can benefit everyone. For example, many cancer patients turn to meditation as a way to ease the pain and sorrow. Meditation also increases productivity in our everyday tasks, our jobs, and our creative endeavors by increasing concentration and mindfulness, which then allows us to more deeply tap into our potential and talent. However, Dr. Post emphasized that the most impactful and important benefit of meditation is that it makes us kinder, calmer, and more loving individuals, which greatly benefits our relationships with ourselves and with our family members and friends. 

How exactly does meditation make us kinder individuals? First, it is necessary to understand the fundamental principles of meditation, specifically Jyoti meditation, which as I mentioned above, means inner light in Sanskrit. Dr. Post began explaining this style of meditation by speaking about near- death experiences. A near- death experience occurs when someone is pronounced dead,yet then miraculously comes back to life. While a near death-experience is hard to put into words, all of those who have experienced it, regardless of where they are from in the world,speak about it in the same way. They all describe an out- of-body experience in which they are "floating" above and looking down at their bodies and everyone who surrounds the body. They are aware that they are dying and can hear what is being said. At some point, they all saw a light before they came back to life. They all describe the experience as a review of their entire lives in a matter of seconds. They relived the special, good moments in their lives when they acted with kindness and compassion,as well as the less proud moments when they acted with anger and cruelty. While this experience and these visions may be labeled as delusions or hallucinations by some, there is one main point that proves that these were not delusions, but rather pieces of reality observed from an alternative state of consciousness. When those who have had the near-death experience recall or transcribe the details of their experience, such as what people said to each other or what someone did, these details can always be confirmed as true by the person in the room who performed the action. The uniformity and unanimity of near-death experiences across the globe and across time have led many to strongly believe that these near- death experiences hold a certain universal truth that is shared by all humankind. 

Jyoti meditation specifically focuses on the light that individuals having a near- death experience witness at some point. Within Jyoti, the light holds the source of the universal truth that unites  us all. In fact, light is a reoccurring theme in many religious and spiritual traditions. This is not a light that comes from the sun or an external object, but rather an inner light that exists and radiates within all of us.( I know that this may sound cheesy or uberspiritual, but stick with me here). This light represents a disconnect from our body and our mind, and a deep connection with our soul  or spirit

How do we find this inner light? Jyoti has clear rules and procedures to teach us all how " to see the light." Firstly, because meditation is a completely inner experience, we must be cut out from all connection with the outside world. We connect to the outside world mostly through our five senses and therefore, we must numb these senses as much as possible. While many meditation practices focus on the burning of candles or incense, the playing of music, or rigorous breathing exercises, props and special methods are discouraged in Jyoti meditation. Instead, one should sit silently in a comfortable position with their eyes closed. Jyoti meditation emphasizes no props or special equipment for a second, very practical reason; anyone, old or young, mobile or immobile, rich or poor, can do Jyoti meditation at anytime in anyplace. All one needs is his or her self and a quiet room. 

While sitting in a comfortable, relaxed position with the eyes closed, but not strained, one must focus on the third or single eye, which is right between and behind the eyebrows. The concept of the third eye does take  some imagination, but not too much. With this third eye, we must then focus and stare into the light that we see. This may not seem to make any sense at all, so lets do a very quick exercise. Shut your eyes and notice the spots of light and the slight flashes of colors, such as blue,red, or green,that seem to slightly vibrate, swirl, or bounce. This is the light that we must gaze into with our third eye, which is easier said than done. Our minds are amazing mechanisms that process many thoughts at a very quick rate, which is usually a good thing. However, during meditation, these thoughts distract us from our goal of seeing the light by causing us to think about work, money, commitments, and stress. To refocus on the light, Dr. Post encouraged us to pick a mantra to repeat over and over in our heads whenever these unwanted thoughts entered our mind. Usually a mantra is a name of God or a creator, which can be interpreted in many ways based on one's religious or spiritual beliefs. Some may say " Christ", others " nature or mother earth," while others may repeat a quality that they find to be of the utmost important, such as " courage, kindness, peace," or " love."

Using these methods, we then meditated for 20 minutes. The absolute silence of the room was powerful. I comfortably took a seat with my legs stretched out in front of me, shut my eyes, and tried to focus on the inner light. I immediately grasped the concept of the inner light and I could see the flashing colors and vibrations, but I was also immediately plagued with distracting thoughts. Each time that I would chant my mantra for a long period of time, I would find myself drifting away from the state of being awake. However, I was not sure if I was drifting into a state of meditation or into a state of dreaming, which would be followed by sleep. After the 20 minute meditation was finished, I recounted my experience for Dr. Post and asked him to differentiate between the state of sleep and the state of meditation. He explained that before we enter into both states, we feel a deep sense of relaxation, sometimes even to the point that our bodies become weightless or numb. When we move from this state of relaxation into a state of dreaming or sleep, our visions and our memory become hazy and scattered,  our relationship to our surroundings is not clear, and we rarely can remember these visions with any detail. However, when we move from a state of relaxation into a state of meditation, we become extremely alert, our visions are very clear, we remember them with detail, and we are acutely aware of our relation to the situation. 

I know that I did not reach a true state of meditation, but I saw glimpses of what this state may be like and what it may hold for me. More importantly, I witnessed the peaceful effects that meditation has on an individual and on a community. Dr. Post exclaimed that meditation is what will change the world because it facilitates peace and enlightenment. By seeing the inner light within each of us, we simultaneously realize that all others have the same light, which unites us all and encourages us to treat each other with love and compassion. As we all sat there meditating, an intense communal energy emulated throughout the room and although these people were all practically strangers to me, I felt deeply connected to every other person in the room. The mere fact that I sat among a group of like minded individuals who seek to explore meditation and to take a break from the chaos of the outside world gave me a new faith in mankind. That was a grandiose statement, but it is completely true. 

I apologize for the lengthiness of this post, but today was a day that most likely will change my life forever, so naturally,  I had a lot to say about it. If anyone in Rhode Island would like to try Jyoti meditation, these free, guided meditation meetings occur the first Saturday of every month at All That Matters. I know that I will be there and I hope to see you too. Namaste!

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