ZEN philosophy embraces that “the way out is in.” The Emerald Tablet (ancient Hermetic wisdom for alchemists) states “As within, so without.” And for anyone who has taken up the road to empowering themselves knows, this short piece of advice is the genesis of the shift. We cannot change our world outside, without first working on the inside. Always.

This is why meditation becomes so important to empowering yourself and changing the world around you for the better.

In previous posts I’ve discussed my personal, and simple, daily regime for keeping myself mentally and emotionally healthy and “up” – tools that I use daily and knowledge that I’ve accumulated over the years – and learned to be truth – and now have been incorporated into my debut novel INDUCED AMNESIA – which is what has sparked conversation (via readers who wanted to know more).

 

I’ve previously outlined the method I use for meditating, and why it’s so important. Now, as promised, let’s talk about why entraining your senses (during meditation) is so important….

Humans are multi-sensory. Daily we are filing information into ourselves via sight, sound, touch, taste and even vibration. We all know by now that our thoughts and inner beliefs need to be set on a path of power to manifest the positive goals or dreams we have for ourselves. But it’s so not easy to control these things when they’ve had years and years of running on auto, based on inner beliefs that very likely don’t serve us. Like many of you, I had that problem too. Once I realized I had to take back the control of my life, and even discovered the knowledge to do it, it wasn’t easy. I had the best intentions – and it would work for a while, then ever slowly, I’d slip back again – back into old mental habits, hit by old emotional patterns and so on. But – here’s what I do these days – and it helps…

I include the senses in my meditation process – conditioning my mind by entraining the senses – just like the experiment with Pavlov’s dog.

Let’s discover how…

When I meditate, I do the following setting myself up to settle into the meditation:

1) Burn a scented oil – always using the same fragrance – I prefer Jasmine. (But I suggest you experiment to find the right one for you.)

2) Wear headphones to shut out the world – always use the same music/meditation CD/sound – (again, experiment to find the right one for you). I seem to especially respond to the sound of running water, and tend to use a meditation CD that incorporates that.

3) Use a Power Word repetitively during at least part of your meditation process – always use the same word or words. (Stayed tuned: my next post will cover more on Power Words.) For now, start with the word: RELEASE. Tell yourself to do it – just release – spell the word slowly. Relax every single inch of your body in that moment. Say it over and over.

Make these things a part of your daily meditation down-time. Incorporating these little things repetitively will start to have deepened profound effects on your state, either during meditation or later in your day if/when you need to lift your energy. Just like Pavlov’s dog we have triggers that can affect our brain. In fact, something like scent is a very strong memory trigger.

It works like this – your mind/body/soul gets to rest in totality for a brief period that is healing – and while doing it, your brain is taking in the smell and sound – and it’s focusing on a Power Word that has representation of peace in it. Over and over you do this – and soon your entire being recognizes that these things represent that time of reset. You’ll begin to find that just starting the process – the scent, the music – will settle your mind. It will become entrained or conditioned to know what to do and what’s to follow. To your mind – these aspects represent calm, peace, relaxation, spiritual reconnection. Just as you may have learned that you don’t like the dentist because you found the drill to hurt – your mind learned to react to even the simple sound of the drill. This is the same principle with a positive reaction rather than a negative one.

Now here’s the best part…..

As you go about your day and things happen that stress or upset you, you now have quick, simple tools to settle your spirit that can be done anywhere. Carry the scent oil with you – and when you feel you need a recharge to set you back on your path of intention:

Deeply inhale the scent, close your eyes, then deeply inhale and exhale 3 times while repeating your Power Word. (Depending on the stressor – you may have to repeat these steps.) If you can, incorporate the sound/music too.

Does this work?   You tell me… I always love hearing from you!  This process of entraining the senses does help me stay centered on days that test my peace of mind – I hope you find it works for you too!

~TCK

“We are more magnificent than electricity, lightning or even the billions of stars in the sky. That is the truth of what we are.” ~INDUCED AMNESIA  http://amzn.to/JZL0yF

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