Meditation means different things to different people. For some, a walk amongst nature is a form of meditation. Listening to the birds, watching the ocean’s waves, enjoying a beautiful sunrise or sunset, cherishing moments with a friend, being grateful for the wonderful occurrences in your life, are all forms of meditation although not perhaps thought of when one thinks about whether one meditates.

There are many forms of “traditional” meditation. Numerous books have been written on the various techniques and ideologies. My intent is to introduce you to the concept of taking time for yourself so that you may experience life from a centered and calm space.

Meditation is a way for you to be in touch with your intuition, a way for you to hear the message of your soul and to honor its purpose on the Earth in this place at this time. We all need to take the time to take care of ourselves. We need to honor who we are and to be true to ourselves.

Through meditation, your inner voice will strengthen and your intuition will speak louder to you. All of us have this ability. We just need to take the time to listen. If you stop and think about it, you will remember a time when you had a hunch or a feeling about something, perhaps an occurrence that was about to happen that you knew before it existed, like feeling like the phone was about to ring and it rings. That’s your intuition, your inner sense.

Each person has a soul which is encoded with the highest purpose for his or her life’s existence. As we are able to be more silent and listen within, our soul’s message of our life’s purpose becomes louder. We are able to focus on the important things in our lives and allow the other “busy” activities to cease to maintain their importance to us. We are able to allow our creative energies to be recognized and honored. These creative activities (music, writing, art, etc.) all serve to help us center ourselves around the important things in our lives. These activities also act as forms of meditation as they also relax us.

Some of us feel we do not have the time to meditate daily or a few times a week. Remember, do not judge yourself based on the time you do not spend. Honor yourself for the time, ANY TIME, that you do give to yourself. Below are several meditations, varying in length of time required to complete them. Even five minutes will allow you to re-focus and rejuvenate yourself. Making a ritual of the process is very healthy. Find a favorite space. Surround yourself with some of your favorite possessions. Sit on a comfortable chair or on a soft pillow on the floor. Play soft music, if you’d like. Burn incense or scented candles. Light a candle each time you begin to bring the light of the Universe to your space. Or, don’t do any of that and as you sit waiting for your turn when you are at an appointment, simply close your eyes and bring silence to your mind! Remember, NO JUDGEMENT. Your experience is yours and serves you as it should.

The main concept that I would like you to grasp is that meditation is not about judgment. Allow yourself to honor your experience in whatever form it takes and wherever it takes you.