Did you miss the previous post about my book launch? If so, you can Click Here to read it.
Please join me this week as I post excerpts of my new book on meditation. The posts will culminate on the final book launch date...Sunday, June 25th. I hope you enjoy this first part of chapter two. If you missed chapter one please click the link ^ above ^ to read it.
Each chapter of this book has a section entitled Putting It Into Practice that gives you practical prompts on how to apply what you’ve learned in each chapter to your personal life.
Chapter Two
Modern life is like a double-edged sword. Although the average person enjoys a reasonable amount of leisure time, it doesn’t feel that way. Thanks to our mobile phones, we have instant access to more information than any other generation in history but we also have countless distractions. Our senses are assaulted from the time our alarm clocks wake us in the morning to the time we drift off to sleep at night. In addition to mobile phones there’s also television, radio, billboards and numerous others things competing for our attention constantly.
All of these distractions and demands make the first step of meditation the biggest challenge. The first step is what I refer to as the Physical Step and requires us to calm our bodies and quiet our minds. This must happen before we can reestablish the connection to our souls and to the universe.
The act of meditation is like connecting our souls to a deep unfathomable knowledge that is available to everyone and everything. This is very similar to the way your mobile phone connects to the internet through wi-fi or a cellular signal. For you to establish this vital connection you must first be able to attain a certain level of peace within yourself.
Once the mind is still the second phase, the Psychological Step, begins. This is when we start to release the baggage that we’ve acquired throughout the years. Psychological scars will begin to heal, you will feel as though you are putting the past behind you, and you will feel a sense of completeness. In this second phase our perspectives begin to shift ever so slightly. We start to gradually break free from negativity, self-limiting thoughts, and behaviors that have become a destructive habits in our lives.
The third and final step of meditation is the Spiritual Step. This is deep meditation and words cannot fully describe what will happen. I can only tell you it will change your life for the better. You will regain the power to be the best version of yourself each day for the rest of your life.
The beautiful thing about meditation is you don’t have to understand the mechanics of how it’s working. The only thing required of you is have the faith and resolve to practice. If you make an effort to meditate, even fifteen minutes a day, incredible transformation and healing will happen on its own.
If you make meditation part of your routine, the deep knowledge that you’re connecting with in your practice will do all the work. It will trigger a threefold healing process: physical, psychological, and spiritual. It’s never a bad time or too late to start your practice. Whatever challenges you’re struggling with, meditation will help get you quickly on the road to a better you.
To paraphrase Sir Isaac Newton’s first law of motion,“The natural state of an object is to be at rest.” I believe that the natural state of our souls is to be at rest. When we calm our desires, fears, and anxieties through meditation, again our souls are at rest. When we achieve this state we feel well-being, peace, and joy. We feel as though we’ve come home.
We’ve all felt fleeting and maybe even extended moments of true happiness where it seems a light is radiating from the inside out and nothing can go wrong. What if I told you it was possible to feel this way more often than not?
Click here to read the next post in this series.
Thank you for reading. Please join me here on Sunday, June 25th for the official launch of The Perfect Pause!
*I am an American novelist, poet, traveler, and crypto-enthusiast. If you’ve enjoyed my work please sign up for my author newsletter at my website. Newsletter subscribers will receive exclusive updates and special offers and your information will never be sold or shared.
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Loving this man, and so happy this is going well for you. I wish I was brave enough to release my book in this way.
This chapter reminds me of a quote: "You can’t calm the storm, so stop trying. What you can do is calm yourself. The storm will pass." - Timber Hawkeye
I'm glad you're enjoying it! @mindover, you totally should release your book this way. The feedback is incredible to read. I'm only doing a few chapters this way and then launching the physical book this coming Sunday.
I am releasing my entire second novel Truth Is Stranger on Steemit later this year though, before it's published in book form. Love that quote!! "...the storm will stop trying." It's true!
Meditating is not as easy as it seems ... I tried it a couple times and lost focus ... My mind is always busy thinking about things that I can't control . Sometimes I get the hang of it , sometimes I don't
It means you are not meditating but rather worrying about something what were you meditating on and after you have lost focus(things u cant control). Now substitute them and make sure you have a discipline mind on it.
that is all
It's very difficult at first! It gets easier with practice though.
Love it!
Really trying to establish the Physical Step this week (it's been my first vacation in a while)... but it's super difficult these days for all the reasons you've highlighted here. I'll continue to practice and attempt to unplug. Thanks for sharing your advice and experience with us!
Thank you! Enjoy your break. Sometimes it takes a few days to de-stress if you've been super busy for extended periods of time. This last year has been incredibly busy for me. I need to take a breather myself after this book launch.
I hate modern life... I hate the gadget thing.... I hate the way all of us have become, all the time facing our phones and not enjoying the moments which will never be there again.... As time once gone is gone, it never comes back.
Again a beautiful post from you... Loved to read it :)
Thank you and I so agree with you! I think mobile phones and technology can be a great tool if used properly but they are highly addictive. This is evident by how many people risk personal injury by looking at their phones while they drive. I think it's so rude for people to be on their phones while in a group of people. You're totally right, that singular moment will be gone forever once it's passed. I'm glad you enjoyed this post!
I like your posts.Followed
Thanks!
Veru nice
I am your big fan
I appreciate it!
Very nice post @ericvancewalton
Thanks!
Through all the stress going on in my life I think I need to stop and meditate.
Another great chapter Eric
So glad you're enjoying the book!
This is great stuff. I've recently been practicing meditation again. After years of cycling between focus and distraction, I'm now sitting now to watch the drama play our before my eyes.
Congratulations on beginning your practice!
Liked this short part looking forward to the rest.
Thanks!
this is developing beautifully, great info written clearly, very accessibly and the personal element of this makes it even more engaging. I'm thinking of people already who might enjoy the book.
Thanks my friend! I can't wait for you to see what a good job Lubosh has done on the interior. I wish I had him design my novel!
so great, can't wait to see! he really is a great talent and such a great person so I always feel like he and I come up with better solutions together than we could otherwise. maybe for your next novel ;-)
I always meditate when I wake up during uni-finals! Normally I'm a slow starter of the day, can stretch it out for hours, but after that I'm energized and ready the study, always! Congrats on the book
Awesome! Yes, it's a great way to recharge your mental, physical, and spiritual batteries. Thank you!
Congratulations @ericvancewalton
You took 33 place in my Top 100 of posts