Mindfulness Migraine

Advanced Migraine Relief 

Yesterday a migraine got me again. Just as I got into full working mode the flashing lights started. Nothing for it other than to just stop and close my eyes until my vision returned and hope that it didn't develop much beyond that. I know that I am extremely lucky as my migraine symptoms are mild compared to some sufferers. But nevertheless, I do get frustrated that I have to down tools and ride it out.

As I teach mindfulness and meditation to others I thought it was about time I started to practice what I preach, so yesterday I decided to try mindfulness. I accepted my migraine, gave it my full attention and without judgement.

As I sat back and closed my eyes, I focussed on the lights - like isobars on a weather map, different colours all shimmering and vibrating around my right side. I watched them for quite a while and then I focussed on the physical feelings in my body. Not much happening there, feeling all pretty normal - whatever normal is. As the lights started to drift further and further to the side of my peripheral vision, I thought it was all beginning to pass. But no, the next stage kicked in which, in all fairness, doesn't happen that often but I really don't like it. I seem to lose a section of my brain/mind and I cannot function normally. I think that just as parts of my vision shuts down, so does my brain. I can't think clearly and can't seem to remember the words I need to use - I often wonder if that's what having a stroke must feel like.

OK, this was a little trickier because I had nothing to focus on, just my inability to articulate both in speech and thought. But that's exactly what I did focus on, without trying to force anything and without judgement. Slowly and surely my thought processes returned to normal.

On the whole I would say mindfulness definitely helped me to cope with the migraine much better, with all it's varying stages. It's not a cure but it does help you to realise that when life throws a few punches there are tools and techniques that can help you get through them much easier and without any added stress and anxiety.

Will I use mindfulness for the next migraine? You bet I will.

Never Too Old

Over the past month or so I have had the privilege of teaching two senior citizens – one Reiki and the other Meditation.

Both of these delightful men both surprised and delighted me.  At 75 and 92-years of age they both do martial arts, practise Tai Chi, are totally aware of energy and the power of the mind.  Both have led interesting lives, have a wealth of knowledge and have much to teach others.

Student A wanted to learn Reiki so he could help his students at martial arts practise.  Student B wanted to learn meditation for his own peace of mind and to utilise the energy more fully.

We had such wonderful and interesting sessions and I feel honoured that they chose me to teach them.

So please don’t think you are too old start something new or have new experiences.  My two lovely gentlemen are proof that you are never too old to learn.

Meditation – Or Was It?

Last week we held our regular Meditation Group and welcomed two new members.  Both had meditated before and had a deep understanding of all things spiritual.  We agreed on the amount of time we wanted to meditate for, set the timer with soft chimes, and began.

It was going well and then the timer went off and we all jumped – it was so loud and brought us back too rapidly.  We were not happy! 

We all agreed that we wanted to go back to our meditation place but decided not to set the timer, just rely on intuition to bring us back. 

We settled again but then someone in the group said no, can’t do it, there’s someone in the building.  Naturally we were all concerned and three of us went to search.  Nobody there.  We settled again but some of the group began hearing footsteps and then a moan was heard. 

Someone needed our help.  I had a moment of uncertainty and apprehension – I was supposed to be leading this group but suddenly I was being asked to do more than just lead a meditation.  Could I do it?  But then I was being told that of course I could, I had done it before and I would know what to do.

So we settled.  I called upon our guides, angels, archangels and ascended masters, asked for their protection and asked for help to deal with whoever needed it.  I immediately felt the Archangels join ranks behind us, completely enfolding us.  I asked the group to build their energies, focus their light and send unconditional love to whoever we were helping.  I felt a male presence who didn’t want to leave so I asked Archangel Michael to cut the ties that held him and immediately everything started to feel lighter.  We knew when he had gone so we closed ourselves down and gave thanks to all who helped.

Needless to say we all talked for ages.  The person we had just helped to move onwards was not a nice person in this lifetime, he had committed a serious crime and was frightened of facing his victim who had been a family member.  As he moved towards the light he was met by his victim and was forgiven - he moved onward in love and light.  

We all agreed that we felt we had just been given a test and one which we passed.  We had remained as a group, stayed in our own light and helped this person to move on. 

The interesting thing was that when we tested the timer again, it was much quieter and gentler than the one that brought us back so rapidly.   

Pain Control

I want to share someone’s story with you.  I have her permission to do so, but will call her Ann.

Ann joined our Meditation Course 6-weeks ago.  Suffering from chronic pain and debilitating headaches, she decided to give meditation a try – almost as a last resort.  She came into the room almost pain-free but as we started our first 5-minute meditation, focussing on the breath, Ann was on the verge of a panic attack and severe pain kicked in. 

I asked her if she would like to go home but she said she wanted to give it another go, so we started our second meditation.  This time was a little better – no panic attack, but the pain remained.  Still determined to continue we went into the final, guided, meditation of the evening and Ann felt the intensity of her pain fade a little.  As she left she said she would be back the following week.

I was at a bit of a loss – I had never had anyone come into a course pain-free but leave with pain.  I decided that, if there was no improvement the following week, I would talk it over with my own meditation teacher, Mary Pearson, at the British School of Meditation.

Ann was back the following week and started the session with slight pain.  During the first meditation she felt the pain ebb and flow; the pain lessened with the second meditation.  Our third meditation, The Hot Air Balloon, was our breakthrough.  Ann loaded all her pain, plus some other problems and anxieties, into the basket and cut the ropes.  As she watched the hot air balloon float away, so did her pain.  Ann had found a way to start to gain control.

The improvement continued over the following weeks; with each new meditation Ann was beginning to feel more in control and her pain lessened.

Last night was the end of the course and I am delighted that Ann is now only suffering pain about once a week - an enormous improvement.  Ann is hopeful that her headaches will continue to reduce in both frequency and severity.

Through meditation Ann has learnt that she is in control and now has a valuable tool at her disposal.  She continues to meditate daily, and uses meditation whenever her pain becomes too severe. 

Needless to say, I am absolutely delighted for Ann.

Animal Spirit Guides

We always start our Reiki Share Groups with a guided meditation, played either from a CD or download; but they never go according to plan.  Despite Gill finding a meditation for the evening, when we come to do it it’s always something completely different to the one chosen.  Long ago we concluded that Spirit had their own ideas as to how our meditations should be.

This week was no exception.  Gill and I spent an hour or more looking for an appropriate meditation, only to have our Group collapse in fits of laughter when our chosen one started.  Great to have so much laughter and wow, did it lift the vibrations.  But, again, our guides had decided that what we had chosen was not the one they wanted for us.

Eventually we all settled and Spirit was happy for us to continue and, oh boy, had they found a winner this time!

Our journey was through a forest and into a clearing.  In the clearing we sat in warm sunshine, with the sounds of nature all around us and there we were to wait for our animal guides.  We were to have two each, and they would accompany us on our journey and be there to help and support us.

I waited a while and then I became aware of a wolf trotting into the centre of the clearing.  He came and sat by my side, shoulder to shoulder.  Eventually his two front legs stretched out in front of him in a resting position.  I knew that he would be there for as long as it took – he was with me for patience.

My next animal was a monkey.  Not sure what kind, but it had long arms, legs and tail and was swinging overhead in the branches of the tree I was resting against.  His body kept dipping, upside down, before us in a playful manner.  He was with me to ensure I kept fun and laughter in my work and in my life – it was important to sometimes let the inner child out.

How lovely was this, two amazingly beautiful animals and they were with me.  But just as we were about to leave a third animal came into the clearing, walked over and stood directly in front of me and looked straight into my eyes.  It was an ox, and he just stood there strong, firm and unmoving – he was there to give me strength and determination whenever I needed it.

It was time to leave and as we walked down the path and back through the forest I was accompanied by my three wonderful animal guides – the ox and the wolf walking either side of me  and the monkey still swinging through the overhead branches.

As I returned from the meditation I was totally overwhelmed and very emotional.  This has got to be one of the most poignant and beautiful meditations I have done – what a privilege.

Self-Doubt

Today was the final day of my Meditation Teachers Course.  It’s been a fantastic course and I have enjoyed every minute of it.  My fellow students have been a joy to be with.

But today I had a big attack of self-doubt.

We all had to lead a meditation and everyone was so good.  Some had written their own which were so personal and beautiful.  All of the deliveries were perfect and I enjoyed every one.

Then it was my turn.  And there I was, thinking about all the things I forgot to include, all the things I had included and maybe shouldn’t have.  Was I delivering it too fast – was it too slow and boring?  Would they all hate it?  But I did it and then it was over, I had taken them on a journey and brought them back again.  Time for my feedback!

It really wasn’t too bad – yes, of course, there were things I could have done better but why did I think I had to be perfect?  I was learning, no-one expected perfection.  My meditation teaching would be one big learning curve, as was everything in life.  The more I did the better I would become, so why was I beating myself up today?  I guess we all have doubts from time to time, I just have to learn to deal with them!

It never ceases to amaze me how our guides work with us, bringing us exactly what we need at the appropriate moment.   Three things happened this morning that I felt were personal for me – i) before we started our day our tutor led us in a meditation using Diane Cooper’s Wisdom Cards.  The card I drew was “Acceptance” and the affirmation was “I will accept myself and others”; ii) our first student-led meditation was all about increasing self-confidence and self-belief; and iii) the rest of the group didn’t understand what my problem was as they felt my meditation was as good as the others and they enjoyed the experience.  It seemed I was the only one who doubted it.

So, bit of a kick up the bum for me!

A Meditation Experience

One of the first things I did when I started to meditate seriously was to find my sanctuary.  I found it easy to do and this is now the place I go to daily when I meditate alone.  I feel safe, secure and loved in my special place.

My sanctuary started as a fairly small space – I had a room, a veranda and a shady nook by a river.  I had almost tunnel vision and couldn’t see anything other than what was in front of me.  Over the months my vision is slowly beginning to widen and new aspects of my surroundings are beginning to appear.

I have met with guides and have been taught much.  I never stay too long but while I’m there time seems irrelevant.

Yesterday I went and sat on the veranda but really didn’t see much of my surroundings.  I saw lots of green and I was surrounded by a green mist.  I could breathe it in and out – it filled and surrounded me.  Then, amazingly, I had the sense of floating upwards.  I floated up to my nearby tree and rested there for a while.  I looked down and saw that I was still sitting on the veranda.  I took off from the tree, a bit like a bird flying only I wasn’t a bird.  I was almost formless yet I could change shape.  Although I was moving, sometimes fairly quickly, I was limited to where I could go.  I was confined to my space.  I was conscious of nothing but this floating and flying, this wonderful freedom to move where and how I liked.  After a while I just floated down and became me again.  It wasn’t a conscious thought, I never felt my time was up, it just happened. 

All very weird and I have no idea what it was or what it meant - but I loved it.

Meditation Teacher Course

Yesterday was the first day of my Meditation Teacher  Training course and what a great day it turned out to be.  The part I want to share with you is one of the meditations that we did together.

Now, I have been asking for quite a while for my psychic abilities to increase so that I can be more sure of what I’m seeing, hearing, feeling, etc.  I know it’s all tied up with trust but I just think that if everything became clearer I would feel more confident.

For one of our meditations yesterday our tutor used Diana Cooper’s Wisdom Cards.  We all drew a card, read the message and then placed the card on our lap and meditated on the affirmation at the bottom.

The card I drew was Clarity.  Hmmmm, that’s pretty spot on.  So I meditated on the affirmation “my mind is as sharp and clear as a diamond” and immediately I could feel several of my guides drawing closer to me.  A pressure began to build over my third eye and the image of an eye appeared.  It wasn’t clear, but it was there and I so wanted to go into the centre of the eye.  But the meditation was a short one and we were all brought back.  Damn, it was over too soon!

But I had drawn the Clarity card and my intuition was telling me that clarity would be mine with regular meditation.  I think the lesson I learned there was that if you want something, then you have to put the work in to achieve it.