Sunday, October 18, 2015

Ask YogaToday with Mona Godfrey: My Meditation Practice Share

Ask YogaToday with Mona Godfrey: My Meditation Practice

 
We have all read the headlines and watched the TED Talks, not to mention experienced the benefits ourselves (yoga and meditation go hand-and-hand after all), so we decided to catch up with Mona Godfreyto discuss the personal and practical side of meditation. Mona sheds some light on this "gray matter" and offers her heartfelt advice to those considering the journey. If you are looking for yet another incentive to begin meditating, Mona credits her move from Indonesia to London to her practice. Pretty profound, right? Read on to learn more about Mona's mindful adventure. 
What have you learned from your personal meditation practice?
“It cannot be understood intellectually, but only through progressive spiritual awakening, for true spiritual understanding always dawns in a way which is paradoxical and irrational to the faculty of the intellect.”
This is one of my favorite quotes from the Kundalini Tantra text – a valuable resource that has helped me a great deal in my own meditation practice. Most of us live in our heads (most of the time) and I was no different. In my late teens, I was as disconnected from my heart as the next guy. It has taken almost a decade of yoga to broaden this limited outlook and to connect to my truth. To drop the intellect and place my trust in the intelligence of my being is an ongoing process.
I am probably just scratching the surface, but meditation reminds me to value my intuition (even when considering something seemingly black and white) – to not reject magic. I tell myself that it is okay if I don’t understand certain feelings or energies; it’s not always for the mind to grasp.
What is your advice for people who would like to start a practice?
There is no right way. My best piece of advice is to just start (already!) because it is worth it and starting any new habit is always difficult. But start. And stay with it. And when you've stopped, start again. The mind will come up with a million reasons not to start. And then, once you have started, it will come up with a million more (seemingly logical and valid) reasons as to why you can’t actually fit in in that day or even this year. You have time when you decide to make space for the practice.
Whether it’s deciding to do the dishes mindfully every day, being fully present when hugging a loved one, or practicing yoga with intention – just start.
Every day we get to begin anew so commit to that ‘start,’ each morning. Something will shift; something is bound to happen with that type of dedication.
Eager to follow Mona's meditation lead? We recommend Amanda Botur's NEW class or this traditional seated meditation with Sarah Kline.

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