Meditation is a Drug?
Last week’s blog post claimed one day, meditation will be considered a drug. Maybe it already is? Doctors are now prescribing meditation. It helps calm and relax people, as well as heal disease. When some people meditate they see beautiful color formations or hear intriguing sounds. Some people gain an expanded awareness, as some people claim drugs offer them.
Warning: side effects may include:
Not caring what others think of you.
Needing less sleep.
Getting along better with others.
Enhancing the immune system.
Causing your face to glow and eyes to shine.
Making you look younger.
Reducing Pre-Menstrual Syndrome symptoms.
Developing emotional maturity.
Giving you better test scores in school.
Helping you work more efficiently.
Side effects of overdosing may include:
Becoming addicted to meditation.
Not wanting to fulfill your daily duties.
Talking in a monotone voice.
Developing pride.
Isolating yourself from others.
Using it as validation for having greater awareness than others who do not meditate as much.
Obsessing over getting rid of past karma.
Feeling there is something wrong with yourself when you aren’t meditating.
Trying to escape reality.
I can keep going. I have a list of 100 potential benefits of meditation. Are people who do not meditate completely missing out and have no chance of the same benefits?
I started to worry about that for myself on days I was traveling and working long days. I got nervous I would not be able to function and everything might fall apart if I did not meditate as long or as deeply. At the same time, I ran into a friend who complained that some meditators express pride over how long they meditate yet were not nice people.
That was when I created the idea of “Living Meditation.” I made a pact to make every moment match the intention of meditation; to remember God and live to the capacity of our highest potential. The science of yoga and meditation continues when we are on the mat and off the mat.
When I was sitting to meditate a few months ago, as soon as I would close my eyes I would hear a voice say, “I hate you.” At first I ignored it and sat through my meditations. But I realized those meditations were not relaxed nor deep. And again I would sit down and hear, “I hate you.”
I did not think that was happening because I got quiet enough to hear how much I hate myself, especially since those words revealed themselves as soon as I began meditating.
What I did realize was that part of my intention to meditate was to change myself and remove all past karma until I became enlightened. If we try to change ourselves because we think a part of ourselves is wrong, it is as if we are saying we do not trust the Divine’s creations. If we hate a piece of ourselves, we hate a piece of God.
If we are trying to change ourselves because we feel inspired to try something different and are not attached to the results, or feel moving in that direction will be more loving to ourselves, then the act of meditation becomes filled with curiosity and nourishment. Whatever does need to change will in time if we set the intention to always expand ourselves into our fullest potential.
I also felt more disconnected with myself by focusing on the many techniques I had and trying to change the current reality. In a way it felt like a distraction or an escape from myself. But I hit a point where I badly wanted to be with myself.
I changed my attitude and meditated when I was inspired to feel the deliciousness inside myself through silence and stillness. I breathe as if I can feel everything inside me. The breath fills me up and warms me. Sometimes I put my hands on my heart and as I go deeper into my own essence, the purity and calmness within soothes and heals everything. It gets me in touch with what this life is about. When I practice meditation techniques, I bring myself on the journey up and down the spine with myself.
Why am I saying all of this in relation to calling meditation a drug?
Because often when we take drugs we are trying to change our current circumstances instead of learning from them and letting them dissolve themselves.
They are often used to distract ourselves from ourselves and our lives. If people knew that beyond the pain is the natural wisdom within the body to heal ourselves, we would not be so afraid to be with the pain. Pain often comes to reveal a message of something even better that is waiting for us to step into.
Drugs often mask the symptoms without resolving the cause of them. It is helpful to implant the intention in your meditation to do both.
The Essence of the Bhagavad Gita commentaries often explains meditation is the highest path towards realizing God or connecting with Source. If it is meant to help us fully realize God’s presence within, then once we have done so, we would no longer need meditation.
Thus the commentaries also bring up the following two statements: “Do not mistake the technique for the Goal,” and “The flower falls off when the fruit appears.”
A couple years before the great spiritual teacher Swami Kriyananda passed away, one of the people who was by his side the most told me, “He does not really meditate anymore. He does not need to.”
Just as drugs can be used as a tool outside of ourselves to achieve certain results, meditation can also be used in a similar way. When we have achieved those results, we no longer need the drug.
In fact, sometimes it is harmful to continue to take the drug when we no longer need it. Once my thyroid produced enough hormones, taking the medication caused me to have too much of the thyroid hormone in my body creating new physical discomforts.
If your intention for meditating is to connect with God and you are already connected, then when you sit down to meditate you could be implying you are not connected with God. That would take you a step backwards and confuse the universe. Anyways, we are already connected with God. Many of us realize we have forgotten layers of that, and use meditation to help remember.
I believe one day we will know how to flow with what comes up and how to feel the way we want to feel without needing to take any specific actions or use drugs to feel that way. We will know how to be present without holding onto any of the past.
What you may find to be a helpful reason to meditate is if you feel inspired to, enjoy the experience, and appreciate the results. Try to embody a connection with God, or Source, or Divine in every single moment of your day so you are always aligned and feeling empowered.
If you are interested in getting a taste of this "drug" and want some support, here is a guided meditation for you:
