Why practice guided meditations?

by Natalie and Gil Dekel.

Every day I wake up with the question: what awaits me today? and is it all worth it? To find an answer I look up to nature: I notice the birds singing in the morning, the trees dancing in the wind, and the first daffodils coming out. Perhaps the answer is just to live every moment fully as if it is the only moment that ever exists?

But how can we live ‘every moment fully’?… Well, if you look at flowers, you will notice that they do not mind that different types of flowers grow next to them. They don’t compare their colours, don’t regret their differences, and don’t count the time till the next spring comes. Instead they just live, opening their petals to the sun, breathing the air, smiling at the world and bringing about a smile in the faces of those who notice them. Just because they exist, they bring happiness to others. Perhaps we can live like flowers do? Being ourselves and enjoying what we can; enjoying the simple things in life, and see if our joy can illuminate the lives of others? Perhaps we should all live as nature’s extended family – a family of collective hearts-of-joy…

It seems that to find a purpose to our lives, we can start by learning about ourselves. About what kind of a ‘flower’ are we. Many people say they want to know who they are, but few actually take the time to do so. There is only one place to begin: try to learn who you are NOW. Do not list all the things you are NOT, as this will only limit and condition you to stop living to your full potential. Instead, try to find things that you like doing, things you love about yourself and others.

Once you learn even just a bit more about yourself, you will then find beauty and will also notice that part of you which is an essential part of nature and the world around you. Everything you do, feel and think has an impact on everyone and everything around you. So, by learning about yourself, you can learn to control and direct events and outcomes in your life.

Notice your own part in the process of life. For example, whatever you eat is assimilated to accommodate the growth of your body. Your body relies on the minerals, plants and animal life from which it gains sustenance. As such, the body is in a constant process of give-and-take from the materials of the earth – it is a process, a change, and so you are one with this process and exchange.

When you ask yourself ‘Who Am I?’ do not expect a simple answer in the form of a pre-written and fixed sentence. Instead, learn to see that you are in a process. You create and write yourself as you go along. The sentence that you recognize about yourself is only one of many variations. Only you can choose what events to materialise by choosing the kinds of thoughts you think and the kinds of emotions you feel, and what you choose to do with them.

You speak and act but in actuality most of us are not even aware that we are alive and what keeps us alive… Our hearts beat of their own accord, even if we do not understand anatomy, and so we disregard the ‘obvious’ and take the easy route of just ‘existing’. We forget the magic of life. We fight pain, illness and death because we think that this fighting is the only way to heal and become joyful. Yet, we can try and transcend the fighting, and use the events that come our way for our growth. We need to learn to listen to our body so that when it sends us signals we can then understand them rather than ignore them and later fight the consequences.

We are part of a living universe, and can benefit greatly if we learn to consciously live as part of it. Living the moment you do not have to worry about regrets or past memories, or about what others may or may not think of you. In the moment which is Now, there is only a beating heart in a body and a soaring soul, and they have some wonderful secrets to reveal which can make your daily life much easier…

How do we learn to listen and accept these secrets? There are many ways… A good starting point is guided meditations, which are powerful tool to get in touch with our inner roots. Above is one such meditation, for you.

26 Feb 2010. Image upload 23 Dec 2015.
Natalie and Gil Dekel.