Problem solving meditation

Last week I talked about the reasons we feel fear and worry on a regular basis and what you can do to decrease this feeling. If you haven’t read that post yet, you can read it here. In this post, I will share with you a meditation technique I have developed and practice whenever I need to solve a problem. In addition to problem solving, this meditation can also help you to relax in a difficult situation. So let’s start our meditation. The first three steps are part of every meditation type. 🙂

– Find a time and a peaceful place when and where you know you won’t be disturbed for at least 30 to 60 minutes. The reason why the duration of this meditation is longer than the previous ones I talked about before, is because here you must spend as much time as needed in different steps. Sometimes you may be meditating for as long as 60 minutes.

– Use candles and incense (optional): combining these two will create a calm and spiritual atmosphere as candles soothe the eyes and provide a soft and relaxing lighting and incense creates a relaxing scent.

– Listen to meditation music (optional). You can use any meditation music that you like. Here are some tracks I listen to when practicing the problem solving meditation: Pilgrimage by Terry oldfield from the Yoga harmony album or the album Yoga music for mind, body & soul by Ron Allen.

– Take 19 deep breaths. When exhaling, imagine giving all the fear, stress and negative feelings out of your body.

– Let all the thoughts and problems that bothered you that day pass through your mind. This is different than other meditation types where you don’t want to think about something else. Let all the thoughts pass without judging them. Look at them just as an observer.

– Once you are done with the previous step, imagine a candle light burning above your eyes, between your eyebrows (where buddhists and indians believe the third eye is located and that is why they usually draw a red spot there to attract their attention towards that place). Try to see the candle very vividly in your mind’s eye. You can be here as creative as you want, see the candlelight dancing with the music you’re listening to, see it being burnt and melted candle falling down, see it from the perspective of someone else looking at you or just be yourself and see the candle from inside. Continue this step for about 10-15 minutes.

– Then remember what was the biggest issue that bothered you and came to your mind in the beginning of your meditation. Then try to imagine that it is being solved in the best possible way. Don’t think what strategy you have used yet, just imagine and believe it has been solved  the way you like Feel as if it has really happened. Feel the feeling of joy and excitement you would feel once it has really happened. Be grateful for it.

– Then, start thinking how it all happened, what did you do in your imagination that caused the problem to be solved in the way you imagined. Once you believe the problem that has bothered you this much is solved, you start believing that the problem is possible to be solved. You will be less negative and less afraid and start to widen out your horizon and to see the possibilities. If there is an issue that for sure cannot be solved, like something that has already happened such as having lost something or someone important, just accept the situation. Accepting doesn’t mean that it is going to be easy. When we face a life event that is very difficult for us and surprising, our first reaction is shock, then denial, then sadness and then acceptance. We usually spend a lot of time in the denial and sadness part. If we could speed up this process we could reach acceptance faster. One way to do that is not to deny the facts. It is going to be very tough but being realistic is very important here. To make the transition part a bit easier, after we have reached sadness we must try to move on as fast as possible to another stage where we can look into the future and try to substitute the sad event with a positive one. For example, if you have failed an exam, at this last step you could think of what you can do now to improve the current situation. Sitting and crying or keep saying “I didn’t want to fail” will for sure not help you in any way. You can take a holiday and rest (which is positive) and take this course a second time. And you will analyse the situation to find out what went wrong only to learn and apply it to the next exam round to do better. You can say: “you know what? I may have failed this time but next exam round or next year instead of just a 10 out of 20 I will get 17 or even 20” and just think of a good execution plan. Or in a much more difficult situation, when you lose a loved one, it is very important to take your time to mourn and then you can start to think about the good things about the person you lost and you loved. The good memories you had and how much you still love her or him. Think about other people you love that are still with you. Try to plan to spend more time with them than before. As none of us live forever and all we can do is to appreciate each other as much as we can in the present moment.  I know it is very hard but not accepting a situation that cannot be changed will just make you and your loved ones suffer. So, try to find a solution with a positive attitude, if there is no solution. Do your best to accept the situation and move on. Again, I emphasize that accepting is not easy, it just makes the whole process to go much faster. Sometimes (in minority of cases) the best solution is acceptance and surrender. Please note that this only concerns a problem or situation that is stable and unchangeable.

– Whenever you feel ready start moving a part of your body (pinky finger or a toe) and slowly come back to the reality by trying to pay attention to the sensory information around you such as a sound, smell or anything else that you are experiencing at that very moment. Then, you can slowly open your eyes.

I hope you try this meditation and that it would help you as much as it has helped me. If you liked this post, don’t forget  to share it with your friends and family.

With Love,

Marjan