How to find your personal melody and harmonize with the moment-A meditation

Whats your personal soundtrack? Can you harmonize with others?

Melody meditation-Aligning ourselves to our world through mindfulness and musically derived imagery.

There was a moment when my daughter wouldn’t get ready for school and I started to really feel anger burning inside of me. That morning, I had woken up early and cooked a huge breakfast for both of my daughters. I pranced around the kitchen, proudly thinking, “ today, I’ve got this mom thing nailed.” I chuckled at myself and my unusual display of maternal confidence.

Ha! The joke was on me when the morning spiraled downwards shortly thereafter. My daughter ended up resisting every effort to prepare her for school. I had a miscommunication with my partner; my daughter ended up missing the bus, and almost cried.

Meanwhile, the “hippy-go-lucky” in me has been contemplating music and each of us having our own personal soundtrack. I’ve been thinking how each moment  has its own soundtrack, like when you watch a movie and the music totally sets the tone for the moment.

 Since I am a mindfulness practitioner, lover and seeker, I’ve been applying this concept of musicality to mindfulness. In a nutshell, I see the moment having a tune that applies to that very moment itself. I also see that we all carry around our own melody. I feel that if we can identify both the moment’s tune and our own song and try to harmonize them, it’s one more way to relish the moment and live mindfully.

For example, on this good-gone-bad morning there were three clashing songs. The rhythm of the morning itself was light and peaceful, something I adore when meditating or on an early morning run, but completely detach from when getting myself or children prepared for the day.

 My daughter’s rhythm is slow and beautiful. It is meandering and graceful. She is a dreamer and a delicate soul. Her energy exudes Enya or Bach. She is a beautiful spirit and a sweet being. Then there is, me. When on task I am very focused and driven. I used to listen to Shinedown when I had a lot of writing or paperwork to do. It is on the loud side, tinged with assertive notions and emotion; Strong and purposeful. I listen to Pink and Katy Perry or Beyonce when I am happy and excited. Up beat and also strong.

The problem I encountered this morning was matching my rhythm to my daughter’s. She floats around in beautiful dreamland like a butterfly, attracted to the light of each toy or thought, not having much awareness of her surroundings. It is a touching image to watch and in many ways I am filled with pride at her softness and fresh approach. It is when I need her to listen to directions, do something timely like get ready for school or finish her homework before dinner that our rhythms clash.

If I were able to turn down the volume on my own agenda and soften to her nature, I would have allowed her more breathing room in her routine and possibly not frazzled her to the point of not successfully getting to the bus stop on time. I also could have tuned into the peaceful slow pace of the morning and allowed her to get ready slowly, or awakened her earlier so that she could have some quiet time before jumping headfirst into the day.

 As she gets older, I also hope to teach her when there are times to turn down a bit of her own beautiful dreaminess, just long enough to stay on task or to be aware of the important things around her. I would love to be able to find a way to do all three at once, or one at a time overall. The goal is to be open and to harmonize. We all have our own melody and we are each beautiful in our own right. But it is in relation to others that conflict and harshness can arise. Unless, we learn to tune in to those around us, literally and figuratively, life can is easily become a clash of bands rather than the harmony of a symphony.

Try this meditation to find and tune to your own soundtrack, your own rhythm, in breath and in life.

Allow your eyes to close or your gaze to soften and drop to the floor or a comfortable spot where you can hold the focus without effort

Stretch your spine upwards toward the ceiling, the stars and the sun. Imagine a thin white light being opened on the top of your head and connecting you to a higher power above the space of your physical body.

Imagine that light caressing down your straight spine and reaching your mind, your heart center and your base Chakra at the bottom of your spine.

Breathe in Breathe out. Sit in silence for three minutes

As I breathe in I am fully aligned with this exact moment in time. I am aware of my body in this room. I am aware of this room in this building and my community around me. I recognize that we are all connected and we are all one.

I bring my awareness back to my self. Breathing in, I sense a bright light in my mind. I see a color around this light. Breathing out, I sense a bright light around my heart. I picture the same color around my emotional being. Breathing in, I imagine a bright light around my entire physical being. I become aware of the harmony that magically evolves as I match my self to the moment.

Breath in and out silently for three minutes

Breathing in, I think of the melody that could describe my inner self, my core of my being. Is it joyful? It is steady? Is it angry? It is loud or quiet? What does my inner being project to myself and others as I navigate my way through life each day? Breathing in, I identify my personal melody. Breathing out, melody

Breathe silently for three minutes

I recognize that in my most difficult or joyful moments, my own personal melody can drown out the melody of life unfolding around me. I recognize that in order to align with the moment, I must turn down the volume of “me” and tune in to what surrounds my spirit in that moment. Breathing in and breathing out, I focus on what it feels like to tune in to that which is around me. I see my own song and the song of the earth as one harmonious tune. I am able to lend my spirit in a positive way to whatever is around me, to be open and to give. I am equally able to lend my spirit to taking in my surroundings in  a positive way. I am wanting to experience feeling, listening and being open. Life energy can easily flow without the clashing of various sounds within the same sphere. This is peace. This is mindfulness.

Breathe silently on this image for 10 minutes

Beginning visualization repeats….

Stretch your spine upwards toward the ceiling, the stars and the sun. Imagine a thin white light being opened on the top of your head and connecting you to a higher power above the space of your physical body.

Imagine that light caressing down your straight spine and reaching your mind, your heart center and your base chakra at the bottom of your spine.

Breathe in Breathe out. Sit in silence for three minutes

As I breathe in I am fully aligned with this exact moment in time. I am aware of my body in this room. I am aware of this room in this building and my community around me. I recognize that we are all connected and we are all one.

I bring my awareness back to my self. Breathing in, I sense a bright light in my mind. I see a color around this light. Breathing out, I sense a bright light around my heart. I picture the same color around my emotional being. Breathing in, I imagine a bright light around my entire physical being. I become aware of the harmony that is inherent in matching my self to the moment.

When I am ready I allow my eyes to softly open and I return my awareness to this room as I bring with me the sensation of peace and mindfulness, I continue my journey.