Meditation
Prior to my recovery, I was not a meditator. I tired it here and there but it never stuck. It was another thing I tried to “get better” at instead of just not drinking. Once I went through the 12 steps of recovery as outlined in our Big Book, I was once more confronted with meditation as its practice and benefits are spelled out very clearly in Step 11: “Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God as we understood Him, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out.”
I was at a turning point. Do I begin meditation or not? Being the stubborn addict that I am, I did not try for a number of years. Then, as I started to get back to yoga and I found my stillness. As I craved more serenity, I tried meditation more often but I was not consistent. Once I began to become interested in teaching, I found a training program that helped me to become more consistent. I’ve been “hooked” ever since.
Today, my meditation practice is my solace. I feel immediately at peace on my cushion, even if my mind wanders (as it does so often), or if I’m just not “feeling it” (which is most of the time). While I do sit formally in meditation, I also practice loving-kindness (or “metta”), moving, and writing forms of meditation. I journal daily in the morning and do a 10-minute session afterwards where I really connect with my inner child and practice self-compassion as part of my healing. The most important thing for me is to practice each day, even if just a little bit. It’s all about progress, not perfection, and thank God for that!
Prayer
It is sometimes said that prayer is talking to your Higher Power and meditation is listening for the answer. I have found that to be so true! Prayer was not something I did when I first came into recovery — it was a practice I developed over time. As I worked through the steps and found a Higher Power personal to me, I was able to cultivate a relationship with my Higher Power through prayer.
Now, I pray all the time! In the morning, I thank my Higher Power for another opportunity at this life. I pray consistently throughout my day to say the right thing or for an intuitive thought. At night, I thank my Higher Power for another day and I pray for people on my prayer list, including those people who I don’t like very much. I pray that everyone has all of the good things that I would want for myself.
I have no idea what I would do without my prayer life today. It saves me every time!
Tanya D. is a Usui/Holy Fire® III Karuna Reiki® Master, Meditation Instructor, Spiritual Life Coach and Yoga4Sobriety Teacher Ambassador. Join her online on Wednesdays at 5:30pm EST for Meditation4Sobriety.
Find her @thepeacewecrave on Facebook/Instagram and at www.thepeacewecrave.com for all things recovery, reiki, meditation, and peace. Contact her at tanyad@thepeacewecrave.com.
