My Meditation Experience
Every night I tell myself- I will wake up, drink warm lemon water and go try this heart-based meditation technique Katherine Austin taught me. I’m embarrassed to admit she taught a group of us, myself included, a month and a half ago and I still had not tried it for more than a minute or two. I’m so glad this morning was different. This morning I tried it. That’s not an accurate statement – this morning I was it. Time stood still as did I. Samadhi.
I went to the amazing Jai Uttal concert last night. Immersing myself in the goodness of the local Kirtan community, but staying up almost 4 hours past my usual bedtime of 8:30 p.m. At 4:30 a.m. my internal clock still woke me up. After lying in bed for close to an hour, begging my body to continue sleeping, I gave up and decided to get up, drink my lemon water and go for a walk. Figuring when I was done walking, I would come home and try the heart based meditation technique.
I feel blessed to live in a neighborhood with several very peaceful ponds. I chose a direction, headed to a pond and walked. I enjoyed looking at the geese and their babies while listening to the symphony of birds so early in the morning. As I was almost all the way around the pond, I saw a small bench right next to the water tucked in between some bushes and in front of a tree.
I walked over to the bench tucking my feet up under my thighs as I sat. The sun was coming up in front of me. The moon was out to my right and was encased in a tranquil blue sky. It felt so right. I took my phone out, set the timer for 20 minutes and began meditating. I called on my guides and my angels to help me enjoy the beauty of this moment and began singing the song current Katherine gave me. I swore the birds were making the same sound as me. I could see and feel light pouring in me and I just observed.
About 13 minutes in, I felt the need to open my eyes, which felt extremely heavy. Immediately as I did, a turtle silently poked its head out from the water right in front of me, looked at me (how curious I thought) and went back in the water. It was then that I smiled, said hi and thank you to the turtle silently and glanced at my phone to see the time of 13 minutes in. I returned my gaze to the pond and noticed the turtle’s action caused a gentle rippling of the water out into the pond, making lovely, pulsating, half circles with the center directly in front of me.
Where the ripples ended, I noticed the softest amount of steam rising from the pond. To the North (my left), the steam was softly moving upward and heading south and when it floated directly in front of me where the ripples ended it turned into a wispy, glorious, tiny tornado. It was glowing with a pale yellow light from the rising sun. To the south (my right) was also a small amount of steam, rising and traveling towards the center of the ripples and joining in a swirling union with the rest of the steam. It felt as if when I breathed out the steam traveled and joined – and when I breathed in, it swirled heaven-bound and dissipated. I just breathed and continued meditating while observing. I did not know where the birds singing, the steam rising, the ripples, the turtle – the moment began – or where I ended.
I was startled when my timer went off. I thought “What? I set it for 20 minutes… I just checked it maybe a minute ago and I was only 13 minutes in?! No way did 7 minutes pass?!” My whole body tingled and it was then that I cried.
Samadhi.
I’ve searched for words to explain Samadhi before– to myself as well as to students in a yoga class I taught just two days ago. I searched for a meditation to read and I just couldn’t click with anything. Samadhi is something I’ve studied but never experienced. So it was now, in this moment at the pond, that I realized it cannot be explained, it can only be experienced. All we can do is open ourselves to the possibility and enrapture ourselves with that moment when it does.
With love and light – Akalsaran Kaur
Join Katherine at Karma West Bloomfield on Sunday, June 14th for a free class on heart based mediation from 6:30 p.m. -8:30 p.m.
