Meditation, breathing and developing the mind

In time, we begin to realise the endless possibilities life presents to us in our recovery. We also start to recognise our mind’s limitless potential for growth and development. In our recovery, it is important that we keep developing and nurturing our minds and bodies and learning to value every cell, nerve and fibre of our being.
 
In addiction we spend most of our time running away from ‘self-exploration and connection’. We avoid other people and tend to isolate ourselves, we find it difficult to be still and connect within. In fact, some of us in the grip of addiction will do almost anything in our power to run away from ourselves and others. This fear within, the abandonment and therefore the loss and destruction of our real self is at the heart of addiction.
 
Reconnecting with the world
Recovery is about reconnecting, bonding with ourselves, with other people, with all living creatures and the world. It’s about being able to go within without fear and being able to let other people in too, to be intimate. Intimacy is expressed and translated by some in recovery as “in to me you see”. But how can we truly open up to others and have an intimate, functional and healthy relationship if we are not first prepared to go there by ourselves?
 
Recovery is ‘being’ rather than ‘doing’ – we become able to sit with self and relax without judgement, instead of forever running around, getting things done, escaping from reality and believing we are what we do, what we achieve.
 
Connecting with our inner selves is made easier when we use techniques like meditation and self-hypnosis. There are many forms of both as well as other disciplines that teach us to become more in tune with our minds and question our beliefs about the world, religion, how we were created and perhaps our own higher self or power, either internal or external.
 
Our minds are usually very hectic. Every day they produce streams of thoughts, ideas, sounds, fantasies, pictures and memories in a continuous flow from when we wake up until we go to sleep. Even when we sleep our busy minds don’t switch off entirely; constant chatter and images are created throughout the night in the form of our dreams!
 
A journey of self-discovery
Many believe that there is within us all our true nature or self, a part of us that is peaceful and still, that is not caught up in thoughts and feelings but a silent observer of all that is or is not! Meditation helps us to find this quiet inner sanctum where we can connect with our inner being while strengthening the bond with a deeper part of us, our core, our spirit, our real essence. This in turn connects to our higher power, the god of our making, our higher self, or perhaps the universe or universal spirit itself.
 
The practice of meditation is therefore invaluable to those of us who have addictive patterns, it teaches us not run away from what may be within but to be lovingly present and compassionately observe our racing thoughts and intense feelings. We can learn to disconnect to those thoughts and feelings and sit back and watch ourselves from a distance. From this standpoint, we can dissolve the pain and power we give to our sometimes irrational and illogical patterns of thinking. 
 
We are more than our thoughts and feelings, they are merely like clouds floating above us. They are not all of us, in short they are not our essence, who we really are.  We are so much more than that and by following a path of self-discovery we may eventually find out who we really are, and not have to run or hide from anything ever again.

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