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health and wellness, inspiration, instinctive meditation, meditation, mindfulness, Personal Development, Personal growth

Set That Monkey Free!

Adele Satori
Image shows an image of a chimpanzee reaching it’s right arm forward, palm up, in front of a blurred green background. Text over the picture reads “There is a great monke inside you. Brother, why not let it free?

If you’ve every explored meditation, chances are eventually you’ll come across the concept of the monkey mind, and how important it is to quiet it.

I’d like to challenge that. In Instinctive Meditation®, we welcome all aspects of ourselves, and that includes the monkey mind…. those parts of ourself that can be easily distracted, confused, or just continually chatter. Your time spent meditating doesn’t have to be sitting in an uncomfortable position, or attempting to stifle the inner workings of your mind. It’s about allowing the experience to be the experience, and giving yourself permission to simply be.

In modern living, our brains are operating like there are bunch of apps all opened at the same time, or a radio station playing in the background. When we take time to simply be, the volume and presence of that internal chatter comes to the forefront. “Maybe I should have said something differently in that meeting today. What’s for dinner? My nose itches. Haha… that was a funny post I saw- I should send it to my friend”. And like a giggle that might arise at an inopportune time, the more we try to not to have the thought, the larger it becomes.

When thoughts arise in meditation, it’s the brain doing it’s thing. You’ve given your mind space to sort, categorize and repair. It’s a safe place for scenarios to play out. You may feel an urge to jump up and attend to some of these things. I invite you to allow them to flow through, and if they are persistent, take a moment to either acknowledge it’s presence and “tell” it you hear it, and will address it later, jot it down, then continue whatever form of meditation you are doing. I sometimes like to say “Come on, monkeys!! Whatcha got?”

The art of allowing your mind to go on it’s own adventure is a big part of this style of meditation. It’s a natural rhythm of meditation to go in and out of a meditative state, just as our stages of sleep are deeper and lighter. You will come to think, “oh yeah. I’m meditating.” and continue.

I’m here to tell you, it’s going to all be OK, and here are some things that might work for you.

Write it out. Set the beginning time of your practice to do some writing- a writing utensil on actual paper use your brain a bit differently. You can write thoughts, the same word over and over, doodle. There’s just something about the act of writing itself than can be calming. These marking don’t have to be precious. You can make part of your meditation time at the end be to setting these markings free by doing something like tearing them up into tiny bits if you like.

Get silly. Honour that inner monkey, quite literally. If you’re in a place where you’re comfortable to do so, pretend to be a monkey, arms up in the air, lumbering through the room, maybe making monkey noises or giving voice to those thoughts inside your head. Sometimes releasing the energy of those thoughts can encourage them to settle down.

Move. If being silly doesn’t work for you, try putting on some music and dancing for awhile, then lay down and allow the feeling of movement to go inwards. Repeat a few times, ending with laying down and giving yourself permission to rest.

Be curious about your breath. This is a bit different than focusing on your breath, to me. Settle in a comfortable way, and get cozy with your breathing in its natural rhythm. Take time to appreciate the texture of it…. the change in temperature during the inhalation/exhalation cycle. The sound of it. Feel your breath flowing through your body- not just in and out of your lungs, but lighting up and feeding every cell- head to toe. Allow yourself to lose track of your breathing, and drift off. (P.S. falling asleep during your session is OK! Many of us are so sleep deprived!)

Engage with something you love to do. Many of us don’t make time to do something for the joy of it. Is there something you enjoy doing, or used to do, where time seems to fall away? It could be listening fully to music (not doing anything else while the music is playing), digging in your garden, walking unplugged in a less urban environment, creating or appreciating art, tinkering with machines. Try doing this every day, for 20 minutes a day. Even better, twice a day! Give yourself grace for easing into a regular practice.

Explore a pleasant memory. For example, maybe there’s a favourite place you like to go. Call it up in your mind in as great a detail as you can, inviting all of your sensory memories in. How the sunlight felt. The sounds around you. The textures you touch. I find when I do this, my mind settles into a peaceful place.

Use a guided meditation. For the way some people’s minds work, having something to listen to as a doorway into meditation can “short circuit” that chatter and take you deeper. When you lose track of what the guide is saying, IT’S OK! It means you’ve entered into your own version of meditation.

Use an object as a doorway. Instinctive Meditation® calls the ways into meditation doorways. You can use something like a candle, setting up what is for you sacred space, a stone to look at, a houseplant, the pattern of shadow and light coming in through a window. Instead of focusing on it, though, become an explorer. Drink in every detail of the object, engaging all of your senses.

Mantra. Mantra loosely translates from Sanskrit as “mind tool”. In some traditions, it’s a sacred word or phrase, often given to a student by their teacher. Let’s look at it another way! It doesn’t have to be a long phrase in a language you don’t know and feel like you might not remember (although it can be, too!) Repeat a sound over and over that is soothing to you. Maybe it’s “mmmm” or “ahhhhh”. It could also be a short prayer from your existing spiritual practice. Or it could be a word that has meaning for you, or has a quality you’d like to be filled with over the day. Love. Peace. I Am. Sunya. Stretch it out and luxuriate in the sound. Perhaps start by saying it out loud, then whisper, then recite with your inner voice.

Work with a meditation coach. Sometimes it’s helpful to have a coconspirator and witness to your process. A coach can help you explore what you need in a session and become attuned to what you might need on any given day. This can be different each time! One time a walking meditation might be it, another might be a nap, or any of the ideas listed above, and more. You have inside you a wealth of knowledge and doorways into meditation and rest that are unique to you; a good coach can help you find the way.

I would love to collaborate with you in creating your own meditation practice. You can schedule a free 30-minute call here to see if we are a good fit. https://calendly.com/adelesatori

I look forward to exploring with you!


instinctive meditation, journaling, Memories, writing

Doorways Are Everywhere

Adele Satori
Black and white photo on the left shows a woman wearing overalls sitting on a horse in front of a house. Sepia toned photo on the right shows a man sitting down sorting apples in baskets. This is Mrs. and Farmer Bethke- two people from my childhood. (The picture of Mrs. is long before I knew her.) Thanks to my brother, Ed, for finding these images!)

You never know when you will receive an invitation to a doorway into meditation

I don’t know if it was because I was riding a stationary bicycle, but when someone I was talking with the other day said they grew up on a farm, I was immediately transported. Perhaps because riding a bike was so integral to my growing up years.

There I was, barefoot, toes wiggling in the velvety soft dust of the lane between the corn and hayfields. The cornstalks were rustling in the lazy summer breeze- a drier, more rattling sound than when they were green in Spring. I could smell the sun-warmed hay, freshly baled from the second cutting of the season. Bees buzzing in the chamomile under the apple trees. It made the remaining minutes of my training warm up delightful.

I also thought of the Bethkes- owners of the corn and hay fields, as well as the roadside market down at the bottom of the hill where I grew up. We always called Mrs. Mrs. Bethke, and I remember calling the mister Farmer Bethke, but never Mr..

So many memories of being sent down with 50 cents clutched in my hand, tightly, so I wouldn’t drop it in the tall grass of the orchard, to buy a dozen ears of sweet corn for supper. Sitting on the back steps shucking that same corn.

Sometimes a cow or two would escape from the farm, and wander up the hill and into our yard. Memories too, of Spring smelling of apple blossoms, and the manure spread on the field. Summer sounding like the arrival of mourning doves and mosquitoes. In Autumn, raking leaves, burning them, and sometimes roasting marshmallows. Winter- skating on the pond, and sliding down the hill on an old tractor inner tube, or cardboard refrigerator boxes until the year Santa brought us all flying saucers.

Mrs. Bethkey always wore overalls and a blouse, like in the picture, with a bandana covering her hair, and when it was chilly, a blue and grey plaid shirt (it might be in the photo behind Farmer Bethke!)

I don’t remember much about Farmer Bethke, other than the time he chased and yelled at us for playing on the hay bales stacked up in the field. (They made such a good fort and castle!) Looking back as an adult, I’m sure it was a combination of safety and that playing on the bales would… erm… unbale them a bit.

Their sons were stock car drivers, and we could often hear them revving their cars before an upcoming race.

This is the beauty of Instinctive Meditation® practice. Any small noticing, any memory, can be an invitation to explore our inner world, and reset. I’m so grateful that I’ve become attuned to seeing these invitations, and adding them to my repertoire.  The past several days, since this conversation, these memories have been my doorway into meditation.

The farm is long gone, although the house and a couple outbuildings remain. Part of the farm is now a small park. The dusty lane is paved, and suburban houses have taken over the fields. The pond where we skated, and the lone oak on the hill that holds so many secrets still exist, but that’s another story, for another time.

art, art appreciation, creative practice, Creativity, inspiration, instinctive meditation, meditation, mindfulness, Personal Development, Personal growth

More Benefits of Arts Participation

Adele Satori
Image shoes ways in which arts participation can potentially be beneficial to people and communities: Reduce lonlieness, prevent depression, enhance cognition and mentat function, increase longevity, reduce stress, support success in education, and boost voter participation. Image from One Nation One Project.

I’ve been exploring some of the research that’s out there to support and quantify my intuition about the benefits of creative practice, which can include everything from art appreciation, listening to music, fine arts, crafts, cooking, gardening. If you can think of something that invites you to explore the world with curiosity and see/express things in a way you haven’t before… to me it counts!

One Nation One Project is doing a lot around how art participation is not only beneficial for individuals, but also for communities. Here’s a link to their initiative, which includes the above graphic https://www.onenationoneproject.com/arts-health-connection

It’s interesting to see that many of the benefits from arts participation are also benefits of meditation. I love how meditation and creative practice work in partnership with each other.

You don’t need a lot of fancy supplies to explore creativity. You don’t have to be “good” at European-style art. Create and explore for the joy of it!

I would love to collaborate with you in exploring how creative practice and meditation can enrich your life. Or just one or the other! You can book a free 30-minute curiousity call here https://calendly.com/adelesatori

art, art appreciation, creative practice, Creativity, drawing, health and wellness, inspiration, instinctive meditation, meditation, mindfulness, Personal Development

Health Benefits of Engaging With Art

Adele Satori
Image shows drawing of a lotus pod in white chalk on black paper. This is a doodle of mine from a recent creativity and meditation session.

“Research shows that art experiences, whether as a maker or a beholder, transform our biology by rewiring our brains and triggering the release of neurochemicals, hormones and endorphins.”

https://lnkd.in/gVNrMRuR

There is so much in this article that I find parallels our experiences in instinctive meditation, especially the invitation to engage with awe and wonder on a regular basis. This is part of what excites me so much- the discoveries I continually make that deepen both my creative and meditation practices.

I especially like the thought of slowing down in a museum- to truly experience the art in front of you.

Whether you go to a museum, gallery, walk and look at architecture, listen to music, go to a concert, doodle in a notebook… it all counts!

creative practice, inspiration, instinctive meditation, journaling, meditation, mindfulness, perception, Personal growth, plants

The Dance of Opening

Adele Satori
Image shows white wild iris with purple center.

Life-changing events aren’t always monumentous, boisterous, or catastrophic. Sometimes they are subtle, silent, and a matter of timing.

The other day I was sitting next to a koi pond at the Self-Realization Fellowship International Headquarters. I closed my eyes for a moment, to better take in the sound of bird songs mingled with distant traffic, the scent of the nearby pines, and the peaceful play of the water falling into the pond.

I opened my eyes and noticed that a single petal of an iris bud was reaching out. As I was admiring shape of the petal, and the pattern of the yellow markings, something amazing happened. Very slowly, the rest of the petals opened, ever so slightly. My had flew up to my mouth in shocked awe of the best kind. When I was a kid, one of my favourite things was watching timelapse movies of flowers blooming, and here I was, witnessing a flower opening itself up to the world, right in front of me!

I became so attuned to that single flower that everything else fell away. The petals were performing a blossom butoh- slowly pulsing slightly opened and closed. If I hadn’t been paying attention I wouldn’t have noticed. Each dance open a little further out, and each dance in a little less closed.

There was no breeze. I then saw that before each movement outwards, the stem of the plant did a slight undulation. rising up to the flower to give it momentum to open a little more.

The whole while, I sat there with silent tears making their way down my cheeks. My whole being was filled with wonder and connection to creation. And I thought what an apt metaphor the opening of a flower is to one’s own journey of growth- unfolding to reveal the beauty that’s hidden within.

When the flower’s dance had slowed to the point I could no longer perceive it, I stood up, bent over close to it, whispered “thank you” and walked through the rest of the grounds, pausing now and then to witness the slight movement of leaves and fronds.

I walked out the gates a different person than I was walking in- maybe myself a little more open. I saw it as a sign to have find the courage to unfold, and reveal the beauty hidden inside.

I invite you in the coming days to make time to sit and witness more intimately the world around you. The songs of birds. Shapes of clouds. The pulse of life around you. What subtle moment might transport you into a new way of being?