Image is a desaturated photo of a foggy lane curving to the left. There is a wall on the left, an arch of trees. Bare branches cross in the background.
This afternoon there was no choice but to take a nap… you know that feeling …when it takes the last bit of effort you have to make it to the bed or sofa.
It’s such a delicious sinking in and surrendering to rest. I can almost feel the tiredness sliding off of me, into the mattress. Into the center of the Earth.
There are times, like today, when I’m in that liminal state and feel meditation click in. The more I practice, the more accessible that feeling is. It’s a very physical feeling… ecstatic, even. Sparkly. Effervescent. Expansive- both outward and inward. The form of meditation I practice, Instinctive Meditation®, is permissive and encourages curiosity and exploration, wherever the journey leads.
Today it was following this sensation through my body. Sensual in every regard. I thought what a beautiful feeling, and celebrated each easeful breath. I took on that phrase as a mantra: “What a beautiful feeling.” Over and over as I followed it. My arms, fingers, fingernails, legs, toes. Even the ends of my hair. All filled with the beautiful feeling of prana shakti flowing through me.
And then came: “I am an open channel for Divine energy to flow through me. Radiating out to every being. The rocks. The water. The air. The trees. And cycling back through me. Ever and always. What a beautiful feeling.
Mmm. I can feel it even now, just thinking about it.
Image shows a pastel drawing of an ocean beach. There are waves coming to shore. On the right is a large boulder, with a yellow sun just to the left of the boulder.
Consider all the pain and all the pleasure You have ever experienced As waves on a very deep ocean which you are.
From the depths, witness those waves, Rolling along so bravely, always changing, Beautiful in their self-sustaining power.
Marvel that once, you identified with Only the surface of this ocean. Now embrace waves, depths, undersea mountains, Out to the farthest shore. ~Insight verse 136, “The Radiance Sutras”, Lorin Roche, PhD. ************************************************************ The image I drew in a recent Playing With Creativity and Meditation class that my friend Andrea Abrahamson and I co-teach at the online Radiance Sutras School of Meditation. It was her turn to facilitate, and the theme was travel.
Going into the meditation, we were invited to attune to our senses. I live on a really busy street, and the ebb and flow of traffic began to sound like ocean waves to me. I could see the image I drew so clearly, so out it came. As I worked with the pastels, my fingers blending the colours together also sounded like the ocean to me, so I played with that… moving my hand and much of my body, creating the sound of the ocean. The movement of waves. The tingling of my fingers reminded me a little of the sharp tingling of sand under my bare feet.
It’s my favourite little beach in Pacific Palisades, and is still closed after the January fires. I looked at the satellite map recently, tracing the route down the twists and turns down Sunset Blvd. that I’ve enjoyed driving. So much is gone; I’m not sure when I’ll have the heart to make the drive again. It’s so wonderful to have the memory of it, and now this image, as one of my doorways into meditation.
“Some Trees are Blue” Adele Satori 2025. Image shows a textured painting in vibrant hues of blue, orange, red, green, and yellow.
One recent night my memories woke me up.
“Remember the time you painted the trees blue?”
I surely did! I was about six years old, in first grade. I remember being in school, painting a picture of the most beautiful tree. Not only blue, but with yellow, orange, red, and green.
My teacher, who I remember as mostly kind, looked at the picture and told me trees are brown, or black- not these bright colours.
I was heartbroken, and I knew she was wrong. You see, one of the things my family did growing up was to do things like to to museums. I remember seeing the paintings of Paul Gauguin, and being so excited! Here, in a museum, where people came to look at pictures people made, were paintings of trees and plants the way **I** saw them! Bright colours, and vibrating. Here was a grown-up who also saw the songs of trees, and he painted them to show the world.
I may have tried to tell the teacher that. I can’t quite remember; it was a long time ago. I just remember being sad and confused. Didn’t everyone see the songs of trees? How they sometimes shimmer the way pavement does on a hot summer day?
I think most kids have this ability to see multiple realities– until it’s taught out of us. Those of us who somehow keep the magic become the artists, poets, explorers, inventors, often getting “lost” in our beautiful inner worlds. Some of us are seen as mad (I always wondered about that description.).. I suppose the adult version of having a note pinned on our sweaters.
As I lay there in bed, other childhood memories came. That same year, we had a class where the visiting Phys. Ed. teacher put on music and told us to pretend we were a train. We got into a milk-and-cookie infused samba line and chugga chugga’d to the music.
Except me.
Oh no! In my mind I became a train! CHUGGA CHUGGA!!!! WOOO WOOO!!! WOOO WOOO!!! I pumped my arms, shook my head, and in my imagination saw the “more powerful from a locomotive” from the opening sequence of “The Adventures of Super Man” (Starring Georrrrrrge Reeeeves!!!).
Everything, and everyone stopped.
I got taken out of class, and sent home with a note pinned to my sweater about how I couldn’t control myself. It wouldn’t be the last time! So many kidhood memories of experiencing things like this, and “weren’t real”, but those are stories for another time.
My thoughts turned back to trees. Part of me wanted to jump up then and there and paint, but my logical brain started to wake up…. I only have black canvas board… I don’t know where my palette knives are (because this urge was too primal for brushes)… and wandered through the technical aspects of how adult me would paint those trees.
I ended up later that morning going to sit near trees, and soaking in all their textures and colours. I came home, found my knives, and sat down to paint. I went quickly, and intuitively. Sometimes my eyes were nearly closed. I followed the memories of texture, light, sound, and movement. Not thinking if I was doing it right (I’m not a painter, primarily.. I just have the tools around). Not thinking of how others would perceive it. Not worrying if I was wasting materials (another childhood lesson). Simply enjoying the process of painting a tree in all its hidden colours.
And I’m here to tell you… that experience healed something in me. That’s the beauty of creative practice. Creating to create and explore, without expectation of outcome, or demands for others, opens the way to our inner worlds. You don’t have to show it to anyone else, or even keep it.
My invitation to you now, is to remember something you used to do, or like to do and haven’t made the time to do, but especially something you liked to do as a child. Sing silly songs as you go through your day. Make little cabins for ants out of twigs. Finger paint (paint with water on the sidewalk if you don’t have paint!). Twirl in circles. Lay on the grass and watch the cloud beings chase each other. Use what you have on hand. Play and create for the pure pleasure of it.
I’m going to go smile at the most beautiful blue tree I painted.
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
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
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