Obtaining the deeper benefits of meditation takes commitment. It requires both regular practice and a willingness to forego substances that can mess with your meditative state. 

Did you know that marijuana, caffeine, alcohol, and sugar all interfere with meditation? I believe smoking does too, although I have no direct experience.

My first encounter with meditation was in graduate school. A chronically anxious person, I took a course in Transcendental Meditation hoping to relax.

Transcendental Meditation is a form of silent mantra meditation developed by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi that involves the use of a silently-used sound called a mantra, practiced for 15 - 20 minutes twice a day. 

In order to receive your mantra you had to certify in writing that you had ceased using intoxicants for 2 weeks. I barely lasted the two weeks and immediately returned to my weekend pot smoking as soon as I got my mantra.

Every transcendental meditation session was spent in deep thought -- on my to-do lists, lectures, and conversation rehearsals. 

It was not until I started doing the Sufi work with Adnan, ten years later, that I was finally able to begin my meditation practice in earnest.

I was such a mess back then that I actually arrived at the camp hung over from the previous night's activities.

The Sufi meditation work changed everything. Cut off from the stress of the world and living on a diet of simple food and intermittent fasting, I was able to achieve deeper and deeper states of consciousness. These states of mind were so exquisite, that they far surpassed any allurement that pot or alcohol might hold.

Why smoke pot, which activates hunger and often paranoia, or risk a hangover from wine, when such delicious states of joy and contentment are available through meditation? 

Shortly after beginning my first Sufi Summer Camp, I traveled to Santa Fe for a lunch date with the man I had been seeing the past Spring. He asked if I would have some wine. Not thinking, I accepted. Halfway through drinking that glass, I literally felt my meditative state evaporate. Both startled and saddened by this dramatic loss, I vowed to change my ways. 

I'm not saying you should never consume alcohol. Never is a long time and there is a lot of social pressure to participate in this activity. But I do advise setting limits in daily life and practicing complete abstinence on retreats.

Caffeine is another intoxicant that interferes with meditation. Although I no longer drank coffee, when offered a cup of tea by my Spanish host in Madrid before a Sufi Workshop, I accepted.

At the workshop, I was bombarded with a continuous stream of thoughts. It was like a radio I couldn't turn off. Meditation was impossible and, interestingly, the session dragged and felt unbearable. 

It is no accident that caffeine is the drug of choice in advanced Western nations. It keeps the wheels of progress rolling. Caffeine focuses the mind, not on the moment as in meditation, but on problem-solving or carrying out complex tasks. It is great for writing blogs and emails. Reserve it for after your meditation.

Sugar is another substance that interferes with meditation—It hypes up the body and feeds the monkey mind. It makes you feel great for a moment and then drops you into a sugar slump. This state of lethargy breeds negative thoughts. Avoiding sugar, you will discover, is good for the body as well as the soul.

Intermittent fasting, I have found, really helps your meditation practice.

At the Sufi camp, no meals are served until after the first workshop, about 2 or 3 p.m. Through trial and error, I have learned that meditation is best on an empty stomach. It enables you to stay aware and focused on what you are doing while precluding a full belly from interfering with your breath and movement. Trust me, I've made the mistake of eating dinner before a workshop and it's no fun.

Feeling discouraged about meditation? I understand! Changing habits does not come easily, especially when they seem to make life bearable. The state of bliss, however, is worth the sacrifice, especially when you start to experience the changes. Give it a try. See if meditation doesn't come easier when you skip the coffee, the pot, or the breakfast burrito.

You will discover that when you immerse yourself in the Sufi work, it does not feel like a sacrifice, it seems like the only choice.

Sufi moving meditation class is Friday, Sept 8 at 8 am PDT.

Zoom Link:

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89999494833?pwd=V2pOS28yYUdXM3hkaW1rVWIvSjBUdz09

Meeting ID: 899 9949 4833

Passcode: SUFI

8 am PDT is early morning on the West Coast! Here's a time converter link if you need to check the time in your location.

Hope to see you tomorrow,

Michelle

Dr. Michelle Peticolas

Life Transformation Coach

Empowering Women to Reinvent Their Life After Loss

Secrets of Life and Death

https://www.facebook.com/secretsoflifeanddeath.com