Probably the most overlooked tool in my teacher Adnan’s spiritual toolbox was sleep meditation. Maybe it shouldn’t be called meditation, but it wasn’t sleep either. It was a deep, trance-like state that was almost as powerful as the Sufi practices themselves. During this sleep, it seemed like every cell in my body was rearranging itself into a new way of being. 

I was introduced to sleep meditation at the very first evening workshop I took with Adnan. After leading the people in slow movement and breathing for almost an hour, Adnan stopped and just sat there watching us like an eagle. His eyes were fierce and penetrating. The music was turned off and it was completely quiet. After waiting a while for something else to happen, I opened my eyes and looked around. Almost everyone else was lying on their blankets sleeping. 

I had an attitude back then. I thought they were wimps. I sat cross-legged and ram-rod straight feeling righteous and superior.

However, these empty pauses happened quite frequently. They followed all the various exercises of Adnan's workshops: chanting, drumming, singing, dancing, and whirling. Pretty soon I too was flopping down on my blanket like everyone else. The exercises were so intoxicating, that sometimes I just couldn't stay sitting.

I soon loved these sleep pauses and looked forward to them. I had no thoughts, nor worries, no wiggles, just deep, profound peace. This was a huge change for me, from pushing, striving, and making use of every minute of my life to floating on the waves and energy of the last exercise. That’s why it seems like a meditation. 

The Sufi sleep is a little like being stoned on pot but without the paranoia and food cravings. I stopped all intoxicants after I began this work. During my first summer camp, I went to Santa Fe to have lunch with a friend. I ordered a glass of wine and observed that my blissful Sufi state slipped further away with every sip. I stopped drinking completely for 13 years and even now rarely drink more than a tiny glass.

Almost all of Adnan’s practices will induce this meditative sleep, but some are more stunning than others. One of my favorites was following Adnan as he moved his arms through the air, so slowly that I could feel each molecule giving way to my movement.

At first, this exercise was a big challenge because my arms got so tired I had to rest them. Gradually, they became stronger and I was able to follow him the whole time. I especially loved it when he told us to do our own creative movement. Then I could close my eyes and become completely immersed in the movement and breathing.

One time, after a particularly spell-binding workshop, I fell into a deep sleep and had a dream. I was driving up a steep dirt road and suddenly came to a sharp right turn. Although I tried to make the turn, the momentum of the car caused it to go partway over the cliff just before the turn. I was precariously balanced on the edge. Front wheels over the cliff, back wheels on the road. I slowly pushed in the clutch and moved the shift in reverse, but as I released the clutch the car jumped forward and over the edge of the cliff. As the car and I hurled to the ground below I surrendered to the inevitable and at that exact moment, felt myself exit the top of my head and float away from the crash. It was my first out-of-body experience.  

I see now that the dream was about the Sufi work. To receive the benefits of the work, you must surrender to everything — the challenging movements, the aching arms, the long pauses, the strange music, the endless chanting, the hunger, and the waiting. You must let go of your judgment, your thoughts, and your questions and focus on your breath. The intellect and the ego fear annihilation and so they resist. Spirit knows that surrender is the only option.

It is work to surrender and let go, that is why it is called work. Learning to focus your attention and stay with that focus takes practice. Learning to feel the subtle variations in music and tempo and aligning them with your movement takes concentration. Remembering to let go of judgment and criticism takes determination. With consistency and perseverance, change comes quite quickly. With this change, you will find that life, regardless of what is going on in the world, is wonderful and full of possibilities. 

Please join me tomorrow for another sip of that delicious state of peace and serenity. Friday, March 8th at 9 am PST and Sunday, March 3rd at 8 am PST. 

Starting Sunday, the US switches to Daylight Savings Time. This is a full 3 weeks before Europe. The Sunday class which is mostly attended by North Americans, will stick to the North American time. The Friday class, next week, March 15th, will align with European time. Be sure to read my emails to get the right time.

The Zoom link is:

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

Meeting ID: 899 9949 4833

Passcode: SUFI

Here's a time converter link to check the time in your location.

Be peaceful.

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