Meditation: Making Space for Fullness, by Parvati Devi

That which we see and experience as life is really not solid and fixed. Life is the dance of pure consciousness arising. We often don’t understand this eternal truth, because we want to believe that the impermanent, that which is passing, will be permanent. So when moods change, people come and go, things break and fall away, we experience disappointment, heartbreak and pain.

A certain inner space is required to recognize, see through and eventually let go of these temporary incorrect perceptions. That is where meditation comes in. The practice of meditation in any form brings fullness into our life, not by giving us more stuff, but by creating more internal space through the power of non-attachment and non-resistance to what is.

Each day, I come to my meditation cushion with the intention to simply witness that which arises. As I do so, I get less caught up in the fluctuations of my mind, and begin to experience more space between my thoughts and my reactions. In that space, there is pure possibility and the birth of I AM consciousness.

My spiritual practice is the source of wealth and richness in my life. It is what brings and nourishes my experiences of joy, ease, rooted expansion and abundance.

The creative impulse and expression that move through me, be it in song, writing, composing, producing or performing are a reflection of my practice. They move through this body/being in the experience of fullness developed in meditation practice. Through “isness” arises a creative voice, to which I am of service.

People often say they do not have time to meditate. But I know that the more I meditate, the more time I have. Because I have more internal space, I am open to possibilities. My tasks move with greater speed and ease. I rest more deeply. I have more energy.

Even taking five minutes a day to quietly center, be present with yourself, and tune into how you feel, is a good start to a meditation practice. You do not need to feel that you have to start with an hour-long sit. Have a quiet corner in your home that is your zen corner, a place you can go to that feels neutral and undisturbed. This become symbolic of the inner zen space you can go to and develop when you go sit there.

Ultimately, we begin to see that all circumstances in our life are opportunities for transcendent awakening and flowering into I AM consciousness. The more we practice being open, ready and willing to be here, to be now, the more we meet the fullness of this moment. It is not to say that all we encounter is sweet and lovely. Sometimes it is. Sometimes it is not. The more we meet this moment as it is, the more what we find feels sweet, because in that moment, we find life itself, in the fullness of all its textures, shapes, sizes, and colours.

Yet what we perceive to be sweet or not, ultimately does not matter. It is not our job to determine what the nature of reality is, to try to label, fix or arrange it. It is our job to simply meet that which is.

Through the courage to meet that which is, expansion occurs. When we practice non-resistance to what is, we awaken to the jewels of this moment. We learn to allow our self to expand and meet this present moment, rather than contract, run and hide from it.

I share in my song “Open To This Love” some words about this process:

“The present is the present, depending on intention.
Take the dare and be aware of how deeply you do care.
Believe and conceive. Surely you’ll receive.
Feel the joy, even cry. There are no reasons why.
Just open.”

Parvati Devi is the editor-in-chief of Parvati Magazine. In addition to being an internationally acclaimed Canadian singer, songwriter, producer and performer, she is a yoga teacher and holistic educator, having studied yoga and meditation since 1987, and developed her own yoga teaching style called YEM™: Yoga as Energy Medicine. Her current show, “Natamba”, brings forward a conscious energy into the pop mainstream.