I almost died in India during a trip in 2013.
Giardia appeared to be the culprit. I became dangerously dehydrated after not eating anything for 10 days and not drinking anything for 3-4 days in a hot, humid climate.
But sickness carries a strong energetic component. Mind and medicine blame bodily culprits, germs and other factors. Digging deeper, life unfolds from a core energy you vibe at predominantly.
I began meditating for hours daily during this trip, foolishly speeding up the quantity of my personal development versus focusing on short, quality meditation sessions. Deep fears and pains surfaced rapidly before I could process these energies. I paid the price as waves of fear, pain and grief crippled my being, courtesy of the physical illness; almost, with my life.
Forcing personal development through marathon sessions before you are ready for massive, lasting growth leads to mental problems, physical illness and other red flags signifying you force the process. Slow down. Calm down. Adopt a quality approach to personal development. Achieve optimal results.
This was me after I gained 10 pounds, post-illness.
Meditate for 5 Quality Minutes Versus 55 Distracted Minutes
Do you meditate daily? If not, begin with 5 minutes. Following your breath to observe thoughts and feelings seems completely impossible to new meditators because you simply think and feel versus observing it all during early sessions.
Trying to meditate for an hour as a newbie is foolish. Do not even bother because your mind is too weak, your awareness is undeveloped and you simply need to crawl before you walk, meditation-wise.
One 5 minute, quality meditation session lays the foundation for your next quality meditation session. Self help is progressive. Growth takes time, patience and persistence. Forcing self help by going from 0 minutes to 3 hours daily creates an absurd attempt at a quantum leap leading to burnout and the aforementioned physical and/or mental illness.
Quality Beats Quantity
Spend 10 quality minutes daily on personal development as a newbie to self help. Develop skills. Gain momentum. Slowly, steadily train yourself. See the mind as a mental muscle. Would you attempt to bench press 300 pounds if you never picked up a weight prior? Why attempt to meditate for 2 hours daily if you never sat for a session prior?
Develop your mental muscle with short, quality, focused self help sessions whether meditating, praying or doing Kriya yoga.
I feel a little bit sick now. Naturally, skipping my evening Kriya session makes sense because trying to do 10 or 20 minutes extra tonight makes me feel even more sick. 20 quality minutes after waking seems to be enough today.
Tomorrow is another day. Waking refreshed and recharged, I will do 20 quality minutes of focused, intense Kriya to achieve optimal growth and to tap into optimal results.
Think Marathon Not Sprint
Meditate for 10 quality minutes daily for the next 4 months. Add 5 minutes over the follow 2 months. Meditating for 10-15 quality minutes daily for the next half year cultivates your peace of mind, expands your awareness and brings a sense of poise to your being. Think of running a long marathon versus trying to sprint through personal development.
Fools try to meditate for 30 minutes daily as a newbie and almost always quit meditating after a few days or weeks. Doing self help the quality, right way leads to lasting growth for your entire life time. Rushing things leads to quitting and little or no growth. What sounds better?
About the Author
Ryan Biddulph
Ryan Biddulph helps you learn how to blog at Blogging From Paradise.
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