Welcome to the start of my meditation journey! As someone new to this practice, I’ve often felt hesitant about diving into the unknown world of meditation—perhaps out of fear of what I might discover. However, my curiosity and the need to slow down my constantly racing mind have finally led me to embrace this new experience.

So how does mediation relate to my travel learnings? A great deal! In fact, I discovered that mediation actually created an opportunity for me to think back and dwell on some very special times in my life, from recent travels all the way back to my childhood. Let me elaborate.

In the meditation session, the ‘guide’ used imagery to walk us through a 30-minute practice:

Body like a mountain, Heart like the ocean, Mind like the sky.

Mountain, ocean, and sky…nature in all its beauty. However, what do these three images mean? I had to go back and do some research on this (remember, I’ve only been to one class so far). This is what I learned.

Body Like a Mountain: Symbolizes strength and stability, encouraging a grounded posture in meditation. Now, to go along with this was the imagery of a strong back and soft front. This speaks to balancing resilience and vulnerability, promoting courage and an open heart ready for connection and compassion. (Quite lovely!) Heart Like an Ocean: Represents depth and emotional openness, fostering boundless compassion and acceptance. Mind Like the Sky: Signifies spaciousness and clarity, allowing thoughts to come and go freely.

What was especially wonderful, was not having any issue calling up mental pictures of each of these – all from my life. 

During the meditation on body like a mountain, I vividly recalled climbing the Mountains of Mourne in Ireland as a young girl. I remember walking through the beautiful heather as it gently danced with the breeze coming off the Irish Sea. The vivid purple colours amidst tufts of green provided a soft cover between the rock surfaces. Of course, it would have been impossible to not allow the visual of a great deal of Irish Hare droppings to enter my mental scrapbook of memories. As a family, we would do day hikes on Slieve Donnard and Slieve Binnian (Slieve is Irish Gaelic for mountain). My grandparents lived in a small fishing village called Annalong…a view of the Mourne Mountains out their front door, and the Irish Sea out the rear. This was the playground of my father’s growing-up years.

The practice continued, and I was ready to stay in the memories of heart like an ocean for the rest of the day! If you know me even a little or have read previous blogs, you will know that the ocean is my happy place. Not surprising since I was raised in a seaside town called Bangor in Northern Ireland. There is something about being by the ocean that puts life in perspective. Sitting on a sandy beach or perched on rocks along the water’s edge can transport me to places of pure calm and peace. But the presence of the mighty sea can also unveil deep emotions that have been squashed, finally forcing their way to the surface, longing to be acknowledged and processed. A visit back to Annalong a few years ago provided a memory refresh of long-ago days sitting on the Black Rocks, just five minutes from my grandparent’s home. For me, however, there was more climbing than sitting – a successful day of rock climbing called for several bandaids (plasters as we called them), on scratched and bruised knees and shins.

Our travels have blessed us with many more open heart memories of moments sitting and walking along the ocean. Carvoeiro, Portugal;  Cape Finisterre, Spain; Greystones, Ireland; Tofino in British Columbia; the South of France, and the beautiful Greek Island of Naxus to name a few. All call out to my heart refusing to be ignored, requiring a response to whatever bubbles to the surface.

Last but not least, a mind like the sky. Who doesn’t need clarity in their life? But how many of us actually make the time, and space for clarity to work its way through the noise of our endless thoughts. The focus this required for me was the most challenging. As already noted, I have one of those minds that is always thinking, planning, worrying, and just plain busy! The idea of seeing a thought, acknowledging its existence, then allowing it to pass by without stopping for a visit is easier said than done. Again the visualization really helped (not conquered – helped). Think of days lying in a field of daisies looking up at a clear blue sky, relaxing on a warm, soft sandy beach, or dressed in warm winter gear taking a break from making snow angels with your grandkids to notice the shape of the clouds amid a cobalt blue sky. Being transported back to such memories helped greatly in my endeavour to let the thoughts that started flooding my mind, pass by. But it took willpower to not reach up and grab them…I have some work to do on this one for sure.         

What I learned is that meditation can provide a guided tour through inner landscapes and unforgettable moments. Whether you’re a seasoned meditator or a beginner, curious like me, I invite you to give it a try. I’m looking forward to further exploring the strength of mountains, the depth of oceans, and the vastness of skies, all while discovering the hidden beauty in my everyday life.