The Silence of the Blue Ridge Mountains

     Last year, I wrote a post about a beginner’s guide to meditation (aka Meditation 101).  In retrospect, I believe that most readers probably envisioned someone sitting cross-legged on a floor, eyes closed, a straight back, with his or her hands resting on the knees.  Do a Google Images search of meditation and I bet the results will generate several pictures of this pose.  The next thing that probably ran through a reader’s mind is how am I supposed to sit for periods at a time while trying to turn off the constant chatter inside?  This is the conundrum that faces all who seek a more balanced existence of body, mind, and spirit.

     When I first began my meditative journey this time last year, I truly found out what an active mind I possess.  I have since worked up to 45 minutes at a time either sitting or lying down, with my eyes closed, listening to soothing Zen-like music.  If my mind wanders, I acknowledge the presence of these thoughts, return to the breath, and repeat this process over and over again. Eventually, I find myself in a calming meditative state (or sometimes fall asleep for an hour or more).  Most recently, I learned that I do not have to utilize these classical poses to achieve the calming bliss to which I have become accustomed.  My latest lesson was found right in the heart of a beautiful parkway.

Sunset Cocktail Terrace

     Last week, Judy and I took our annual vacation retreat to Asheville, North Carolina where the weather was spectacular: not too hot, not too cool-just right.  One evening, we sat on the Sunset Cocktail Terrace at the historic Omni Grove Park Inn and watched the mountains slip into their nightly slumber.  As the show unfurled before us, I began taking time-lapsed pictures of this mesmerizing event over the course of the next hour or so.  I suddenly entered a deeply contemplative state, and even with the chatter around me, I could hear the silence of the Blue Ridge Mountains calling.  While this may sound funny, I really could hear the silence within those mountains.  The next day we traversed the Blue Ridge Parkway, stopped at several picturesque outlooks, and I experienced this same silence calling- all the while maintaining a still mind and a calm soul.

     The lesson learned here is that meditation does not have to take a classical form to achieve the desired results.  Find your meditative place in this world be it at a beach, ocean, mountains, or your own backyard. Appreciating the natural beauty that our world offers may be all that you need to quiet your mind and awaken the soul.  Thank you Blue Ridge for showing me the way. I now leave you with the beauty as it unfolded:

 

 

In health and wellness,

 

Tim