#7 Common Questions About Meditation Answered - Art of Life Podcast
This podcast episode provides insights and tips on how to get the most out of your meditation class. It covers topics such as what to expect in a meditation class, the benefits of art therapy-based visualization meditation classes, the comparison between online and in-person classes, why insights may not always be immediate, and guidance on meditating correctly. The episode concludes with ending notes and links related to the discussed topics.
B͇u͇l͇l͇e͇t͇ p͇o͇i͇n͇t͇s͇ o͇f͇ k͇e͇y͇ t͇o͇p͇i͇c͇s͇ +͇ c͇h͇a͇p͇t͇e͇r͇ m͇a͇r͇k͇e͇r͇s͇
[00:28] Introduction
[00:50] What to Expect in a Meditation Class
[01:56] Art Therapy Based Visualization Meditation Classes
[05:25] Online Meditation Classes vs. In-Person Classes: Which is Better?
[12:49] Why don't you find your insights straight away in a meditation class all the time?
[18:29] Am I meditating correctly?
[23:22] Ending Notes and Links From This Episode
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Transcript
Welcome to the Art of Life Podcast.
Speaker:I'm Kanika, I'm a meditation teacher.
Speaker:My purpose with this podcast is to share tips on how you can start
Speaker:creating a better life simply by playing with your imagination.
Speaker:You can heal past pain and traumas, and you can create the high vibration life
Speaker:that you wanted simply by being in a kid's space and just playing a little bit.
Speaker:So let's dive straight in.
Speaker:Hi, and welcome to another episode of The Art of Life Podcast.
Speaker:Our topic for today is the most commonly asked questions about meditation classes.
Speaker:So these are questions that I get from my students all the time.
Speaker:And I just thought they would be worthwhile sharing with everybody because
Speaker:they definitely make a whole lot of sense.
Speaker:Generally, the first question that I get is, what happens in a meditation class?
Speaker:that's a really interesting question.
Speaker:What will happen in a meditation class as you are sitting down and getting
Speaker:relaxed, you get a little detached from the situation that is bothering you.
Speaker:You could think of it as if being in a room that is really busy with lots of
Speaker:people and lots of noise and everything, and then when you meditate, you're
Speaker:actually in the balcony and you are just observing and watching all of these
Speaker:people and the noise and everything.
Speaker:So technically, that's what happens in a meditation space and what being in
Speaker:the balcony does for you is it allows you to then see, What is the noise?
Speaker:What is causing it?
Speaker:And you can just release and you can let go of stuff that is not working for you.
Speaker:Okay.
Speaker:So that's the real part around how a meditation class works.
Speaker:But if I just generally look at it, you know, how are different
Speaker:meditation classes running?
Speaker:What is the different style of classes?
Speaker:I can't speak about all of them.
Speaker:I can definitely just talk about my own.
Speaker:The meditation classes that I run, they are art therapy based
Speaker:visualization meditation classes.
Speaker:Essentially you will sit down, you'll have a nice quiet place to yourself.
Speaker:The sessions usually will be about an hour.
Speaker:And you sit and play with art, we will work on a theme.
Speaker:Sometimes a theme can be like healing your past.
Speaker:Other times a theme could be forgiving yourself, so just
Speaker:varied themes for every month.
Speaker:We'll actually play with colors.
Speaker:They'll be maybe five or 10 minutes of meditation that we do just to settle
Speaker:into the body and then get into the balcony, and then we start coloring.
Speaker:And the essence of coloring is to actually start seeing what is happening,
Speaker:how is the dance floor actually looking like ? And it doesn't have to be perfect.
Speaker:Like I always say, the class is for three year olds.
Speaker:As in everybody can just bring in their energy of a three year old.
Speaker:They don't have to be perfect.
Speaker:Nothing is really wrong.
Speaker:You can draw outside the line, you can draw a shape, like
Speaker:there are no skills necessary.
Speaker:Just play and just draw and color.
Speaker:It's really amazing to see what comes out.
Speaker:I'm not saying in terms of artwork, but it's just amazing to see what comes out
Speaker:when we give our hands the freedom to be able to express what they wanna say, it's
Speaker:like we detach from our analytical mind.
Speaker:We let the subconscious mind take over.
Speaker:And with that, the subconscious mind then gives us some
Speaker:symbols, sometimes some colors.
Speaker:As we play with art therapy and then meditation, then art therapy, then
Speaker:meditation again, you actually get some real good insights into why some things
Speaker:are happening, what you need to let go.
Speaker:Perhaps the most amazing part is that although it can be serious, like it can
Speaker:be a serious topic, you know, healing your past traumas, that can be fairly serious.
Speaker:But it's not really serious because in the meditation class, especially in the
Speaker:art therapy meditation classes that I run, you are on the balcony and you are
Speaker:just watching the whole dance floor.
Speaker:So you're not really getting affected by the trauma, by the pain, by your beliefs,
Speaker:by your blocks at that point in time.
Speaker:You're just seeing what is affecting you.
Speaker:Then in the meditation class, you learn tools to be able to
Speaker:release and to be able to let those things go that don't serve you.
Speaker:So it's really fun, playful.
Speaker:It's non-serious, but it is deeply nourishing and healing.
Speaker:Gentle and kind at the same time.
Speaker:Great.
Speaker:The usual question that I will get after this is just around online classes
Speaker:versus in-person classes, and maybe you've been wondering about that as well.
Speaker:Should you join an online class?
Speaker:Should you join an in-person class?
Speaker:How I feel about meditation classes is that the teacher is
Speaker:just there to hold the space.
Speaker:I will, for example, look at the energy of the class, see how things are going
Speaker:and might change my words like that, to enable the flow, to be able to give you
Speaker:a space where you can find your answers.
Speaker:In an essence, you could say that maybe I'm just an observer.
Speaker:If something goes as it shouldn't go, if the energies that are not letting
Speaker:you get into your balcony space, then I'll hold the space for you to be
Speaker:able to get to your own balcony space.
Speaker:That's my role as a teacher.
Speaker:And in saying that, you are the one who does the work in the meditation class.
Speaker:You're the one who looks from the balcony what is happening?
Speaker:You are the one who assesses what is the stuff that's working for you.
Speaker:You decide what you wanna let go and what you wanna bring in.
Speaker:So you might decide to let go of some people, some beliefs, and I'll just
Speaker:hold the space to allow you to do that.
Speaker:But you are doing the work and energy doesn't have the
Speaker:constraints of space and time.
Speaker:So I can see, I can feel the energy sitting here.
Speaker:It doesn't matter.
Speaker:I don't have to be in the room with you.
Speaker:And in that sense, I would say online classes are pretty much the same
Speaker:as in-person meditation classes.
Speaker:There is another thing as well with the in-person classes, because
Speaker:you're very close and you are physically sharing the same space.
Speaker:There are some other pictures and some other energies that come into play when
Speaker:you are in an in-person meditation class.
Speaker:So, for example, you could be thinking, how am I looking?
Speaker:How is this person looking?
Speaker:Let's say if you've had not the best day and you were really wanting to
Speaker:release and let go on some trauma, you can hold yourself a little bit back
Speaker:if there are other people around you.
Speaker:Sometimes when we are releasing, we might want to cry.
Speaker:Sometimes, we might just have a pain.
Speaker:And of course, in the meditation space, we work through it and eventually
Speaker:the pain goes away, physical pain.
Speaker:There's a lot of stuff that comes up in the meditation space.
Speaker:In a meditation class.
Speaker:It's almost like cleaning a house, gunk comes out, and then you clean that, and
Speaker:then you put nice fresh decoration again.
Speaker:So meditation class is similar.
Speaker:There's deep stuff and pain and emotions and feelings that can come up sometimes
Speaker:and they might not be the best to feel.
Speaker:They might trigger very deep feelings of sadness or grief.
Speaker:If you are alone and if you're sitting in your home, not only is it comfortable,
Speaker:but it also allows you a safe space to be able to release and to be able to let go.
Speaker:It gives you a lot more permission than if you are sharing the
Speaker:space with other human beings.
Speaker:I hope that explains, and this is also the reason why in my meditation
Speaker:classes, and I think in a lot of other meditation classes as well, the teachers
Speaker:say that there is no video required.
Speaker:I definitely share my video during the class because I believe it helps
Speaker:the students to be able to see me and to be able to see those expressions.
Speaker:But your video is not required simply for this reason.
Speaker:So that you have the space and you have the permission to
Speaker:just be in your safe sanctuary.
Speaker:You don't need to impress anybody.
Speaker:You don't need to worry about how you are looking.
Speaker:You can literally join in from your pajamas.
Speaker:You can join in late at night.
Speaker:You can join early in the morning.
Speaker:You know, whenever that suits you.
Speaker:Whenever you are either listening to a replay or you dial into a class,
Speaker:you can just dial in from wherever without thinking of how you look.
Speaker:That's one thing that goes away.
Speaker:And the other thing that goes away is, let's say if you are crying or if you're
Speaker:feeling really emotional, you just don't have to face people that time.
Speaker:A meditation class is your space for yourself.
Speaker:Like literally, this is possibly the only home or the only safe space.
Speaker:In that sense, there's little that you could say or do in a
Speaker:meditation class that will be taken against you because a teacher
Speaker:understands that you are releasing.
Speaker:I mean, of course there is a rule, bottom line rule around
Speaker:kindness, around being respectful.
Speaker:But beyond that, in a meditation class, you can really be yourself.
Speaker:You know, when I went to school, if I would fall asleep in a class, of
Speaker:course my teacher wouldn't like it.
Speaker:If my thought went somewhere else and the teacher was teaching,
Speaker:my teacher would get upset.
Speaker:But in a meditation class, it is not like that.
Speaker:You are practicing to heal your life in the meditation class.
Speaker:And that involves sometimes coming into your body, feeling that space.
Speaker:Sometimes it feels comfortable, sometimes it just feels uncomfortable,
Speaker:so you sort of leave away, your thoughts go away and come back.
Speaker:And that's perfectly normal.
Speaker:Even if you fall asleep in a meditation class, that's okay.
Speaker:Like your spirit is still getting the whole concept.
Speaker:It's still getting what you are releasing.
Speaker:You're still doing the work, and most likely you just fell
Speaker:unconscious because there was some energy that knocked you over.
Speaker:So even that's okay in a meditation class.
Speaker:Maybe now that helps you understand that a meditation class is your safe sanctuary.
Speaker:It is a place where you can just be, where whatever thoughts, whatever feelings
Speaker:come up, there's no judgment to it.
Speaker:Nobody judges you here.
Speaker:You see them, you watch them, you let them go.
Speaker:All right, so that covers the topic around online classes versus in-person
Speaker:meditation classes, and I hope it just gives you some tips around
Speaker:how to think of both the classes.
Speaker:Great.
Speaker:Now the next question is around drawing a blank.
Speaker:So a lot of times students will tell me, well, I draw a blank.
Speaker:Like you were telling me, get these insights and so on.
Speaker:But I don't see anything.
Speaker:I don't understand anything.
Speaker:And this is why I ask my students to just play.
Speaker:So they're just there.
Speaker:The focus is just on creating on coloring, so on.
Speaker:We will usually do a five minutes or 10 minutes meditation
Speaker:before we start coloring, and occasionally you'll start getting
Speaker:the insights at that point in time.
Speaker:But sometimes we just have internal resistance.
Speaker:We are not exactly in that free flow place where we allow the insights to come to us.
Speaker:So that's why the other step that I have is a, around art therapy.
Speaker:We use colors, we play with colors, we draw something and that allows the
Speaker:hands to bring in some emotions, to bring in some symbols to bring in some
Speaker:colors and textures, and that helps with passing that message across.
Speaker:It's almost like sometimes you can go to sleep and you will see something in
Speaker:a sleep, but that message didn't come to you when you were awake because
Speaker:there was some sort of resistance to it.
Speaker:And sleep allows it.
Speaker:Similarly, when you are doing art therapy and combining that with a
Speaker:meditation class, there's just this thing with, not having to say the words.
Speaker:There's a beautiful permission in that because you are letting your emotions
Speaker:and feelings come out with textures.
Speaker:Not having to say your words bypasses that analytical mind and you are able to
Speaker:then express something and then when you look at it, again and again, the things
Speaker:seem to make a little bit more sense.
Speaker:There still sometimes when I want to find an answer about myself and if
Speaker:it's a supercharged topic, it might take a few sessions before I get
Speaker:there because I'm just processing it.
Speaker:I mean that because it has so much energy every time I sit down
Speaker:and meditate, I clear a layer.
Speaker:And then I sit down, meditate again.
Speaker:I clear another layer and so on and so on.
Speaker:Till the time I'm neutral enough, I'm able to stand in the balcony
Speaker:to be able to see the dance floor.
Speaker:When I'm really charged, I want to be up on the balcony and look
Speaker:at the dance floor, but it's hard.
Speaker:When I can clear my pictures, when I can gain a little bit more neutrality,
Speaker:and that happens as you keep meditating or playing with art therapy.
Speaker:That happens.
Speaker:The neutrality comes.
Speaker:Then you are able to eventually step into the balcony and clear it out.
Speaker:So even when you're drawing a blank, don't think things are not working.
Speaker:It's still working.
Speaker:You have, you know, a long life that you've lived here on the earth
Speaker:in this lifetime, and probably a lot more lifetimes earlier as well.
Speaker:So there's just some charge there sometimes and it takes a little
Speaker:bit of work or just playing to be able to work with it, to be able
Speaker:to let go and then start tuning into what was really coming out.
Speaker:It's also a beautiful balancing act that our soul does.
Speaker:Our soul's just so perfect.
Speaker:It will try and give you the message that you are ready for.
Speaker:Let's say if you're not ready for the next step, it won't show that to you.
Speaker:So when a child, for example, starts in school, you know, we'll first send them
Speaker:to primary level, then they'll go to the high school or secondary classes,
Speaker:however, the education system might be, but we don't initially just go like, okay,
Speaker:this is science and geography, and this is advanced maths, or, other subjects
Speaker:that you've got to read, we first start with the alphabets, maybe even with just
Speaker:some songs and colors, not even with the alphabets in the very beginning.
Speaker:And the reason for that is baby steps.
Speaker:Like you have to go one by one by one, and that's what your
Speaker:soul does for you as well.
Speaker:So when you are drawing a blank, it is still giving you the
Speaker:answers that you are ready for.
Speaker:So be patient.
Speaker:Don't stress.
Speaker:Meditation is not about stressing.
Speaker:Meditation is about healing your life.
Speaker:Meditation is about being playful, gentle, self-compassionate as well.
Speaker:So it's all right.
Speaker:It's okay.
Speaker:Congratulate yourself on how far you've come, how much you are able
Speaker:to do, the questions you're able to ask, the insights you are getting.
Speaker:That's amazing work.
Speaker:Don't stress on what's not happening.
Speaker:It'll come.
Speaker:It's probably right there.
Speaker:There's maybe just one more picture that you've got to blow and then you will be
Speaker:able to see what's standing behind that.
Speaker:So don't stress.
Speaker:Okay.
Speaker:One last final question that I'll cover for this session is, Am I doing it right?
Speaker:A lot of times I get this, my students will ask me, am I doing it right?
Speaker:I don't know if I'm doing grounding right.
Speaker:I don't know if this was supposed to go here or so on.
Speaker:And that's where I come back to my previous comment around meditation
Speaker:classes they're just your safe sanctuary.
Speaker:It is absolutely okay.
Speaker:Whatever you are doing is right.
Speaker:But don't worry.
Speaker:Your spirit knows what to do.
Speaker:Your soul knows what to do.
Speaker:It is guiding you.
Speaker:In the physical world that we live in, we are very much tuned into thinking, oh,
Speaker:you know, this has got to be like this.
Speaker:Like this is the perfect way.
Speaker:I've gotta solve this problem like that.
Speaker:I have to leave at this time to be able to get there at that time.
Speaker:We just have lots of rules every day that we've got to follow.
Speaker:But in a meditation class, in your safe sanctuary, in your safe
Speaker:space, these rules don't apply.
Speaker:The meditation class is a space for you to come down, relax,
Speaker:play, be easy with yourself.
Speaker:Three year old, remember, so three year old kid doesn't worry.
Speaker:Three year old kid isn't worrying if they're coloring properly.
Speaker:Three year old isn't really worrying if they're writing the alphabets properly.
Speaker:They will create a mess and they're just having fun with
Speaker:the mess while they're playing.
Speaker:And that's what I encourage you to do as well.
Speaker:Whatever you look, however you're working with your meditation space,
Speaker:just be kind, be gentle to yourself.
Speaker:It's okay.
Speaker:You're doing it right.
Speaker:It's like any other skill.
Speaker:It takes time.
Speaker:There's nothing probably that you just got up and you just knew how to do.
Speaker:Meditation classes.
Speaker:Meditation, it's same way, right?
Speaker:You're showing yourself how to connect with your own insights,
Speaker:with your own higher guidance, achieve your fullest potential.
Speaker:You're showing yourself all of that, and that's a new chapter, so just be gentle.
Speaker:It's okay.
Speaker:It's happening, and you will see the results as you keep doing your meditation.
Speaker:I would highly encourage have a theme for every single time you sit down
Speaker:and meditate because that is the best way that you can see if the meditation
Speaker:classes are really working for you.
Speaker:Like in my meditation classes, I have a theme I every single time.
Speaker:We just completed one on healing your past.
Speaker:The other upcoming class that we have is around accepting and loving yourself.
Speaker:In that class, you will learn how to connect with yourself, build a lot
Speaker:more self-compassion, let go of some of the beliefs and some of your own
Speaker:criticisms where you hold yourself back, where you limit yourself.
Speaker:But even with that one hour, after that, you will notice the shift.
Speaker:You will notice how much you've cleaned yourself, and then that's a great way to
Speaker:see that your meditation classes or your meditation practice is really working.
Speaker:And then you will know that yes, doesn't have to be perfect
Speaker:in the meditation world.
Speaker:You really don't need to do any particular effort or be perfect, you
Speaker:know, do it a certain way, certain time, nothing like that's required.
Speaker:Meditation is about relaxation.
Speaker:It's just about getting in the present moment.
Speaker:It's about spending time with yourself.
Speaker:It's about being on the balcony and looking at yourself on the dance floor.
Speaker:And all you've gotta do is look, there's nothing wrong with it if you fall asleep
Speaker:while you are on the balcony, that's okay If sometimes let's say, you feel a little
Speaker:bit drawn to the dance floor and you go like, oh, you know I really deep dived
Speaker:into the emotion and I started feeling it.
Speaker:That's okay too.
Speaker:Just come back up to the balcony.
Speaker:You are absolutely doing your meditation class right.
Speaker:You just can't do it wrong.
Speaker:So with that amazing message, and hopefully I've answered a couple of
Speaker:your questions on meditation classes.
Speaker:If you have more questions around meditation, please feel
Speaker:free to forward them to me.
Speaker:I would love to answer you and provide some clarity based on what I know.
Speaker:Thank you so much for tuning in.
Speaker:I will see you next time.
Speaker:So that's it for today.
Speaker:Thank you so much for listening to the Art of Life podcast.
Speaker:I couldn't thank you enough.
Speaker:I love sharing these messages about improving our life, just playing
Speaker:with meditation and simply reframing our thoughts, having a better
Speaker:life in that process, healing and creating a life that we really want.
Speaker:So thank you.
Speaker:Thank you, thank you.
Speaker:If you can just pop in a review wherever you are listening to this podcast.
Speaker:That really helps other people find it as well.
Speaker:It helps me share this message far and wide with more people around the world.
Speaker:If you wanted to share or listen to some of the resources that I've mentioned in
Speaker:this podcast as well, you can just browse through the show notes or you could.
Speaker:Also visit the website at artoflifecenter.com.
Speaker:That's where you can also find my upcoming classes.
Speaker:And of course, you're more than welcome to join me, and
Speaker:I would love to see you there.
Speaker:So that's it for this time.
Speaker:Thank you again for joining me on The Art of Life podcast.
Speaker:I will see you next week with a fresh new episode.
Speaker:Till then, keep grounding, love your life.
