Staying Sober with Meditation
Is it possible for people to be staying sober with meditation? Yes and no. For some people, meditation is a huge part of their recovery. For other people, it is just a nice idea that they sort of nod their heads and say “yep, that is SO important for recovery!” but they don’t really do anything about it, nor do they practice it in any way.
So what is the deal with meditation? Is it critical for staying sober in the long run? Do you need to meditate on a regular basis in order to “receive messages from your higher power?” Many people state in meetings that “when they pray they are talking to God, but when they meditate, they are listening to God.” To be honest this is something I’ve heard one to many times before the person then goes out and relapses. Wise words, indeed.
On the other hand, those people that we look up to in recovery always speak highly of meditation, and so obviously there is power there. I will tell you that in my own recovery, meditation plays a huge part of it, but not in the sense that most people would think. I have come to realize that I meditate in my own way. A spiritual leader once said “If you have to choose between exercise and meditation, choose exercise.” Why did the guru say this?
Because exercise is meditation. Most of it is anyway. Now this will vary depending on what you are doing, and it is not exactly the same as sitting on your couch at home in perfect silence with your eyes closed, but it gets you to the same place.
I happen to run. I run 6 miles at least 4 days each week. Some weeks I run six days a week. I never drop below 4 though.
I run outdoors. I don’t use a treadmill. I actually move forward when I exercise. It is continuous. I do not stop, I do not walk, I do not take a breather. I run the full 6 miles nonstop.
This is meditative. If you think this is not a form of meditation, then I would challenge you to come and join me. Come run with me along the hills on my route by my house. Come run with me along this hilly countryside and tell me it is not meditative. If you do not experience the awesome silence that I am hearing, then you are not allowing yourself to simply run and to simply be.
Exercise is meditative. And it is a huge key to my sobriety.
You can sit on the couch in the lotus position, or you can move through nature and find your own natural rhythm. Your choice.
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