The Reiki Cafe 

When I do my artwork, I find the creative process takes concentration and mindfulness. Being as that is, can it be a subsitute for traditional meditation?

Thanks and blessings,
Roxy

/*\ Namaste :-}}

- many forms of traditional meditation stress mindfulness of the breath

- so, I suppose if you can apply your concentration and Mindfulness on your breath to the eclusion of all other "thoughts" and then still do your artwork as well - well, more power to you

>:-}}

- however, the meditation teachers I know would not grant such a skill to any but the most adept meditators (if they would agree at all that one could do this)

- Mindfulness meditation, by definition really, means only focus on the breath

- hope this helps

Reiki All Around,

All Blessings,

Firekeeper

Yes, it does help. I'll go back to standard meditation as well as my creative work.

:-)

Blessings,
Roxy

When working I often fall into a sort of medatative type of state. I suppose this is helped by the type of work I do, you know watching the wheel go round and round :-)) and I do find that working is very relaxing on the whole and my mindfullness is in my hands for the most part so the mind is mostly left out of the loop. When the mind is engaged it is focused on the project at hand or there won't be a project. :-)) That said I couldn't really consider it a substitution for actually meditating.

(breathing is very important in wheel work too but mostly it is remembering to actually do it when the concentration is tightly focused. :-))

hugs

Walk in beauty,
Rebecca

I am now at the computer store doing my messages here in order that we can see what it is I do that causes my computer to quit on me.

I am considering your question and recalling how i do that now. I find myself usually in a state of meditation. I can consciously do that right now. It is the act of moving into beingness that does it. In beingness, the doing gets done without focusing on it. In beingness I do not have to focus on anything, breath including. I simply am in the state of being. Likewise when I am involved in writing music, including hearing the new song, ficking it out on the keyboard, accompanying with the left hand, continuing to play until I know I have it all. Then turning to the easle where I write the notes on manuscript paper. All this process, it never occurs to me to check my breath work, I am simply into the music. I would definitely say that I am in a state comparable at least to meditation. That is my experience. How could I be in a state to pick up the music from the ethers were i not in that state? And doing the doing part does not remove me from the beingness of being.

I have to conclude that using the intellect to access the breath has nothing to do with the process.

finality

In my humble opinion, it sounds to me like you are definitely in some kind of meditative state. And that can only be a good thing.

Should this be a substitute for traditional meditation? I'm not the one to answer that, as I don't do traditional meditation regulary and so will obviously not be sprouting it's glorious benefits :-) And no, this is not slating traditional either. I just don't enough about it.

Saying that however, I don't think there is such a thing as 'should'. Whatever is the best thing for you at the time, is what 'should' should be. Have you gone inside to deeply analyze what is best for you? Had any chats lately with your guides and your higher self? Listen to and trust your intuition. It is far more useful that what other people say.

Namaste
Nats