The great scientist Einstein once said “No problem can be solved from the same level of consciousness that created it.” The practice of meditation helps us to access the higher realm of superconscious, where inspiration and intuitive guidance exist.
Paramhansa Yogananda encouraged students to spend time after practicing meditation techniques, absorbed in the meditative experience of inner stillness that opens us to higher consciousness. In that stillness, he said, intuition is developed.
When we face challenges in our lives, it can be difficult to not ruminate on them during our practice of meditation techniques. Jyotish Novak, Spritual Director of Ananda Worldwide, shares one of Yogananda’s methods for using meditation to draw solutions to life’s challenges:
Many people make the mistake of pondering their problems while trying to meditate. As long as the mind remains restless, one will neither be able to meditate properly, nor solve problems successfully. But once the mind has been focused and the consciousness expanded, intuition becomes more active and can be a great help in resolving life’s dilemmas.
Problems in life arise because of our limited understanding, and it is nearly impossible to solve a problem as long as our consciousness remains on the same level on which the problem was created. When we raise the level of our consciousness, the solution is often immediate and obvious. Wait until the end of your meditation when your level of consciousness is more elevated before trying to introduce questions.
Here is a method for finding intuitive solutions to problems:
First, meditate deeply until your mind is very calm and centered.
Next, ask for insight and solutions. Try to simplify and clarify your question; sometimes an answer becomes obvious simply because the question has been clarified. When you have a clear, simple question, project it through the spiritual eye as if you were broadcasting it to the universe. Ask your question with great intensity, and deep concentration, but without any mental agitation. That is, don’t focus on difficulties but, rather, on solutions.
Now, expecting an answer, concentrate at the heart center and be intently receptive. Often you will simply know the answer to your question. If no solution comes, pose the most logical alternatives and feel the energy in the heart. Does one solution produce a sense of nervousness or tension, and the other a feeling of peace? If so, accept the answer that brings peace.
In order to feel clearly you must be very objective – holding on to an attachment or even a preference for one solution over another will inhibit the flow of intuition.
How to Meditate, Jyotish Novak, Crystal Clarity Publishers
