Jo Johnson is our primary meditation teacher at KPY. Below is an interview with her, regarding her experience with meditation.

“Meditation has fundamentally changed the relationship with myself – which is the most important relationship you have. Meditation allows you to step outside of your mind and observe habitual and mechanical thought processes that limit and prevent us from reaching our full potential as human beings. My consciousness is also the consciousness of the world and the consciousness of every society. When I change my consciousness, the consciousness of humanity is affected”.

“Yesterday I was clever, so I wanted to change the world. Today I am wise, so I am changing myself”. -Rumi

“The very thinking about what is is an escape from what is. Thinking about the problem is escape from the problem; for thinking is the problem, and the only problem.

Thought is always a conclusion; thinking is concluding and therefore it can never be free. What we think, we are.

Thought is the outcome of time and is anchored to the past, it can never be free from the past. If thought frees itself from the past, it ceases to be thought.

The death of thought is life eternal.  Only when thought ends is there truth”. – J. Krishnamurti

“Profound change can come about when one observes the content of one’s mind without judgement or fear. Without coming to any conclusions. Without escaping or any distractions. Learning to resolve all conflict as it arises in the present moment so that it is not stored in the memory as the past. The past then being projected as the future. This is fragmentation of the consciousness and is a source of all conflict. Meditation is the observation of your daily existence from moment to moment with absolute attentiveness and is an extension of the other forms or practices of mindful awareness.

A message to beginners:

1. You can’t stop your thoughts. Having this expectation about the practice of seated meditation which exposes or highlights the churning mind to more of a degree than some of the other meditation practices, immediately creates more resistance. I would advise that as a beginner – coming to the practice with an open mind, without coming to any conclusions or judgements. Be patient with yourself. Foster greater curiosity about the relationship with your inner being and discover the awakening of a greater intelligence and wisdom that already resides within you.

2. Anyone can meditate!

3. Meditation can bring about an inward revolution and has many profound benefits even as the thoughts continue to arise.

4. If you find it difficult to sit still also consider that meditation has many forms which we call – meditation in action. Meditation can be incorporated into your daily existence, making every action you perform born out of a greater awareness and bringing you fully into the experience of the present moment. ”

What are you waiting for?”

Do give meditation a try, it could change your life.