Summary
In this episode, I share with you the 8 R's of meditation from a great book by Anthony Strano, a spiritual teacher who left his body a couple of years ago. By integrating meditation in your daily life you can connect with your inner self, get guidance, remove doubt and worry, and manifest your true desires and dreams. We will end this episode with a piece of commentary meditation from Anthony's teaching that covers the 8 R's.

From the book, Slaying the Three Dragons, by Anthony Strano

"Meditation is the discovery of that point of silence within, like a compass needle that guides us in the right direction at the right time. To become silent, to be still in the ocean of hectic, noisy action, is a choice many people are now making. When this is achieved, this stillness acts on the mind like oxygen, giving the breath to both understand and enrich life. Of course, action is a necessity, an expression of ourselves through time, relationships and the roles we play. However, if we do not sometimes stop and take a breath of silence, then the mind begins to suffocate, thoughts speed like bullet trains and the brain feels as if it is in a pressure cooker. Emotions erupt and react like volcanoes, the eyes become dizzy with mountains of information and the head feels like a rollercoaster. This is stress. The mind needs to come up for air, to leave the jungle of pressures, deadlines and speed and slow down and find the point of silence within.

Meditation is the method to find the point that recharges the mind with peace, clarity and balance.

We can define meditation as the eight "R's."

It is helpful if these eight R's are read slowly, giving time to ponder and gently experience that still point of peace within the self.

For each of the R's there is a brief explanation and then a short exercise, which can be repeated if one wishes to.

1. Returning
Meditation is the technique of returning to the original qualities of the self, namely peace, purity, love, bliss and wisdom. We can only do that by taking our thoughts inward.

2. Relaxing
In meditation, the mind disconnects itself from the thoughts of anything external and connects with the inner self. In this way, it is able to receive the positive current of the original strength of the self: a peaceful source of energy. However, at first it can be difficult to disconnect the many plugs of our everyday life: the plugs of attachment, speed, worry, being busy, etc. It does take some effort.

3. Remembering
As the mind relaxes and gently concentrates on the "point source" of peace energy, the individual begins to remember their spiritual identity. The reason why people are so disorientated in their lives and why they often find life boring, tedious, or empty is because they have forgotten who they truly are.

4. Releasing
As we remember the forgotten reality of the self as a spiritual being and begin to experience our inner source of peace, we are released from the negativity of our mind: wasteful thinking and thoughts filled with doubt, fear and worry -- the three great dragons that dominate our mind constantly.

5. Relearning
As we become free, we begin to respect ourselves and relearn what it means to value our selves, our lives and our existences in this great play of life. Forgotten truths appear and a new education of the self begins.

6. Rediscovering
As we relearn, we rediscover our spiritual values and resources and, realizing they were always there, we resolve to use these silent intrinsic truths, which are the foundation of a better quality of life.

7. Restoring
As we begin to use these spiritual truths, our original strengths and qualities are restored. There is a transition in consciousness enabling confidence and self-esteem to become a natural way of being.

8. Recharging
The leap of consciousness that occurs when we connect with our inner spiritual self is a powerful way of recharging the energies of the human mind...