I was feeling a little out of balance this morning when I noticed my old meditation mat in the corner gather dust. And as I sat for a few minutes in silence I remembered why I don't meditate as often as I'd like. This prompted me to go online to search for a 'guided meditation' MP3: something to keep my thoughts and ears occupied to help me through the awkward sitting part.
I found a Chakra meditation - 16 minutes long, which I figured would do the trick. As it was downloading I was struck by the title of the file, New-Age something or other. I had a brief 'gut reaction' and reflected on why New Age has gotten somewhat of a bad rap. I think it's because the whole idea has been tainted by some practices that have not been validated in any way; either by our Western scientific standards or by long-held traditions of truth and understanding. And I thought it a shame that something like Kundalini (Chakra) meditation, with such a long history of practice - an Old-Age tradition, one might say, might be lumped in with some of the more questionable new-age ideas and practices.
My point is to not 'throw the baby out with the bathwater'. As successful, happy individuals, we need to be healthy and balanced.
I don't claim to know anything about Kundalini Yoga, or any other 'old-age' practices, but what I do know is that I live in an age where these rich traditions and practices are available to me at a touch of a button, and that I possess the technologies and tools to help me stay balanced and effective on all levels. I also know that I can stay mindful of trying to separate the wheat from the chaff in my efforts to do so...
