Meditation – Stillness in Motion

By Kerri Williams

Photo: Kerri Williams

Meditation – Stillness in Motion

By Kerri Williams

I’ve been studying meditation for years. What I find particularly interesting about meditation is that there are way too many methods available to really still the mind. One begins to wonder if they’re doing things right, which defeats the purpose of stillness.

I’ve come to define meditation as a state of stillness to further one’s awareness. I’ve spent time doing what I term “formal” meditation, sitting and quieting the mind. I’ve practiced walking meditation, a total awareness of my surroundings and actions as I moved.

In the end, I’ve dropped both practices and moved into what I’ll term as creative meditation. Or how I now practice meditation through creativity.

Several years ago I had a discussion with a yoga instructor friend of mine who knew the ins and outs of meditation and I opened the idea to her that my meditation happened when I was creating.

Whether I was journaling, writing or photographing, I noticed that my mind stayed fully focused on the task at hand. I noticed a certain stillness and awareness that wasn’t there when I practiced “formal” meditation. She nodded.

And I remember my readings on Ramakrishina and how he seemed to practice meditation every minute of his life, it seemed, no matter what he was doing. And the man certainly wasn’t sitting all that time. He would reach states of nirvana while out for a walk.

As I continued my conversation with my yoga instructor friend, I commented that when I was out with my camera, nothing invaded my mind like it does in everyday life. Even as I composed a shot, my mind was so still and quiet, so aware of what stood before my lens, and natural instincts took over where I knew the settings to make the best photo.

Initially, this was sort of frightening, because just like meditation, my mind questioned whether I was doing it right. Then I realized that there was total awareness within the act. This also happened within my world of writing.

I started to question all of this. How could I be so aware of what was happening? How could I know exactly what to do? I’ll admit, it took awhile, but I realized that what was happening was happening from inside, from listening to my inner self.

Creatives spend a lifetime learning to listen to their inner selves. It’s when we finally stop questioning that self that the awareness and stillness of our art opens itself up to what we set out to accomplish. When we understand this sort of meditation, we often look back at decisions that we made and wonder why.

Is there a method to this? If there is, I’m sorry to say that I haven’t figured it out yet. For me, the act of creative meditation just is. When we learn to quiet the mind, when we learn to be aware of exactly what our craft is and what it means to us, the act of meditation takes over.

What we don’t seem to realize is that throughout the time of practicing our craft this form of meditation is going on around us at all times. It’s when we realize how quiet the mind is while doing our craft, how aware we are of what we do next, that we’ve achieved nirvana in a way we never quite expected.

Peace on your journey – Kerri

Have you ever tried to observe your mind? What are your experiences or thoughts on it? Please leave a comment, and don’t forget to follow us on Google+, Twitter, via RSS feed, or simply by subscribing to our newsletter! And certainly do not miss to visit Kerri’s website for more articles, great photography (which you can buy), and even creativity coaching.

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