Connectivity

Bush sunset - Chobe National Park, Botswana

As you know, every morning I meditate on the varanda as part of a ritual that involves a cup of tea and some fresh writing. Something quite amazing has happened twice now - yesterday and now this morning - and I am overwhelmed by the possibility that it's not just coincidence.

This is what my ritual looks like: I usually meditate for about 10 minutes, but sometimes it's 12 or 14. I meditate at a different time each morning, anywhere between 6:30 and 8:30 depending on what's going on that day. I sit cross-legged on a large Zimbabwean cotton pillow, with another behind my back against the wall for support. I set the alarm on my cell phone for 15 minutes out, then sip my tea for a bit before taking a deep breath and settling into my body. I try to calm my mind, phase out the chatter that seemingly never stops, concentrate on my breath and imagine that I'm connecting with the light and the air around me. My meditation session usually ends when my cell phone alarm goes off. I take a couple of deep breaths, ease off the floor, and go about the rest of my day.

A few interesting things have happened since I started meditating almost a month ago when Ricardo left Mozambique. The first is that it's gotten consistently easier to leave my mind and connect with my body and breath. The second is that each morning I get a clear vision of what color my aura is. I know, it's pretty new-agey spirit mother kind of stuff. But it's true. Every day a few minutes into my meditating, I get hit with a wave of a specific color. I see myself bathed in a light that color, see it emanating from my pores and surrounding me like a halo. Each morning it's a different color. Today it was light lemon yellow. Yesterday it was teal. The day before it was an amber color.

The third thing - and the one that has me totally floored right now - is this: Like I said before, I usually stop meditating when my alarm goes off. I make myself sit still and push through whatever is in my mind and heart until I hear the ring. But yesterday I felt called to end my meditation before the alarm went off. I stopped for a moment and considered whether or not to give myself "permission" to cut it short. It seemed right, though. I clearly sensed that it was time to stop, so I went through my usual end-of-session steps. With my eyes still closed, I took 3 very deep breaths, pushing my palms together and drawing them up the core of my body when inhaling, then separating my arms above my head and letting them float back down on the exhale. I did this 3 times, then pressed my palms over my heart center in that traditional yoga/Nia gesture. As soon as I put my palms together, my cell phone alarm went off!! I thought, "Wow, what a wild coincidence."

But then today the EXACT SAME THING HAPPENED! I felt called to end my meditation early, that is before the cell phone alarm went off. I took my 3 deep breaths, raising and lowering my arms in a circle each time, then ended with my palms pressed together in front of my chest. As soon as my hands touched, the alarm went off. I couldn't believe it!

Has anyone else had a similar experience of being able to "sense" time so accurately??