Wide-Awake Meditation - See a Beautiful World Around You (and Therefore Within)

A man in a biiiiig SUV nearly ran into me during a visit to Sydney last month. Had we collided, I would have surely been squished like a bug at a harvesters picnic. Although road rage would have been the easiest and most instantly gratifying behaviour, thanks to a new meditation style that I've been practising, I was able to step into a space of calm and benevolence. Instead of raging at this man for threatening my life, I was able to offer him kindness. Instead of driving away feeling violated, I drove away feeling warm, centred and most definitely empowered with the knowledge that I had behaved with grace and dignity.

The meditation style I'm referring to is called Sacred Vigilance. It is a revolutionary wide-awake meditation style that allows you to achieve the benefits of meditation even if you have mental clutter, a busy schedule or a general inability to meditate in the traditional sense.

In fact, it is the subject of my latest book, Sacred Vigilance, Wide-Awake Meditation. Over the past couple of months, I have been enjoying radio interviews and giving book readings around the country. Following are some of the more popular questions I get asked along with my answers.

Q. What's different about this style of meditation to the regular “OM” style?

A. Sacred Vigilance as an easy meditation style that doesn’t require quiet space, or even a quiet mind. In fact, you have permission to have a busy head which helps alleviate any habits of self-criticism for not being able to meditate “right”. Instead of sending your attention inward (as with traditional meditation), Sacred Vigilance lets you send your focus outward. It allows you to become highly aware of everything happening around you, become appreciative of the people you meet every day, and to recognise the countless blessings being showered upon you.

Q. If this is like the “express” version of meditation for busy people – is it just for corporate people?

A. The beauty of this meditation is that it can be done by anyone, whether they be experienced meditators or beginners. Career women love it, as do men, stay-at-home mums, and anyone who loves meeting for coffee. You only need one minute, one hour or one afternoon for this meditation to manifest abundance and happiness for all, including your Self.

Q. The first step in Wide-Awake Meditation is to open your eyes – does that go against the grain of “going within” style of normal meditation?

A. Being “wide-awake” during meditation allows you to harness your thoughts for emotional and spiritual well-being, thereby producing the same relaxing and soul-quenching effect of traditional meditation. Heightened awareness is about awakening the senses, enlivening the “attitude of gratitude” and enjoying the outcomes of the Law of Benevolence.

Q. Sounds like the perfect antidote to the doom-and-gloom that we are seeing on the news – why is that?

A. “Where your focus goes energy flows” ... As the expression indicates, you can choose whether you get dragged down by the bad news that sells papers, or whether you notice the gadzillion blessings that surround each of us. Noticing blessings helps you realise how lucky you really are, and when you're feeling grateful, you have peace of mind.

Q. Why is this style of meditation necessary?

A. Quiet meditation is a tool to achieve inner peace, which works well for many people for the short-term. Wide-awake meditation facilitates each person being able to identify key points that he or she wants to resolve, thereby achieving long-term inner peace via self-reflection. If the world inside your head is noisy, cluttered or self-deprecating then you'll probably find the world around you is fractured and confusing. By realigning your focus to seeing a beautiful world, a beautiful world is what you'll manifest.