Meditating Under Tall Pines

It's been recommended to me that I try meditation.

A "Guided Meditation" group meets once a week in our community center.  I agreed to go and give it a try.

There were about 20 of us in the group.  Most of us were women, but there were also three men.  They were there with their wives.

As I looked around the room, I noticed that one of the couples was having a disagreement about the placement of their chairs.

"Hmmm", I giggled to myself,  "I was under the impression that meditation was supposed to promote peace and tranquility."

Once everyone got settled, we started off the session with one member of the group leading us in a set of Tai Chi moves.

I liked the slowness and the repetition of the moves.  It was kind of hypnotic actually.  I had never done anything like that before.  I felt very relaxed afterwards.

After we finished with the Tai Chi, we sat on our chairs in a circle.

The leader began to guide us through a visualization.

As I sat there with my eyes closed, listening to the calm voice of the leader, I could feel myself entering into somewhat of a tranced state.

I pictured myself siting on a rocker on the front porch of a lakeside cabin.  I felt safe and protected by the tall pines which cocooned the area.   Rays of sun filtered through the trees and reflected on the calm water.

I then began to picture someone very dear to me sitting on the rocker next to me.  He turned to me and smiled.  He seemed so happy.   Suddenly, I started to experience a rush of emotion.

I managed to hold back tears, maintain my composure and finish the exercise.

As I was getting ready to leave, one of the woman came up to me and asked me if I enjoyed the meditation.

I told her what happened to me.   She explained that what happened to me was very normal.

I'm not sure I am ready to go back to the group yet.  I think that perhaps I should practice in private for awhile first.