Reconnect to Center

CONNECT TO TRUE SELF

There are countless ways to practice meditation, there isn’t one right way to do it. Whether it’s being mindful, listening, walking, yoga, etc., any daily Rituil can be meditative.

The practice of meditation originated in ancient India during the Vedic times. As one of the techniques used in Ayurveda (Science of Life), the traditional health system in India, meditation is known for its neurological and physiological benefits.

The Vedas, large collections of ancient Indian religious texts written in Vedic Sanskrit, describe the true purpose of meditation as a way to connect oneself to one’s deep inner Self, according to the National Library of Medicine.

“I meditate in order to stay connected to my true self. That self that was brought into this world to love and serve others,” said James Gallagher, Rituil’s co-founder.

James believes that it’s easy to get detached from yourself and your purpose. He, along with many of us, are aware of feeling distant from our true selves. “A daily Rituil in the morning and evening has been so important for me. One that takes dedication, discipline, and devotion,” he described.

“During my meditation practice I focus on listening to my heart, my center. It is the heart that should guide you, your mind is there to carry out your heart's purpose,” James added.

Seeking the internal is the purpose of meditation.

According to Vedic texts, the deep inner Self is the unchanging pure consciousness, representing the quality of unity and witnessing the activity of our working consciousness known as the inner faculty.

The inner faculty is constantly changing and is where we experience our intellect and judgment, sensory perceptions/duality (i.e. pain vs. pleasure), and memories. The goal of meditation is to go beyond the changing inner faculty to the unchanging pure consciousness, which provides inner peace and bliss, and removes the stresses of life - ultimately connecting you with your true, deep inner Self.

“I describe it as the heart is the internal and the ego mind/brain is the external,” James said. “We get into trouble when nothing but our external mind guides us. That's when we get knocked off center.”

LET GO TO LET IN

For others, like Michael Gallagher, Rituil co-founder and James’ brother, meditation meant letting go, finding self-forgiveness and compassion.

“I started with some self-forgiveness meditations and really allowed myself to let go of the mental baggage/rocks I was carrying around,” Michael said.

He believes you carry around two bags of rocks, the ones you are holding for what you’ve done and the ones you carry for what others did to you.

Michael believes self-forgiveness is the most powerful. “You are never taught to forgive yourself because it seems selfish, but it's actually selfish not to forgive yourself,” he said. “The longer you hold onto these, the harder it is to reconnect with your authentic self. I’m 47 and that’s a lot of rocks!” Michael exclaimed.

You need to forgive yourself the way you do others in your life.

Once you learn how to allow yourself grace, it will be easier to forgive others. “When you let go and stop carrying that load of other people's emotions, you are free,” Michael explained.

Michael says he tries to see the perspective of the person who hurt him in order to understand why they may have acted the way they did. Practicing meditation allows us to drop the ego and truly re-connect.

“When I first started meditating, it was a mixture of the reasons Michael and James mentioned. I too needed to reconnect with the person I knew I was deep down, but I also had a lot of self-forgiveness to do. I needed to let go,” said Darcy Gallagher, Rituil’s social media manager and non-relative to the Gallagher brothers.

Darcy explained how her reasons for meditation have shifted.

“I’ve been practicing in order to help cope with my anxiety/panic disorder,” she said.

She learned breathing techniques through meditation to help regulate her anxiety levels, one of the practice’s many benefits.

BENEFITS OF MEDITATION

Meditation removes accumulated stresses, increases energy, and positively affects your overall health. Research has confirmed that there are countless benefits associated with practicing meditation.

We’ve listed just a few below from the NLM: