Before coming to OA, I never meditated. I didn’t even really know what it was or how to do it. All I knew was that Hippies did it and I wasn’t a Hippie. I didn’t have a spiritual connection to anything though. Now with being in OA for almost 4 years, my meditation comes in different forms and I have a wonderful connection to my HP. I Thank God for my recent connection to him too. I felt so blessed, calm, loved and so much joy with the experience that I had. I could feel God talking to me during my walk/run. Years ago, it wasn’t like that though. It took me a while because of my misunderstanding on how to meditate. I had to work on the steps and do a lot of work with trying to understand what to do.
In Overeaters Anonymous, meditation is part of our Step 11. Step 11 is where we “Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with a God as we understood him, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out.”
In the OA 12×12 it says, “Meditation is our way of quieting our minds so we can get better acquainted with this Higher Power of ours. As with prayer, there is no one right way to practice meditation; in fact, most of us vary our practices from time to time. The only way to do meditation wrong is not to do it at all. Meditation is an action which gives us much-needed practice in the art of sitting still and opening our hearts to receive spiritual nourishment Meditation offers us a way to stop running and to relax without eating. When meditating, we consciously choose to focus our minds on something other than our everyday desires and concerns. We might begin to do this by breathing deeply and counting our breaths, by holding a special object and concentrating on how it feels, by listening to soft music, by repeating a word or phrase, by concentrating on an image, by staring at an object or picture, or by other means.” The Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions of Overeaters Anonymous (p. 95-96)
When I listened to others and read about meditation, I came up with different ways to meditate. I have several different ways to meditate, such as reading OA and AA daily meditation books and then praying. Listening to music can really connect me to my HP. Especially when I am listening while walking on a nature path. Watching and listening to nature can help me meditate. I have even used meditation apps or CDs to help.
God speaks to you in so many ways. It is up to you to pray, ask and listen. I am only human and there are times, for whatever reason, that I do not get to pray and meditate. I notice a difference when that happens. I also know that he is there telling me that he is still there for me, waiting for me to talk to him.
I also must remember that he is not a lottery. Just because I pray to my HP, doesn’t mean that I will get what I want right away. I might not get it at all. I am doing this because I am helpless with my compulsive overeating. My HP helps me and its through him that I have become abstinent. I also know that whatever happens in my life, I can trust in him and do not have to worry. I just have to work on it on my end or I will end up losing my mind. When that happens, I know that I have no one to blame but myself. Thank goodness for the Steps and prayers. Thank you, God, for all you do.
