By Linda Bong
First drafted in Jambi, July 25, 2021, and completed in Jambi, Dec 28, 2021.
Written as a gift from and for the Golden Space.
Dedicated to Master Umesh, all the Masters/practitioners at TGS, fellow students, and the TGS family as a whole.
What if I tell you that you can change the world by what some might perceive as “doing nothing”? What if I tell you that you can find inner peace by simply dedicating several minutes to sitting still and closing your eyes? What if I tell you that you can heal your illnesses by practicing meditation? What if I tell you that meditation can help save humanity?
You might not believe me but please read on and you will learn that it is indeed possible.
I came across meditation at the age of 39 when I was looking for alternative ways to heal my many health issues. I had struggled with severe depression, hemorrhoids, painful ovulation due to tumors in my womb, nerve pain, frozen shoulders, digestive issues, and allergies. Previously, I had never taken any great interest in meditation, leaving such an enigmatic practice to monks and other holy men. I was too busy with the business of everyday life and could not commit to spiritual matters. Then to my good fortune, a dear friend told me about an event called ALIVE FEST held by a wellness group named The Golden Space. Intrigued, I decided to attend and was introduced to meditation.
I didn’t know what to expect but at the beginning, the meditation certainly wasn’t all good vibrations and serene bliss. Instead, I couldn’t stop crying. The narration from the guided meditation was forcing me to connect with my heart, to look within, and everything just poured out. I suddenly realized that for a very long time, I had been carrying around a tremendous amount of toxic. The worst were grief, sadness, guilt, anger, and shame. For years, I had been sweeping these emotions under the rug, and now I felt a wake-up call to confront this inner turmoil and seek clarity.
Several months later, I joined another program run by The Golden Space, their signature called "Awaken ~ the Divine You®" (ATDY), conducted by Master Umesh H. Nandwani. For seven days, I had powerful realizations that awakened me. My heart opened up and I had no choice but to feel my being with more depth, to plunge inward, to be more vulnerable, and to be honest with myself as I had ever been. It was alternately painful and exhilarating. At times, I sobbed uncontrollably. I vomited and my body ached, but during other times, I was simply tranquil, full of peace and rapture. I was renewed.
After ATDY, I started meditating daily and began to fall completely and utterly in love with it. I now had a safe space for me to be with myself, to be me, and to simply just be. The more I meditated, the more I became aware of my inner self and how I could process and manage my emotions through breathing exercises, visualizations, affirmations, and other modalities.
Now it has been almost three years since ATDY and I have been meditating consistently. I have taken many classes and workshops, joined ATDY Nepal Retreat and Instructor’s Course Certification Level 1, and learned from many inspirational masters at the Golden Space. My life has changed completely for the better. I live with a greater sense of awareness, not just with myself but with the Creator, nature, and all beings.
I am healed from many of my physical ailments, without any medication. The tumors in my womb miraculously disappeared a few months after ATDY. My gynecologist was puzzled and couldn’t provide a scientific explanation. Gone as well were my hemorrhoids, nerve issues, 20 years of frozen shoulder pain, 30 years of allergies, and 30 years of severe depression.
This healing has come through active meditation and other spiritual practices namely pranayama, yoga, and qigong. These disciplines connect me with the breath, and in essence, to life itself. Rarely do I focus, appreciate, and enjoy my breath for I have taken it for granted. The more I live in the now, my mind, my body, and my soul are getting more aligned. I feel empowered as never before.
In the past, a big part of me shied away from human experience. Although I was perceived as being quite social, and despite having many friends, I must admit I was not a big fan of other people and looked down on trivial human dramas. As much as possible, I chose to be alone and do my own thing which was not always a healthy option.
Meditation now helps me process my emotions. I am now more accepting of daily events and far more embracing others. My connection with my mother, my late father, and my family have shifted into balance and harmony. Eight years after a divorce, I finally have a peaceful closure with my ex-husband. For the first time in a very long time, I have taken pets, started gardening, and am living surrounded by trees, flowers, animals, and nature in all its glory.
For most of my life, I lived by society’s standards, reacting to the expectations of others to please them. For the lucky, their career is a passion. But for me, a job was merely a means for survival, a way to support myself and my family, and a form of identity. I was mostly driven by what I should do instead of what I wanted to do. But last year, listening to my heart, I quit a stable well-paying job in the middle of a raging pandemic. Once and for all, I decided it was time to break free from my prison of comfort and security.
As I listened to my inner voice more often, I started writing again, delightfully immersed in my world, the real and the imaginary. I created a blog that features reflections of my spiritual journey: The Golden Path to Enlightenment. And early this year, my sister and I co-founded Lidiya’s Kitchen, an online food business, and it has become a vital channel for my creativity. I can’t remember a time when I felt super excited about waking up in the morning to work. Now, even before I sleep, I already want to arise so I can start working and creating again. It really is a wonderful feeling. Never once had I dreamt of becoming an entrepreneur but amazingly our business is moving forward despite the economic headwinds and we have dreams for expansion, including going global.
Recently, I launched an initiative that combines both of my passions into one service: education and writing. I opened a consultancy that assists students with the essays they must write for college admission and scholarships. Next year, I will be launching a new creation, Ahimsa, a holistic wellness sanctuary that shares the spiritual practice of pranayama, yoga, meditation, and qigong. I feel excited to birth more creations.
I feel limitless and embrace the superpower of creating my own life and reality. Life still gives me ups and downs, but that is as it should be so I can continue learning and growing. My spiritual practices are now my core foundations and keep me in balance. My morning starts with a prayer, pranayama, meditation, yoga, and qigong, and my evening ends with similar practices. I am transformed from anger to peace, from frustration to contentment, from feeling lost to feeling magnificently alive, from surviving to living authentically, joyfully, and purposefully. This is the blessing and magic of walking my own path and living my life purpose.
The more I love myself, the more love I can give to others. Last year, I threw a self-love wedding where I married myself and vowed to love and honor myself no matter what. And I put a ring on it. That may sound narcissistic. But my self-love has rippled into a love for others, a love for humanity, for the planet, and the universe.
It all started by “doing nothing”. It all started by sitting down and closing my eyes. It all started with the daily practice of meditation. So, take my hand and join me on this incredible journey. Together we can heal the world by simply “doing nothing”. The nothing that has become everything.