Why I registered for this?

My zodiac is Scorpio so I thought I want to try out a new solo experience in my birth month. I’m an introvert so I enjoy activities that involve silence, especially if activities with stranger. That explains why I enjoy yoga and meditation. I happened to discover The Moon cafe when my friend and I searched for a Tarot reading place. Turned out that this cafe also organises spiritual events like meditation and self-help workshops.

When I saw Meditation event in The Moon website on my birth month, it’s like all stars align. I quickly registered for a $20 session.

What happened in the meditation?

It was a 1.5hr session, supposed to start at 7:30pm but we started at 8:00pm as we were waiting for people. The meditation space was filled with about 15-16 cushions. The instructor placed an incense stick in the middle of the room. I really liked it as it made the room very calming and relaxing.

When everyone came, the instructor started with asking us to share one word about our feeling. And it’s OK if we are not comfortable to share. Silence was very much welcomed here. Some said exhausted, tired, heavy, excited or relaxed. I chose the word relaxed and after hearing other people sharing, I felt glad that I could experience such positive feeling in this room.

We then did some stretching with our hands to do a quick 5-min meditation with soothing background music. We were also offered tea to drink. The tea was especially brewed by the instructor as she mixed different tea flavours together. She also gave us some drops of her special essential oils to smell. The combination of tea, essential oil and incense really made the ambience gentle and calming.

The next activity is reflection - also a type of meditation. The instructor explained how she interpreted this Scorpio season. For her, it was a battle between light and shadow. Because of such tension, it is an opportunity for us to break through and to move forward, which is represented by the eye - vision. To be honest, I’m not sure I got everything she explained as the phrases she used were quite spiritual and I’m not familiar with them.

She also shared an interesting fact about Scorpion pose in yoga. In nature, a scorpion keeps its venom in the tail. In this Yoga pose, by touching our toes onto our head, it symbolises the tension between the ugly side and the bright side (our mind). But we can also say that by touching our own head with the venom, it also keeps our ego down. Maybe the mind is not always the bright side after all. It does hold intelligence but it also holds ego.

After that, we were then given a pen and a piece of paper to reflect on the Scorpio related theme: victor / victim. I wrote that when I’m a victim, I feel procrastinated and lazy. I feel guilty because I don’t move according to my plan. My mind tells me to overcome such guilt but my body pulls me back. When I’m a victor, I feel energised. Even though there are moments of giving up, I tell myself that I could try to see it through and if I don’t like, I can always go back later. Luckily, I don’t ever have to turn back. She asked us to share if we felt comfortable. And of course, silence was absolutely fine. After 3-4 people sharing, I decided to share. Since I made time here, I just wanted to maximise the experience. After hearing my reflection, the instructor said I might need to balance my urge to control everything. It’s a refresher to have a stranger giving such intimate feedback to you. This was a closed space after all and I know that she meant well. That’s the one thing I really appreciate from this experience.

We then moved on to a guided meditation. I thought it was about 20 minutes but I really couldn’t tell. It was, again a refresher from my usual Guided Meditation from Insight Timer. I couldn’t focus for the whole time but that’s normal. I managed to bring myself back whenever my mind drifted away.

After that, we ended the session. The instructor did sell some of the stuff that she used in the session like tea, essential oil, incense sticks. It didn’t cost much actually, about $5. I’m really tempted to buy. I stood there for a good 5 minutes to do this negotiation inside my head. In the end, I walked away because I already have scented candles at home and it works just as well.

What happened after the meditation?

Nothing. Life moves on. The session is not to give me an “Ah-ha” feeling, but more like a time to slow down and reflect. So that, anything I do next will be mindful.