I want to introduce you to the Latifa meditation which forms the basis of the coaching processes I provide.
What is the Latifa?
The Latifa is an ancient meditation practice from the Sufism. The word “latif” has different meanings – all of them have to do with being subtle. The theory of the Latifa has been firstly described by a Sufi mystic in the thirteenth century but probably it’s much older.
The meditation is about seven qualities – represented by seven affirmations and seven places on the human body. It touches the core of being human, it’s about vitality and basic values such as faith, hope, and love. This might sound pretty serious and troublesome but honestly, this meditation is simple and easily accessible for everyone – even for those with no meditation experience or those usually finding it difficult to meditate.
What are the seven qualities?
- Acceptance: I am
Accept your life, your body, your voice, the space you are taking. Here you are – a human being with all your qualities and shortcomings, with all the differences between wish and reality. Embrace life with everything which belongs to it.
Place: just over the left hip - Yearning: I yearn
Connect yourself with the things not existing in your life. What do you yearn for in this moment? To desire something you haven’t is human. It is okay.
Place: just over the right hip - Hope: I hope
Sit, motionless, and hope – for something, for someone. Hope that it will be fine but there is no guarantee. Dare to be vulnerable and accept not be in control. Hope and everything is possible. Hope and create a space where something can happen. Make space and wait.
Place: over your left lung - Faith: I trust
Trust in yourself, trust in others, trust in something. Trust in who you are and what you can. Build up a deep trust and know it for sure: it will be fine.
Place: over your right lung - Surrender: I let go and surrender
Feel at this place how you sometimes bottle things up, how you get scared, how you choke on things you tried to swallow. But now as you trust you can let go – of ideas, of an ideal, of a wish or even of another person. Let go and free yourself. Breathe freely and rediscover your voice.
Place: at your throat - Love: I love
Connect with your heart and listen to it. There’s so much to love in the world – yourself, the people around you, the world as a whole. Love yourself because you are as you are.
Place: above your heart - Freewill: I am ready
The last quality is the freewill. Know what you really want and get ready – ready to receive and ready to give. It’s about the readiness to do what’s necessary, to live the life just as it shows itself, to let life and love flow through you. That’s life.
Place: just above your navel
What does it bring?
The Latifa meditation brings you in deep contact with yourself – your existence and desires, your hope and trust, your love and vitality. It brings you back to your inner core, gives you strength and peace. Often, the meditation sets something in motion – that can be tears, new insights, even concrete actions. You will experience the Latifa every time in a different manner. Practiced regularly, it supports transformation and sustainable change.
How to do it?
Find a quiet moment and a comfortable position either sitting, standing or lying down. Close your eyes and relax – maybe do a quick body scan to really arrive in the here and now.
During the meditation, your left hand guides your right hand to the seven places on your body representing the seven qualities. Each time, focus your attention on the respective place, speak the affirmation respectively listen to the guide, continue to breathe relaxed in and out.
When the meditation is finished, stay for another moment in the position with your hands relaxed in your lap or besides your body. Maybe, you even feel like making notes about your thoughts and feelings during the meditation.
Want to read more? A nice article about the Latifa meditation has been in published in the Dutch Happinez magazine in July 2014.
Ready to make your first experience with the Latifa?
Listen the guided meditation in English and check out what it can mean to you.