April, 2023
What good is mindfulness meditation, which is focused on what’s happening right now, when what’s happening right now isn’t so great? What if right now you’re stuck waiting – waiting for test results, waiting in line, waiting for the tornado warning to expire or the airplane turbulence to pass? Distraction is one strategy, but my worry voices are pretty good at multi-talking. So, I close my eyes, breathe, and fake it til I make it. Follow the breaths, fail, follow them again, fail again . . . . all things must pass . .
February, 2023
I’ve come to think that the fact that you meditate is more important than when you meditate – the right time of day is whenever you can make it happen. What I have found, though, is that for me, mornings are best, and the earlier the better. It’s partly that it sets the tone for the day, but mainly that it is just much easier for me to finish a sit with less fidgeting before my day has gotten started.
Sometimes, though, in the middle of the day it is helpful to just push the reset button. It may not be as peaceful as first thing in the morning, since I am trying to clear out what has been happening so I can focus on the next part of my day, but if I stick with it, it can do the trick.
A lot of people say the same thing about meditating at the end of the day, to help them sleep better and leave the concerns of the day behind. I can relate, but for that I have a different ritual (a topic for another day).
January, 2023
Dry spells happen. Sometimes I know why and sometimes I don’t. My usual strategy if I’m just not feeling it, or if it feels like I just don’t have time, is to let go of any time goals and just sit down for a minute. A minute or two and a few deep breaths might be all that happens, or it might be just what I need to settle in.
It’s kind of like other forms of exercise, once again. When you miss a day or even a week, we tell ourselves we blew it and talk ourselves out of starting again, because we feel we’re starting from scratch. You aren’t climbing a mountain, you didn’t fall all the way down and have to start all over, you just have to start again.
December, 2022
I rarely achieve “empty mind” when I meditate. Maybe like you, my mind seems to default to use this time to “plan”, which is a nice word for obsessively reviewing my to-do list and my worries. One day this phrase came to me: Breathing IS planning. I “plan” because I think it will improve my reaction later when something happens. But it probably won’t happen exactly like that anyway. What will always be true, though, is that whatever happens, taking a breath before reacting will improve my situation. So, the best planning I can do is to plan to breathe.
November, 2022
The title of this post is taken from Anne Lamott’s book of the same name. I’ve pretty much separated my meditation practice from any specific religious practice. Having said that, sometimes when I am sitting with my thoughts I find myself talking to someone or something out there. I don’t trouble myself too much over who I’m talking to, and I don’t label it as prayer, I just let it be. Now Anne Lamott does call it prayer, and it’s the prayer she believes most. Ask for help, say thanks for what you have, and don’t forget to celebrate.
