The reason I'm doing this meditation thing is because my wild monkey brain is more wild and monkey-like than most. I watch my middle son (the monkiest, physically speaking) climb to the limits of the playground and flip and flail his body around like it's the greatest toy he has and I think, "that's what it looks like in my head."
Meditation gives us the ability (with training), to witness our thoughts instead of being identified with them - instead of becoming them. It reminds us that we are a spiritual being, going for a ride in this human body, and the brain is just one of the cogs in the amazing machine of our bodies. It is influenced by hormones, sleep, and nutrition, it creates these stubborn pathways that it insists on following relentlessly, and is left to react to the input of our senses (and it's kind of a wild animal about it). Our job isn't to ride its whims like a roller coaster but to become certified as a professional pilot might so that we can steer it in the right direction and use it to our greatest advantage (and that of those around us).
But it's difficult. It's difficult to first realize that it's your job to tame it, and then to actually do the taming. It takes regular practice. It takes time and patience. It takes acceptance that you will fail sometimes. It takes the patience to be compassionate towards it when it's being utterly frustrating (the same way your toddler might be).
And that's why meditation's simplest instruction is to "begin again".
In your practice, if your thoughts wander away from your breath, or from your mantra, or from your point of focus, you notice it and breathe. And then you begin again. Like the sunrise every day, you just start over.
And the same is true anytime your plans don't go as planned.
I struggled to establish a regular practice this week. I meditated 3 times (of the 5 or 6 I should have by now), and I started to think - "am I really going to fail at this already?"
And then I realized - hang on - this doesn't have to equal failure. It can just mean that I need to tell my brain, nope, you didn't get it, we're going to begin again. And when I realized that, I was filled with excitement. Because starting this journey with that lesson is better than anything I could have planned. It is perfect and gorgeous and yummy and serendipitous.
And so, week 2 is going to be a continuation of week 1.
I wasn't quite ready to let it go, anyway. I've been enjoying the exploration of different types of meditation teachers, and I want the time it takes to visit with more of them.
Don't worry, though - next week we'll dive into something a little juicier. A type that I am particularly excited to give a try. It's called Vipassana meditation, and it seems to be right up my alley! It's perfect for those of us with ALLTHETHOUGHTS!
For the details of week 1 (so you can repeat them in week 2), click HERE. And I'll see you on Friday!
Namaste, xo.
Meditation gives us the ability (with training), to witness our thoughts instead of being identified with them - instead of becoming them. It reminds us that we are a spiritual being, going for a ride in this human body, and the brain is just one of the cogs in the amazing machine of our bodies. It is influenced by hormones, sleep, and nutrition, it creates these stubborn pathways that it insists on following relentlessly, and is left to react to the input of our senses (and it's kind of a wild animal about it). Our job isn't to ride its whims like a roller coaster but to become certified as a professional pilot might so that we can steer it in the right direction and use it to our greatest advantage (and that of those around us).
But it's difficult. It's difficult to first realize that it's your job to tame it, and then to actually do the taming. It takes regular practice. It takes time and patience. It takes acceptance that you will fail sometimes. It takes the patience to be compassionate towards it when it's being utterly frustrating (the same way your toddler might be).
And that's why meditation's simplest instruction is to "begin again".
In your practice, if your thoughts wander away from your breath, or from your mantra, or from your point of focus, you notice it and breathe. And then you begin again. Like the sunrise every day, you just start over.
And the same is true anytime your plans don't go as planned.
I struggled to establish a regular practice this week. I meditated 3 times (of the 5 or 6 I should have by now), and I started to think - "am I really going to fail at this already?"
And then I realized - hang on - this doesn't have to equal failure. It can just mean that I need to tell my brain, nope, you didn't get it, we're going to begin again. And when I realized that, I was filled with excitement. Because starting this journey with that lesson is better than anything I could have planned. It is perfect and gorgeous and yummy and serendipitous.
And so, week 2 is going to be a continuation of week 1.
I wasn't quite ready to let it go, anyway. I've been enjoying the exploration of different types of meditation teachers, and I want the time it takes to visit with more of them.
Don't worry, though - next week we'll dive into something a little juicier. A type that I am particularly excited to give a try. It's called Vipassana meditation, and it seems to be right up my alley! It's perfect for those of us with ALLTHETHOUGHTS!
For the details of week 1 (so you can repeat them in week 2), click HERE. And I'll see you on Friday!
Namaste, xo.
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