Sometimes the hardest thing about establishing a regular seated meditation practice is the simple act of getting started. Carving out 5, 10, or maybe 20 minutes to sit in stillness meets with many objections in the mind. "I'll do it later" or "I don't really have the time right now" are common thoughts that prevent us from establishing a routine. Often its the settling in in the first few minutes that feels like the obstacle. The first few days are great, you did it, and then...you don't really notice anything different. The same old life is there. The same emotions come up. No life-change is perceived. The "gifts" that people talk about aren't evident. Motivation wanes. We come to our meditation with so much on our mind. The busyness of the day we have scheduled, hoping the kids don't wake up any moment, or feeling really drained or depleted. Sitting down and doing 'nothing' doesn't mean we can turn off the outside world. It's not a wasted practice if our mind has raced throughout the moments that we intended to calm us and did nothing but spend seemingly useless time stewing about the day ahead until the timer went off. Sitting and devoting your time to yourself and your internal world is never unproductive. Often we need to sit through a few sessions of "discharging junk" before we can get into a really deep place in our mediation. Honor those sessions. There may be many. The sweeping out is actually really productive. Don't label each session. Don't judge each session. Just sit. The benefits will come in time. Some you may not notice until someone mentions to you that you seem more calm lately. Some are more apparent to you but others won't notice, like feeling more connected to others. Your internal life begins to reveal itself and it feel really, really good. The fruits of mediation are slow to reveal, but they will come. They will magnify. And the day will come that you cannot go a day without going within. You'll feel like you are missing something if you don't keep your date with yourself. Keep with it. Try my free five minute guided meditation starter to get you in the proper space for your meditation session. This will help you get relaxed, settled, and ready to reap the many benefits of your practice. Click HERE to go to the free download section and start your mediation practice today. Back to blog
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Karen KramerYoga and meditation teacher since 2003, I love discovering and sharing information about natural health and the mind-body-spirit connection through yoga and mindfulness. Join me and be changed for good! Archives
March 2020
|