Sorry about that derailed train of thought. The point I was going to make is that you don't have to meditate for hours on end or- Heaven help you- months on end, in order for it to have a profound effect in your life. All it takes is 5 minutes, as often as you feel it is necessary. I think it would be beneficial to do this every day, but I haven't gotten to that point yet. At this point, I do it when I feel the most disconnected. And that was the end of last week after my mid-terms... which were horrifying.
My first class starts at 4:00 p.m. and my last class gets over at 8:45 p.m. After which I've started going to the gym because I feel like my nerves are so... tightly wound lately. So, I went to the gym and I hadn't been to the gym in months. I wasn't looking forward to it because I felt like it is one more "have to do" on my growing lists of musts. My workout was amazing and I felt like it was a time-out for me. I wasn't expecting this change of feelings towards the workout, but it was wonderful. I left the gym feeling decompressed and fantastically calm.
I got home that night and my room was a disaster... Hurricane Mid-term blew through the 2 previous weeks the outcome was claustrophobically disasterous. Clothes were strewn all over, I had shirts hanging from closet doors, out of drawers, and books stacked in disaray all over the place. It was not a zen place to be and I began to feel stress creeping back in to me. It was then that I decided to meditate, only there wasn't a place on the floor to do so. My bathroom was the only semi-clean place, and my jetted tub was the only fully clean place because I had just cleaned it the night before. So, I dimmed my lights and I climbed in my tub and I drew the shower curtains shut and I meditated.
I wanted to share the simple process I use to meditate because this blog post is all about promoting meditation. I sat in a comfortable position with my legs crossed and my arms relaxed and my spine comfortably erect and straight. I took some deep breaths and slowly let them out and once I felt calm and quiet, I thought of someone that I love and as I focused on this person and my love for him and I had that good feeling coursing through me I asked myself (through thought) What is it you want? Throughout the process you want to focus on breathing in and out, slowly and deeply. This is when you focus on your thoughts and you process through them. This part can take as long as you need it to, there is no time limit. Mine went like this:
-Relaxed but erect seated position
-Begin deep and slow breathing.
-Think of a person that you love.
-Continue deep and slow breathing throughout meditation.
-(Active thought): What is it I want?
-(Involuntary thought response): I want to be happy and positive. I want to feel alive.
-(Involuntary thought): Everything is found in love.
-(Active thought): Love can't be the only answer. I know that everything is found in love, but that alone doesn't make sense to me. Help me understand this.
-(Involuntary thought response): The other part is acceptance.
-(Active thought): What are the connections between love and acceptance?
-(Involuntary thought response): You will find love when you accept what you cannot change. When you accept that it is okay to not have control; there is love in the lack of control.
-(Active thought): I still don't understand.
-(Involuntary thought response): There is love to be found in your acceptance for your frailties and imperfections, acceptance for your shortcomings and desire to improve them, acceptance for the difficult, acceptance for what you can't control and in all of this to continue to love and not be angry. (Interrupted Active thought: I need to grab a pen to write this down, I don't want to forget it). (Interrupted Involuntary thought response: You will remember it just fine, you will remember what you need to remember).
-(Active thought): What else do I need to do?
-(Involuntary thought response): Love God for what He deals you, love the trial and how it strengthens you, love yourself for your struggle because nothing that is worthy of this life comes without pain. Love the pain. Love the tears because to cry is not weak. Love the hurt that others deal to you and love those that hurt you because they don't know any better... yet. Love the lessons that come from all of this because that's what you came here for, the lessons you learn here are things you couldn't learn there, where you were before... the lessons here are the point of this existence, as is love. Be grateful for the process because this is the only time ever that you'll experience it in this way. Love yourself, truly love yourself.
-Quiet.
-Relax in your body and then open your eyes when you are ready.
-You are done.
All of this took, maybe 5 minutes. And when I was done, I don't think I need to mention that tears were streaming down my face because they were. I felt like I finally understood something that had been at the core of my distress for months... even years, but that I didn't know how to "fix" or make better; and this hurt hurt others and I FINALLY understood it and knew what I needed to know and do. It was a wonderful experience and one I've been thinking back on since it happened.
We can have profound experiences and they don't have to be built on perfection or ideal circumstances; they can happen in a darkened bathroom, while sitting in your bathtub in your sweaty gym clothes. Meditation does not have to last hours, and it does not require a silent mind- thoughts are important to the process- and it does not have to be experienced in a zen garden. You can meditate in your closet and still learn what you need to know. I encourage you to try meditation for yourselves; you never know the enlightenment that may come from it. Let me know how it goes.
I wanted to share the simple process I use to meditate because this blog post is all about promoting meditation. I sat in a comfortable position with my legs crossed and my arms relaxed and my spine comfortably erect and straight. I took some deep breaths and slowly let them out and once I felt calm and quiet, I thought of someone that I love and as I focused on this person and my love for him and I had that good feeling coursing through me I asked myself (through thought) What is it you want? Throughout the process you want to focus on breathing in and out, slowly and deeply. This is when you focus on your thoughts and you process through them. This part can take as long as you need it to, there is no time limit. Mine went like this:
-Relaxed but erect seated position
-Begin deep and slow breathing.
-Think of a person that you love.
-Continue deep and slow breathing throughout meditation.
-(Active thought): What is it I want?
-(Involuntary thought response): I want to be happy and positive. I want to feel alive.
-(Involuntary thought): Everything is found in love.
-(Active thought): Love can't be the only answer. I know that everything is found in love, but that alone doesn't make sense to me. Help me understand this.
-(Involuntary thought response): The other part is acceptance.
-(Active thought): What are the connections between love and acceptance?
-(Involuntary thought response): You will find love when you accept what you cannot change. When you accept that it is okay to not have control; there is love in the lack of control.
-(Active thought): I still don't understand.
-(Involuntary thought response): There is love to be found in your acceptance for your frailties and imperfections, acceptance for your shortcomings and desire to improve them, acceptance for the difficult, acceptance for what you can't control and in all of this to continue to love and not be angry. (Interrupted Active thought: I need to grab a pen to write this down, I don't want to forget it). (Interrupted Involuntary thought response: You will remember it just fine, you will remember what you need to remember).
-(Active thought): What else do I need to do?
-(Involuntary thought response): Love God for what He deals you, love the trial and how it strengthens you, love yourself for your struggle because nothing that is worthy of this life comes without pain. Love the pain. Love the tears because to cry is not weak. Love the hurt that others deal to you and love those that hurt you because they don't know any better... yet. Love the lessons that come from all of this because that's what you came here for, the lessons you learn here are things you couldn't learn there, where you were before... the lessons here are the point of this existence, as is love. Be grateful for the process because this is the only time ever that you'll experience it in this way. Love yourself, truly love yourself.
-Quiet.
-Relax in your body and then open your eyes when you are ready.
-You are done.
All of this took, maybe 5 minutes. And when I was done, I don't think I need to mention that tears were streaming down my face because they were. I felt like I finally understood something that had been at the core of my distress for months... even years, but that I didn't know how to "fix" or make better; and this hurt hurt others and I FINALLY understood it and knew what I needed to know and do. It was a wonderful experience and one I've been thinking back on since it happened.
We can have profound experiences and they don't have to be built on perfection or ideal circumstances; they can happen in a darkened bathroom, while sitting in your bathtub in your sweaty gym clothes. Meditation does not have to last hours, and it does not require a silent mind- thoughts are important to the process- and it does not have to be experienced in a zen garden. You can meditate in your closet and still learn what you need to know. I encourage you to try meditation for yourselves; you never know the enlightenment that may come from it. Let me know how it goes.
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