Recently a yoga student asked me if I meditated everyday and excitedly I exclaimed “yes!” Then, corrected myself. I think the more accurate practice I do daily, is mindfulness. The practice of being present in each moment, whether it be with my morning rituals, doing the dishes, or going for a walk.
In the new year, I had started a daily morning meditation practice. I sat crossed-legged and put my timer on for 5-minutes. It was very enlightening, how after 30-years of meditation this is how 5-minutes unfolds:
“It’s wild how easily I drop into silence. A comfortable stillness. Mindful and present with my body and breathing. Ease… But then, I get a twinge, an ache, something will grab my attention… and I get curious. I don’t judge or panic, I just notice. I explore. I send love. I return to ease… and then the thoughts begin ‘I should stretch after this’ ‘I should write about this’ ‘Oh, I can’t forget I have company coming today’… and THEN I catch the train of thoughts and I stop them. I smile. I remember these thoughts are the challenge and the purpose of ones meditation practice. I circle back to stillness, silence, and ease… and my timer goes off.”
The reality is we cannot really stop our thoughts, at least not for long, but we can learn to gain some control over them and how they influence us. Regardless of the activity of the mind, my meditation practice helps me calm down. Return to myself. Have a few minutes of stillness.
“I can get through about 2-minutes feeling calm… then the aches or the thoughts or the noises around me become distractions (not oneness!)… I wiggle, giggle, re-center. Each minute on the timer feels longer and longer… and I open my eyes with 20-seconds left and shut it off!“
Every single time I meditate is different! I don’t know if that is normal, or if it will ever shift into a consistent calm or transport me into “enlightenment” or “samadhi” but I enjoy the experience regardless. I have had blissful moments and experiences, I have been consumed in white light and energy, I have been overwhelmed in the sensation of love and gratitude, at other times overwhelmed in grief, I have felt the oneness of being present with water, oneness with the universe, and even have come out of some meditations feeling as if I had stepped inside time (I realize that sounds crazy, but meditations can be crazy), I have had visions and inspirations, sometimes answers are suddenly clear to challenges in life, and sometimes there is just the simplicity of the mindfulness and presence of “what is” in that moment as I am.
We can learn so much about ourselves, our minds and body, through 5-minutes a day. So how often should you meditate? I think it’s worth exploring a varitey of meditation techniques and figuring out what works for you. What is your goal for meditation? What value does it give to your life? And how much time are you willing and able to commit to those goals and values?
I would love to hear about your meditative experiences, challenges, or opinions in the comments below!
The Gentle Way of Hatha 