Tried meditating on my current predicament tonight, but didn't get too far. No epiphany yet. I didn't meditate at all Thursday through Saturday.
All I want is to get in my car, pick you up and head to the mountains or to the water. You can find firewood - I know you love an excuse to use your hatchet. You'll have your whiskey and I'll have my wine. And maybe then, by our campfire, we can decide.
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
A new home for meditation
My full day of mindfulness today almost makes up for the past week. I actually made it to yoga this morning, which turned out to be much better than last time.
While purchasing coffee (a habit I will someday break - maybe that can be next years blog), I noticed a poster for nothing other than...Meditation! Wednesday nights they have a quick 'Just Meditation' session at a Buddhist Center downtown. It turns out that this Buddhist Center is affiliated with the one I used to go to in high school. We sang the Liberating Prayer at the beginning (I barely had to look at the lyrics) and they even had the same Pepperidge Farms cookie offerings. Norbu, a monk, led us in the meditation and I felt great afterwards. It was a very simple focusing on the breath, breathing in positive radiating light, breathing out worries and distractions in the form of dark smoke. Afterwards, I had some tea and chatted with Norbu and some of the other participants. He meditates for four hours per day! Crazy.
I will definitely make this part of my weekly routine, and maybe add in some other meditation/prayer sessions they offer. I also signed up for a mini-retreat next Saturday to learn the basics of Buddhism and meditation.
While purchasing coffee (a habit I will someday break - maybe that can be next years blog), I noticed a poster for nothing other than...Meditation! Wednesday nights they have a quick 'Just Meditation' session at a Buddhist Center downtown. It turns out that this Buddhist Center is affiliated with the one I used to go to in high school. We sang the Liberating Prayer at the beginning (I barely had to look at the lyrics) and they even had the same Pepperidge Farms cookie offerings. Norbu, a monk, led us in the meditation and I felt great afterwards. It was a very simple focusing on the breath, breathing in positive radiating light, breathing out worries and distractions in the form of dark smoke. Afterwards, I had some tea and chatted with Norbu and some of the other participants. He meditates for four hours per day! Crazy.
I will definitely make this part of my weekly routine, and maybe add in some other meditation/prayer sessions they offer. I also signed up for a mini-retreat next Saturday to learn the basics of Buddhism and meditation.
Monday, January 25, 2010
Slacker!
At the rate I've been going the past week, it might take me years to do 100 meditations.
I've sampled a couple new podcasts, one of which I enjoyed but it's too much talking about meditating and methods to use rather than guided meditation. But the guy does have an accent.
Two nights ago I tried one on The Meditation Podcast called Transformational Breathing. They had all these warnings in the beginning like 'please consult a physician before trying this meditation' and 'you may experience intense emotions'. Bullshit. Or so I thought. The breathing technique was completely opposite of regular (or what I consider regular) meditation. It's a quick panting, fully exhaling every ounce of C02 before your body nearly forces itself to inhale again. I'm at a bit of a crossroads in my life right now, so naturally, I focused on that and related emotions I've been feeling. After five minutes of this breathing and thinking about my predicament, I all of a sudden had that pang in my stomach (they said physical discomfort is common) and I was crying. Apparently, there are many emotions we bury deep inside, but this type of breathing and meditating brings them to the surface, and we can then accept them, and if we're lucky, let go of them.
I've sampled a couple new podcasts, one of which I enjoyed but it's too much talking about meditating and methods to use rather than guided meditation. But the guy does have an accent.
Two nights ago I tried one on The Meditation Podcast called Transformational Breathing. They had all these warnings in the beginning like 'please consult a physician before trying this meditation' and 'you may experience intense emotions'. Bullshit. Or so I thought. The breathing technique was completely opposite of regular (or what I consider regular) meditation. It's a quick panting, fully exhaling every ounce of C02 before your body nearly forces itself to inhale again. I'm at a bit of a crossroads in my life right now, so naturally, I focused on that and related emotions I've been feeling. After five minutes of this breathing and thinking about my predicament, I all of a sudden had that pang in my stomach (they said physical discomfort is common) and I was crying. Apparently, there are many emotions we bury deep inside, but this type of breathing and meditating brings them to the surface, and we can then accept them, and if we're lucky, let go of them.
Thursday, January 14, 2010
Healing smile
Day 14: Back to the old stand-by. The Meditation Podcast. Mmmm. Did the Healing Smile and it seriously only felt like five minutes, but it was almost 18. I think these meditations really are helping. For example, this evening I went to see a speaker (Michael Pollan...it was pretty good). Was I embarrassed or ashamed that I was alone and taking myself out on a little date? No. I never thought about it until I was completely surrounded by married couples. I was/am content.
Day 13: Meditated on enhancing my creativity, but it wasn't very relaxing. The girl just sounded super stoned and said the same thing over and over again. "Just let go...if something comes into your mind...let it be...just let go....don't worry if other thoughts or worries cloud your mind...let them be..." Annoying.
Day 13: Meditated on enhancing my creativity, but it wasn't very relaxing. The girl just sounded super stoned and said the same thing over and over again. "Just let go...if something comes into your mind...let it be...just let go....don't worry if other thoughts or worries cloud your mind...let them be..." Annoying.
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
New podcasts
Day twelve: Had a long day at work so I was definitely in the mood for some relaxation by a different means than watching The Office and drinking beer. I tried a new podcast again, and the segment was 'Deep Rest Guided Meditation'. This one turned out to be nothing special, I feel like I could have recorded the same thing myself. This podcast does feature a 'Walking Meditation', which I want to try, but unfortunately it's dark when I go to work and dark when I come home - maybe on the weekend.
Day eleven: I thought I'd spice it up and try a new podcast. One featured on itunes was from the Meditation Society of Australia, and I do love accents! I tried 'The Feminine Energy of the Universe' and it was alright, but a bit more on the hippy-dippy side than I was in the mood for (lots of 'harnessing your mother earth energy' crap).
Day eleven: I thought I'd spice it up and try a new podcast. One featured on itunes was from the Meditation Society of Australia, and I do love accents! I tried 'The Feminine Energy of the Universe' and it was alright, but a bit more on the hippy-dippy side than I was in the mood for (lots of 'harnessing your mother earth energy' crap).
Sunday, January 10, 2010
Journey
Day Ten: Today, I went on a journey to my sacred place. It was not a long journey, just a short walk down a spiraling dirt path which magically emerged onto the patio of the house I grew up in. It was a warm day and I had just mowed the lawn. Before entering this sacred place, I was asked to think of an intention. My intention was to rediscover my creativity (this was also one of the options given by the meditation guide). In my sacred place, I found a basket (Longaberger, of course, picnic style) next to one of the round planter boxes. And what was my gift? A six pack of beer and a magazine. Seriously, subconscious? I guess I'm supposed to collage while drunk - then I will rediscover my creativity.
Day Nine: I will admit - I did not meditate yesterday. I do not feel bad, because in my own special way, I did. J and I decided to go on a hike. It was past 1:00pm on a January day, but that did not deter us, only motivated us. We ended up inviting my step-brother, for whom it was his first hike ever. A simple route was picked - about six miles round trip, pretty steep, up to two lakes with views of the San Juans. We got to the top when the sun was just beginning its descent and ate some carrots. This was kind of like meditation not for my mind, but for my body. And soul.
Day Nine: I will admit - I did not meditate yesterday. I do not feel bad, because in my own special way, I did. J and I decided to go on a hike. It was past 1:00pm on a January day, but that did not deter us, only motivated us. We ended up inviting my step-brother, for whom it was his first hike ever. A simple route was picked - about six miles round trip, pretty steep, up to two lakes with views of the San Juans. We got to the top when the sun was just beginning its descent and ate some carrots. This was kind of like meditation not for my mind, but for my body. And soul.
Saturday, January 9, 2010
Keep falling asleep...
Day seven: Continued with the podcast - this episode was called 'Positive Thoughts'. It turned out to be that whole Law of Attraction/The Secret thing which is lame and I don't believe in it. I ended up nodding off anyway.
Day eight: This one was 'Healing Series part One'. I don't really have anyone I'm resentful towards, or anything I feel guilty about, so my mind just kept jumping to things I could think about instead of actually focusing on something. The deep breathing at the beginning was nice, though. After 15 minutes I started falling asleep. Goal for next time - don't try to meditate after 10:00pm.
Day eight: This one was 'Healing Series part One'. I don't really have anyone I'm resentful towards, or anything I feel guilty about, so my mind just kept jumping to things I could think about instead of actually focusing on something. The deep breathing at the beginning was nice, though. After 15 minutes I started falling asleep. Goal for next time - don't try to meditate after 10:00pm.
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
Morning trickle
Turns out morning flow is more of a haphazard semi-structured stretching session than a yoga class. The instructor seemed flustered - she couldn't remember names for poses, and she kept getting right and left mixed up. And she had us arrange our mats at an angle which completely threw me off. Not the calm, peaceful, graceful yoga instructor I'm used to. I was also the youngest person by at least ten years.
One good thing, however, was that we did do savasana at the end, which I think of as a kind of meditation.
Yesterday (day five), I continued with the meditation podcast -- this one was called 'Calming the Body'. They said at the beginning that it could be done lying down,so I did, and it was getting close to my bedtime when I started. Suffice it to say I woke up at 3:00am with my socks still on (I absolutely cannot stand sleeping in socks), headphones still in my ears, and the light on. I guess it worked?
One good thing, however, was that we did do savasana at the end, which I think of as a kind of meditation.
Yesterday (day five), I continued with the meditation podcast -- this one was called 'Calming the Body'. They said at the beginning that it could be done lying down,so I did, and it was getting close to my bedtime when I started. Suffice it to say I woke up at 3:00am with my socks still on (I absolutely cannot stand sleeping in socks), headphones still in my ears, and the light on. I guess it worked?
Monday, January 4, 2010
Basic
It's amazing how much of our lungs we don't use for everyday breathing. I started with 'A Basic Meditation' today on the podcast, and although my thoughts were wandering, I feel a little more at peace. The animal sounds in the background put me off a bit, but after a while I almost felt like I was in my camper van out in the woods. Summer is too far away.
Sunday, January 3, 2010
Merging balls of glowing light
Day two: failure, again. It's difficult to meditate when staying at someone's house. I only remembered at nearly three beers in with my chicken pot pie (homemade...suck it Marie Calendar) in the oven. I tried, I did, but tipsy meditating just doesn't work.
Day three: Today I thought to start things off right, maybe I need a teacher, some guidance...a podcast. And it was actually really nice. I picked the simplest one I could find, 'The Meditation Podcast', and started with the most recent (although now I realize I should have started with the first in the series). Fortunately the man's voice was calming and it was a good length -- 17 minutes. It not only helped me hone in on my inner peace, but spread my peace (aka my glowing ball of light) to a situation of tension I'm experiencing. And it kind of worked.
Day three: Today I thought to start things off right, maybe I need a teacher, some guidance...a podcast. And it was actually really nice. I picked the simplest one I could find, 'The Meditation Podcast', and started with the most recent (although now I realize I should have started with the first in the series). Fortunately the man's voice was calming and it was a good length -- 17 minutes. It not only helped me hone in on my inner peace, but spread my peace (aka my glowing ball of light) to a situation of tension I'm experiencing. And it kind of worked.
Friday, January 1, 2010
Day one
My resolution for this year is to meditate every day for one hundred days, and I figured I would be more apt to stick to it if I blog about it.
Why meditate? It all begins with a slight disconnect I've been feeling the past few months (or has it been years?). I think back to high school when I (surprisingly) was the most content and most confident I've ever been. Unsurprisingly, this was also a period of time when I attended 'Sunday Morning Meditation' at the local Kadampa Buddhist Center every week.
Day one proved unsuccessful. I started with simply focusing on my breath, but found myself trying to figure out what song was playing on KEXP in the background and thinking about what I should blog about. Fail. After ten minutes J walked in wondering what I was up to. I was also wearing a Snuggie. Wearing a Snuggie while meditating just made me feel like the lazy love-child of East and West. I suppose I can only improve from here.
Why meditate? It all begins with a slight disconnect I've been feeling the past few months (or has it been years?). I think back to high school when I (surprisingly) was the most content and most confident I've ever been. Unsurprisingly, this was also a period of time when I attended 'Sunday Morning Meditation' at the local Kadampa Buddhist Center every week.
Day one proved unsuccessful. I started with simply focusing on my breath, but found myself trying to figure out what song was playing on KEXP in the background and thinking about what I should blog about. Fail. After ten minutes J walked in wondering what I was up to. I was also wearing a Snuggie. Wearing a Snuggie while meditating just made me feel like the lazy love-child of East and West. I suppose I can only improve from here.
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