Are you a list maker? Many of us are. Making lists helps us organize our everyday life and feel a sense of accomplishment when we check an item off the list.
Laundry? Check!
Homework? Check!
Groceries? Check!
Meditation? Check!
Whoa! Wait a minute. Slow down a bit. Meditation is sometimes viewed as another task on our to-do list. There are several problems with this. One of them being that when we sit down to meditate we bring with us the unconscious message that when we are finish we can move on to something else. So, when we end our formal practice we might stand up and leave the meditation behind right away. This is not the purpose of our meditation practice. Meditation is not part of a competition. It is a way of quieting the mind and becoming acquainted with the peace that dwells within. It is a tool we can turn to in order to bring peace and equanimity into our lives...everyday, all day. We want to hold the feeling of the meditative state as long as possible. Perhaps even having mini meditation (informal) sessions when we notice the feeling slipping away. However, when we relegate meditation to a task or accomplishment, the benefits of our meditation are quickly forgotten. Or, perhaps, we can not settle down to meditate @ all because we are already planning the next thing "to-do."
Meditation is a state of consciousness. It is not a task. And, for most of us, it takes time, practice and patience to truly begin to have deep meditative experiences. Try to make your formal meditation practice part of your daily routine like waking up in the morning or taking a shower. You don't add those to your to-do list because they are completely integrated into your life. The difference would be that we sometimes begin to do those things unconsciously. Meditation is there to raise our conscious awareness. Eventually, with regular practice, we find ourselves maintaining that intuitive feeling state indefinitely. And that is worth taking time for.
Namaste,
S.
Laundry? Check!
Homework? Check!
Groceries? Check!
Meditation? Check!
Whoa! Wait a minute. Slow down a bit. Meditation is sometimes viewed as another task on our to-do list. There are several problems with this. One of them being that when we sit down to meditate we bring with us the unconscious message that when we are finish we can move on to something else. So, when we end our formal practice we might stand up and leave the meditation behind right away. This is not the purpose of our meditation practice. Meditation is not part of a competition. It is a way of quieting the mind and becoming acquainted with the peace that dwells within. It is a tool we can turn to in order to bring peace and equanimity into our lives...everyday, all day. We want to hold the feeling of the meditative state as long as possible. Perhaps even having mini meditation (informal) sessions when we notice the feeling slipping away. However, when we relegate meditation to a task or accomplishment, the benefits of our meditation are quickly forgotten. Or, perhaps, we can not settle down to meditate @ all because we are already planning the next thing "to-do."
Meditation is a state of consciousness. It is not a task. And, for most of us, it takes time, practice and patience to truly begin to have deep meditative experiences. Try to make your formal meditation practice part of your daily routine like waking up in the morning or taking a shower. You don't add those to your to-do list because they are completely integrated into your life. The difference would be that we sometimes begin to do those things unconsciously. Meditation is there to raise our conscious awareness. Eventually, with regular practice, we find ourselves maintaining that intuitive feeling state indefinitely. And that is worth taking time for.
Namaste,
S.
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