Meditation

Meditation is a goal for many of us, but the actual doing of it…

A saying I live by is “One minute is better than no minutes.” Meditation is a practice, most importantly.  Practicing something means you do it over and over again and see it improve over time. Meditation itself often feels like it’s being done wrong.  I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard “I can’t meditate.  Every time I do it I keep getting distracted.  I can’t focus.” This is a very normal experience to have during meditation.  Meditation is the PRACTICE of focusing the mind.  Each time it wanders, we practice leading it back into the present moment.

Physical positions to adopt while meditating vary.  Some choose simple seated position, one foot in front of the other.  A meditation cushion can give a little lift to the pelvis to make the seat more comfortable.  For those who find this uncomfortable, simply sitting on a chair can work.  In order to keep the spine erect, sitting on a balance ball is a great option.  Using the spine and core to keep an upright posture not only develops strong muscles, but also helps keep the mind focused while meditating.  From personal experience I have found that lying down, while tempting, is a fast route to falling asleep instead of meditating.

Try one minute.  Focus on your breath. Try to make the inhales as long as the exhales. Begin with one minute. Try it once a day for a week, first thing in the morning when you wake up. Commit to presence.  See how it goes. You never know.