There is no better time than RIGHT NOW. You will never be more ready than you are in this exact moment. You don't need to get a yoga mat, find a silent place, light a candle or designate a special room for the occasion. If you've had a wonderful day, meditate. If you've had a horrible day, meditate. If you're complacent and/or apathetic, meditate. And, if you've moved on to judging these words instead of reading them with an open-mind, maybe you should try meditating.
There's always a reason to wait; I just want to relax, I need some 'me time', I can't just 'do nothing', I'm too busy, I'm too hurt/happy/sad/mad/glad/excited/depressed/tired/cold/warm. Or, I'll do it later when: I'm thinner, more inspired, my kids are in bed, I read more about it, there's a full moon, I've cleaned the house. What it amounts to is an unconscious wall of excuses. We validate the reasons by allowing them to be a rote response and can even begin to believe what we're saying (usually by convincing ourselves of the excuses' validity instead of feeling guilty). Ultimately, we externalize our blame- and we all do it, some more regularly than others. As my mother used to say (which was simultaneously wise and horribly frustrating): "Let your conscience be your guide Joanne".
And, it's that conscience that draws the line between reason or excuse. You *know* when you have a legitimate reason, and even if you think you don't, it is there- no quantifying required. You just need to stop looking outside yourself for the answer (read: blaming the external world) and it will be there. So what are you waiting for?
What does eight have to do with anything? It's a number that rhymes with meditate. That's it. No yogic reasoning, just an attempt to cajole the memory towards commitment. Simply take eight aware breath cycles; feeling the air entering the body on the inhale and exiting the body on the exhale, no need to change your breath, just notice. You might notice your shoulders are rounded, your legs are crossed, you feel your heartbeat, your mind keeps wandering or perhaps you notice nothing at all. It's all important and relevant because you are practicing consciousness; meditating. If you actually commit to this practice, you'll start to notice more -than your breath- and it's for the better, in my estimation. This awareness is all too rare.
Take 8 to meditate and begin to raise the level of consciousness, then pass it on.
There's always a reason to wait; I just want to relax, I need some 'me time', I can't just 'do nothing', I'm too busy, I'm too hurt/happy/sad/mad/glad/excited/depressed/tired/cold/warm. Or, I'll do it later when: I'm thinner, more inspired, my kids are in bed, I read more about it, there's a full moon, I've cleaned the house. What it amounts to is an unconscious wall of excuses. We validate the reasons by allowing them to be a rote response and can even begin to believe what we're saying (usually by convincing ourselves of the excuses' validity instead of feeling guilty). Ultimately, we externalize our blame- and we all do it, some more regularly than others. As my mother used to say (which was simultaneously wise and horribly frustrating): "Let your conscience be your guide Joanne".
And, it's that conscience that draws the line between reason or excuse. You *know* when you have a legitimate reason, and even if you think you don't, it is there- no quantifying required. You just need to stop looking outside yourself for the answer (read: blaming the external world) and it will be there. So what are you waiting for?
What does eight have to do with anything? It's a number that rhymes with meditate. That's it. No yogic reasoning, just an attempt to cajole the memory towards commitment. Simply take eight aware breath cycles; feeling the air entering the body on the inhale and exiting the body on the exhale, no need to change your breath, just notice. You might notice your shoulders are rounded, your legs are crossed, you feel your heartbeat, your mind keeps wandering or perhaps you notice nothing at all. It's all important and relevant because you are practicing consciousness; meditating. If you actually commit to this practice, you'll start to notice more -than your breath- and it's for the better, in my estimation. This awareness is all too rare.
Take 8 to meditate and begin to raise the level of consciousness, then pass it on.
Excellent !!!!! After a while the eight disappears......just like the awareness of noticing........!!! and then the calmness !!! It can only be experienced and not shared....so certainly not FB material !!!!
ReplyDeleteAlways grateful for your comments D. The eight certainly does disappear over time! I shared this on FB and I think it's important to bring this information to more people. If someone reads it and awareness is there -if only for a breath- then it's worth it. That's one more conscious breath than they had before. Maybe you could share it on your FB page too :) xo
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