
The 30-day Meditation Challenge
Meditation is the discovery that the point of life is always arrived at in the immediate moment.
Alan Watts
What does it mean that the point of life is reached in the immediate moment? To me it means that we realize that no goals and no yearning matter if they can’t be enjoyed here and now. Yes, the journey is the goal in many circumstances, but enjoying the journey is only done here and now, not in the future. The future exists only in our imagination.
I’m not an experienced meditator. But I’d like to be. This 30-day Meditation Challenge is my first attempt to be a little more disciplined about my meditation practice. Previously I’ve attended a number of silent meditation 45-minute sessions in Santa Barbara, and also a one-day meditation workshop. I’ve enjoyed these moments greatly.
I also approach my entire life as meditation. Each waking moment (and sleeping?) should indeed be part of our practice, our work on spiritual growth and exploration. But even if our whole life is approached as practice, there are clearly some benefits of a more focused meditation practice that involves sitting or walking in silent contemplation and observation.
That’s why the Meditation Challenge asks each of us to sit for 30 days at least ten minutes a day in silent meditation. I’m not going to suggest what you focus on during your meditation other than your breath. My view, based on a lot of sound research, is that simply sitting in silence, eyes closed, relaxed, and with few or no distractions around you, can have many benefits — even if done for as little as five minutes a day.
There are various ways to meditate, including how to settle your mind, what to focus on, etc., but for now I’m just going to focus on sitting in silence and let my mind do what it wants to do.
I’m going to shoot for 20 minutes a day as my goal but I’m committing to just 10 minutes a day for this challenge.
I had my first session today, at a stunningly beautiful place on the ocean just ten minutes from my house on the Big Island of Hawaii. Since I haven’t sat in silent meditation in some time, I wasn’t able to “drop in” to that special place of peaceful bliss that I’ve found in previous meditations. But I’m confident that I will find that bliss again before long. And if I don’t, that’s fine too. All I’m committing too at this point is to sit for at least ten minutes a day. In silence. With few or no distractions.
Care to join me? Having a timer on your smartphone or a meditation app will make it easier for you since you don’t have to worry about tracking the time yourself. And don’t forget to put your phone on Do Not Disturb. Keeping your ten minutes free of electronic pollution is a good start to your meditation journey.
