Meditation Is My New Black
My Boyfriend’s “Static” Was Meditation. Who Knew?
I once dated a guy who told me he liked to wake up way earlier than he needed to for work, just so he could sit in his living room and…just sit there. I asked him what he thought about while he sat there and he said, “nothing.”
WHAT??
I was totally blown away. I mean, why would you want to give up even one nanosecond of precious sleep just to sit there? And what do you mean you don’t think? Like how is that even possible??
I just couldn’t wrap my head around not thinking. So I pressed on. He finally had to describe it as “static.” Hmmm.
It was only a few years ago that I realized that what he was doing was meditating. And only more recently that I’ve begun to discover the importance of incorporating this practice into my life.
The Attention Span Of A Gnat
Now, if you’re anything like me, meditation is not an easy feat. It’s hard enough for me to sit still to watch a movie. And that requires some type of engagement.
While meditation, on the other hand, requires a disengagement of sorts. A “letting go” of the constant chatter in my head. The, “oh, crap! I forgot to pay the cable bill” or “but wait! I have to put in a load of laundry!” or “omg, I can’t just sit here! I have to dig out all that matted, soggy hair from my shower drain.”
Trying to get still and quiet my mind and focus on my breath can sometimes seem like a Sisyphean task. And at times, an insurmountable one.
Like Training A Puppy
But there’s hope for me and perhaps for you, too!
I recently heard an analogy that really resonated with me. Learning the art of meditation is like training a puppy. When you try to teach a puppy to sit, it will likely wander off at first. But rather than yell at or kick the puppy, you gently bring it back. I mean, you technically can yell at the puppy (although I want to make it clear that I don’t in any way, shape or form advocate kicking a dog) but that really doesn’t help the dog learn. Nor does it do you any good.
Every time it wanders off, gently bring it back. Don’t judge it for straying. Just observe and steer it back.
Eventually, with a little practice and a lot of patience, both your puppy and your mind, will learn to sit. And stay.
Unless it gets distracted by a shiny object. Or your two rambunctious children who are home for the summer and have a propensity for running around, screaming like a couple of little possessed psychopaths.
Om
So the next time you’re feeling lost or just a little overwhelmed. Just stop. Breathe. Quiet your mind. And listen for your inner guide. It knows what’s up and is trying to show you the way. You just have to be still enough to hear it.
Be Kind to Your Mind & It Will be Kind to You! — Elena
