Not sure how common or uncommon this might be but my best meditation happens while I'm in the throws of some athletic endeavor. For years my therapy sessions took place along the Pacific Coast Highway, "PCH" for all you So Cali's. I would ride or run for miles, all the while getting lost in thought and prayer over any and all topics that occupied my life at the time. Today all those years of pounding the pavement have limited my ability to run and meditate. Nowadays when I run my thoughts are more along the lines of how crappy my knees and back feel rather than sifting through the cobwebs of my mind. So my new venue is the pool. Getting in the water at 4:00 AM, with the pool all to myself, I can delve deep into my thoughts. Sure that first jolt from the cold water is not exactly how I want to greet the day but it's a good wake up call for the mediation to come.
I guess the same way that music and scented candles help some folks set the mood for meditation, the rhythm of my stroke, kick and breathing help put me into a mental groove that opens my mind and my heart to all kinds of thoughts and feelings. The only challenge for me is trying to keep count of my laps. My obsessive compulsive nature forces me to keep a highly accurate count of my laps so I know exactly how far I've gone and when I can stop. Hey, no short cuts! And if I lose count, then it's an extra lap just to be sure. If only I could meditate my way out of that behavior. Oh well.
Meditation is something we all need from time to time. You can't keep running around like a crazy person trying to solve one problem after another without making time for yourself. We all need time to decompress and think upon issues in our lives and come to grips with how we feel about them. The great thing about meditating is you can think and feel any way you want without filter or judgement. Don't let someone try to tell you exactly how you're suppose to meditate. There are some fundamental aspects that you should consider and music and candles aren't necessarily for everyone. The key is eliminating distractions. Kids, spouses, friends, etc, they all need to take a back seat while you work your way through the things that are weighing heavily on your mind. One of the greatest benefits to meditating is you can go through a string of emotions over something and more often than not by the time you're done you've come to some understanding about it that is most likely somewhere in the middle of the extreme feelings you felt.
So do yourself a favor and give yourself a moment or two throughout the week to be calm and quiet and think about the things that are most important to you. You need this every bit as much as you need to eat and breathe. Just try not to fall asleep. :-)
I so needed to hear this..today. Thank you. Sarah
ReplyDelete