This morning I completed my 365th day in a row of meditation. I did at least one meditation session everyday for 365 days in a row. I am not going to report back now that I had some amazing transformation, that I found some secret awakening in my soul and found my true purpose or anything like that. I have had some powerful moments, I have had some spiritual experiences, but I also have times where I was not that mindful, distracted, and struggled as well.
I have tried many different methods of meditation. I have tied various phone apps, I have taken a few classes, I have read books and I have digested materials from a few different religions. I have done guided and self guided meditation. I have done body scan, focused attention, visualization, resting awareness, and even just plain old nothing. Part of me thinks that just doing nothing for 30 minutes is somewhat of a secret to meditation success. How often do we just sit and relax our body and mind?
So no, I had no transitory experiences, no Kundalini awakening or nothing that profound. A few times, I did experience some ability to split my mind, to suspend conscious thought and by so doing had some interesting vision like experiences. However, those moments were rare. The normal was just 30 minutes or longer of peaceful calmness. I tried to hold the right form. I had a vision of sitting in a perfect yoga type pose in a delicate balance of perfect body harmony, but I never could get my hamstrings to release enough. I can, however, touch my toes now!
I dove into Transcendental, Mantras, Zen, Chakra, and Om. The conclusion? They are all good, and they all have benefit. I hate to be a flaky meditation practitioner when I say, Do what is right for you. That really bugged me when I first started out. I would ask people for help and they would say, “there is no right way, there is only your way.” That was frustrating, but now 365 days later, I realize how right they were. I have fallen into a practice that works for me. A hybrid approach if you will.
Here is what I do now. When I wake up, it does not matter when or how early, I will immediately find a chair and sit upright in a comfortable, but not too comfortable position. I will take some deep breaths (belly breathing), in through the nose where my stomach expands and then out as my stomach shrinks. I will just sit quietly like that for a while and let my mind just go wherever it wants. After the restless, Monkey Mind is done jumping around for awhile I will then start counting each breath until I get to 10. Each time my mind wanders, I will slowly and with calmness bring my mind back to my breath and the number that I am on. Sometimes I have to start over, which is a good thing. After this, I am calmer and more relaxed. I am then ready for visualization.
I have identified four major objectives in my life. Goals if you will. They are high level things, but they are also very specific. I have them memorized, I repeat them in my mind. I start with the first one and I repeat it to myself. Each goal has a specific visualization of an event in my life at some point in the future where I will know with certainty that I have achieved my goal. I imagine and rehearse what that will be like for me. Three of them I will not share here, simply because I am already making myself way too vulnerable as it is!! One of them is to Win a 100 Miler Race in my Age Group. A very high ambition indeed. I repeat that to myself and then I visualize what that will look like, feel like, be like when I am done.
After that visualization, running across a finish line, then I just let my mind ponder that for a while. Taking deep breaths and just letting my mind flow. Sometimes there is nothing, however, there are also times when ideas or concerns come to my mind. Eating that ice cream last night is not going to get you to that finish line, or do I need a new pair of running shoes? Sometimes the thoughts are more profound, sometimes they are very tactical and specific. Doe s not matter, I let the thoughts come and go. I then move on to the other 3 visualizations.
When all this is done, I then just sit there for all the time that is permitted. I try to suspend active thinking and remain as still as possible. This is the healing time, and the time I probably enjoy the most. I have no set time for this, just what I can do is fine. Once this is all complete, I think move on to opening my 365 commitment journal and writing down what is the most important things for me to accomplish today. I then contemplate, pray, ponder that list and make revisions as necessary. I then make the commitment to go and get it done.
The benefits of this meditation process have been subtle, and slow. However, each improvement taken in total, accumulate to something pretty amazing. It is true that meditation reduces stress and anxiety. Meditation does improve emotional health, increases ability to concentrate, and helps me stay focused on what is important. The practice has helped me to stay grounded, despite the whirlwind around us.
Finally, I recommend building meditation as a daily habit. I proved that it is of incredible benefit and I have now made a lifelong commitment to meditate everyday for the rest of my life.
Guy Reams (635)
