The Practice

What does meditation give us? Nothing.

Why should we sit and watch our mind wander and strut its stuff and show us who is boss? We don't have to.

What is the point of sitting, doing nothing, when we have so much on our plates already? There is no point.

This is what I suggest. I only suggest it because it has felt good to me. Try it, it may not feel good to you. You will have to find your own way in the end. But, this has helped me.

1. Get comfortable in your seat. Use a bolster, cushion, or blanket. Maybe a chair- when my right knee aches enough, I sit up higher. The spine is what is important. Not too loose. Not too tight. (That instruction helps me thanks to Elena.)
2. Breathe normally and settle in. This seems to take longer on some days than others. Patience is the key. I am practicing to strengthen my patience muscle. Not easy.
3. Turn the mind's eye onto the breath. As though the breath were a "thing" to watch and "see" from the inside. Turn the breath into a thread to watch.
4. Become entranced by the breath. The breath then becomes like a snake, dancing and performing its miracle within and without me. I do not attach myself to the breath. I am enthralled by its "thereness".
5. Thoughts of daily life arise to distract me. Like Thich Nhat Hahn mentioned, I tell the thoughts: "not now. I am on a 15 minute holiday from you. Come back later."
6. Repeat breath by breath.
7. Time to go. I give my thanks, prayers and salutations. I let go of anything I might have "gained" or "lost". I try not to attach myself to "my" practice. I try to remember that I am not my practice.

There are days when this is more "enjoyable" than others. But, it is in the regularity of it that brings the understanding. It is the understanding of impermanence and change. Feeling good today. Clear. Divine flow happening. Not so good today. Clogged. But still Divine Flow. "Good"/"Bad" these are just my mind's/Ego's tricks of projection. Judgments are just that, attachments to our Ego.

The practice of meditation and yoga bring space. The space to remember Who I Am! It is ok if I feel strong. It is ok if I feel weak. But that is not me. I am, underneath the layers of conditioning and armor, pure, whole and in tact. Whatever the mix that is me, acceptance and understanding are crucial. Compassion. Lovingkindness.

I plant the seeds. Every day, I create the space. Because it is important to me. --Charry