Earlier this year I attended a class in Mindful Meditation, taught by Pandit Dasa, a Mindful Leadership and wellbeing expert who has written books and traveled the world spreading his message of Conscious Living.
I’m pretty sure I failed.
Though I kept yanking it back, I simply could not keep my toddler mind from wandering away.
He invited us to sit comfortably on the floor and come into the present moment, while I briefly panicked and then gave myself a stern lecture.
“A dress? Seriously? What were you thinking?”
I folded my creaky legs into a pretzel-legged position I had not achieved in years, and then modestly spread my jacket out over my bony knees. He encouraged us to clear our mind of clutter.
I looked regretfully over at my face-down cellphone and wondered if I had allotted enough time for this session.
We breathed deeply together and focused on the deep exhalation.
I concentrated hard on resetting my mind, relaxing my body and quieting my nerves. At the same time, I swatted drifting thoughts away like annoying lake flies.
Breathe. “Did I shut my ringer off” Swat!
Breathe. “Wait. Was that my stomach? Oh, man. I should have eaten lunch before I did this.” Swat!
Breathe. “This feels great! Deeply cleansing! I can’t wait to tell Katherine I’m doing this.” Swat!
“Good lord. Stop thinking and just breathe! You’re wasting your session!” Swat! Swat!
Breathe. Breathe. Breathe.
“Hey, there! I think you’ve got this!” Swat!
In the end, the poor man asked us to commit to five minutes of mindful meditation a day. Five minutes! That’s all!
Eagerly, I agreed.
“Pfft. Five minutes. I could do this stuff in my sleep!”
That was more than three months ago. I have not mindfully meditated since.
WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME??? Swat!
Today, I vow to mindfully meditate and I hope to do it with some of the people I know.
But, I’m pretty sure I need your help.
Do you mindfully meditate?
Do you have an apps or website that help you?
Any tips?
If so please comment. I could use all the help I can get.
Ha ha! I have the same challenge!
Great minds swat alike 🙂
Good for you for trying and starting! My monkey mind would be even monkier if I didn’t meditate. I start every morning with 5-7 minutes of quiet and mindful breathing. After coffee, I meditate 20 minutes with a timer. And most days I listen to a short talk or guided meditation during the day. If my husband is up for it, we’ll do another 15 minute meditation before bed. The best app for me is Insight Timer. StressFree from the Cleveland Clinic is also excellent. Meditation has made a big difference in my life. I’ve been doing it since the early 90’s. I teach mindfulness meditation; I see the impact it has on people, especially in the prison where I teach. Good luck, keep going!
I wish I lived closer. I’d love to take your class. Thanks for your work in the prisons. What a valuable thing to do!
Laura,
One of the worst things in life for me is night time. It is at this time that my mind goes into overdrive and I find that sleep is the last thing that comes my way. I found these awesome videos on Youtube and it has made a huge difference for me.I can now sleep. You can use them anytime for meditation. The videos are from the Honest Guys. I listen to them all the time.
Thank you John. I will try one tonight!