I am in a Book Club, not just any book club but one where we read books on Spirituality. As a disgruntled Catholic I was searching for something more for myself. Something to bring about more peace, calm and serenity into my life.
So far we’ve read 4 or 5 books and they all recommend meditation (no surprise there). So I decided to Commit to Sit for 5 minutes each day and try to calm the chaos of my brain. I try to be gentle with myself and not beat myself up if I start thinking about other things. It’s hard! The mind just wants to roam and wander around. The point is that I’m trying. Some days are easier than others and some days I can do more than 5 minutes and others I cannot. I’ll keep practicing. My Committment is to Sit.
Meditation should not be put on your To Do List! Just set aside a time that you will not have any interuptions and some time to just sit. I use a timer so that I won’t keep wondering how long I’ve been sitting. My personal goal is to be able to sit down and go to that place, rather quickly, where my mind is calm, and be able to stay there for an extended period of time. Being new to this, I don’t want to get overwhelmed and disgruntled that I can’t find zen right away, so I set my timer. That way, the little voice isn’t nagging me “are we done yet!” You need to find what will work for you!
First thing in the morning after my first cup of coffee (of course) I sit and meditate for 5 minutes. I set a timer and then just sit and try to focus on one word as I visualize a white bulls-eye. The bulls-eye brings my focus in and the one word mantra helps to keep other thoughts away. When I realize my thoughts are starting to drift, I gently pull my attention back to the bulls-eye and the one word. When the timer goes off I either finish or go for another 5 minutes.
Meditating gives me a sense of accomplishment first thing in the morning and helps to start my day on a calmer note!
You have to figure out what works for you, but keep trying different things until you find something that seems do-able. Good Luck!
Namaste
Here is a list of the Books we have read thus far:
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Be Here Now by Ram Dass
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Essential Spirituality by Roger Walsh
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The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz
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The Spirituality of Imperfection by Ernest Kurtz and Katherine Ketcham
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The Great Work by Thomas Berry