Monday, January 25, 2016

Meditation

This past year, one of my goals was to meditate more, and to make the goal more attainable, I had dedicated a month per different type of meditation. I was going to do walking meditation, hugging meditation, sitting meditation and tea meditation every day for a month or two depending on how it went. I have learned though, that that goal wasn't specific enough. It would have served me better to stick a number on each type, so I had a quantitative measure. I am sad to say that I don't think I have really made a lot of progress in this goal. ( I think I already do ok with moving meditation so that one wasn't included).

However, I can say that some are easier than others. And some are simpler to do with relation to time invested. For example, tea meditation, while best done in a single go can be done with every sip. If I am mindful, I can stop, breathe, and be in the moments each time I have a sip of tea. I can taste what went into making this cup of tea. The sun, the rain, the dirt, the people who picked the leaves, the people who sent them to be packaged, the people who drove them to the store, to the people who put them on the shelf, to myself by boiling the water and making the tea. It is being in the moment, and appreciating what I have.

I also enjoyed the hugging meditation. This one was hard to plan with the approach I took. I went in thinking that at a certain time each day, I would engage in hugging meditation. That didn't work too well, as it just felt too forced and awkward. However, I have succeeded in hugging my family more. And for a longer stretch at a time. I aim for 3 breaths in that hug - one to thank the person for being there, one to tell them I love them, and one to just enjoy this time with them. It's easy to get busy, and neglect those closest to us. Hugs are good.

No comments: