My breath slows as I continue to slowly inhale and exhale. I relax my body before I relax my mind. Tensions slip away as I breathe through my feet, legs, hips, and belly. With each inhalation I bring in fresh energy, with each exhale I feel my chest, arms, neck and head loosen up. My mind continues to become quieter and slip away as I visualize rainbow colours one at a time flowing through my body. When I am persistent in letting go of goals, of time, of my breathing, I find a place of timelessness centred in my heart. In that place there is no thought, no attachments, no feelings, just spaciousness. There is no self, no I.
More often when I try to meditate, the hummingbirds in my mind are flitting from flower to flower, and then the bumblebees join them. Or if I decide I am going to "get somewhere" in my meditation all I find is my body sitting in a chair trying
to meditate. Because my mind is such a chatterbox, keeping it simple doesn't seem to work initially. I need to occupy my mind with a mantra, a song, visualize colours, keep breathing, talk to the angels, keep breathing, and then when all the plates are in the air I can let go.
When it comes to meditation I have to be persistent, as Yoda says, "There is no try." I can create many excuses to postpone, procrastinate rather than taking care of myself by meditating. I have to consistently surrender my will, my plan to accomplish something, and just do
my meditation.
Over the years I have practiced many forms of meditation: TM, Zen, Dzo Chen, Native American sweat lodges, a huge variety of guided meditations, breathing meditations, and gardening. Today for my meditations I borrow from each of these forms. I have come to realize there is no right way to meditate. There is only the sincere effort to quiet my mind.
There is a reason why they refer to this process as "the practice of meditation". Each time I meditate I learn something new about myself and, where I am in that moment. I practice contemplation by doing my meditations. There is a profound sense of peace when I am persistent in my efforts to meditate. This sense of peace colours my actions and fills out my soul. After I reach a place of no self, my mind feels so clean, I feel I have been through a double rinse cycle. And often I have found a solution to a challenge which I could not have imagined had I not practiced meditating.
There are many wise people from many cultural traditions that could tell you about taking that first step on your journey to learn how to meditate. The task of quieting your mind can be daunting. But you have to start somewhere. Every interim step on the path to learning how to meditate is a small goal in and of itself. Tackle every goal with a mindset of "do." Do not procrastinate or be overwhelmed. Break your goal up and "do" 5 minutes first. Then extend your meditation goal as you feel more confident and comfortable. This is persistence, doing "one step" at a time, one goal at a time.
Yoda's Wisdom
This week's exercise has two parts. The first is to enjoy the video. The second part is to ask yourself, "What did Yoda tell you to 'do' this week?" Maybe you believe that your goals aren't to learn how to meditate? Maybe you need to watch the video again? Maybe you already practice meditation? Be persistent in the 'doing' of your practice of meditation. I know you have goals. The question is whether you're willing to let the fresh breath of timelessness offer you solutions you never imagined.
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Biography
