If you have difficulty sitting down to meditate, you are not alone!
First there’s the time factor. Technology has made it easier than ever to schedule every moment of our day because we’re always connected.
Not too long ago if we were expecting a phone call, we sat at home or at the office waiting for it. Now we can take that call where ever we are.
With an ever-growing list of responsibilities at the forefront of our lives we schedule ourselves silly and unless we schedule in our meditation time or “me time” there won’t be any. We must MAKE the time just to sit down and focus on our breath. Is it just me or is something wrong with that picture? Now before you go thinking I’m some scheduling Guru, I can assure you I don’t always ‘schedule’ time for myself.
The problem is, the less time I find to meditate, the less time it seems I HAVE to meditate; Or do anything else for that matter. In fact, on the days I make time to meditate I’m not only more effective and less overwhelmed completing my tasks, but I actually have MORE time (left over) in my day. I’m not really sure what this phenomenon is, but I can tell you from personal experience it’s true!
So you’ve scheduled in the time to meditate and now comes an even bigger challenge…actually meditating! I hear all the time from my clients, friends and energy worker colleagues how challenging it is to quiet the mind once you do sit down. I not only hear it from them but for as long as I’ve meditated there are times it’s challenging for me too.
Yes, I know what happens. You settle in, start to calm things down and then suddenly remember some task you forgot to complete or phone call that must be made or something that just has to be done right at that moment. Maybe you need to check Facebook or Twitter one last time…. Or you left the laundry in the washer….or you need to feed the cat or dog. Sound familiar?
We’ve become so used to “doing”, “responding” and not wanting to miss anything, it’s challenging even under the best of circumstances to quiet all of it down. What I’d like you to notice in all of that is the biggest challenge we have is bringing our attention back to ourselves. Tuning in to our breath. Focusing on OUR OWN needs.
One of the reasons (there are several but for the sake of keeping this less than a full novel I’ll only address one or two) it’s so challenging is because all our attention and energy is caught up in those things outside of us. It’s not that WE stop ourselves from inner peace and calm, it’s the energies we answer to that don’t want us to turn our attention inward.
Makes sense right? If we take a moment to get organized around our own energy, thoughts, wants and needs, who will take care of everyone else’s energy, thoughts, wants and needs? Once we start healing ourselves, others cannot control us, or get us to heal them, or give up our space to them so easily. Also, when you meditate consistently, your life begins to change rapidly.
You’ve heard the sayings “misery loves company” or “we love you don’t ever change”? Well, you can choose to be in that company or you can choose to move on. You can choose to stay the same and not change; Repeating the same patterns your whole life or you can acknowledge that when you sit down to meditate there may be other energies trying to stop you.
It’s important to recognize that in taking the path of healing and light, there are some that may not choose to go with you. They may not want to change and it may make them uncomfortable that you do. This doesn’t make them bad or unaware. It just might be they are on a different journey and not ready to step up in the same way, at the same time, you are. Acknowledge and validate where others are in their life. It’s ok for you to be where you are and it’s ok for them to be where they are.
Honor and respect others choices. The journey within is not about judging others or getting them to do it with you. It’s just the opposite. It’s caring for yourself and your needs. It’s about bringing your energy and attention back to you so you can be more of who you are and in doing so, by being around you, others have permission to (choose to) heal and be themselves.
If you find it difficult or downright impossible to sit down and meditate on any given day, try it for 5 or 10 minutes, then come back and do another 5 or 10 minutes later. In other words, give yourself a break. You might just be dealing with SO MUCH ENERGY that’s not yours it takes a while to clear.
So, schedule a meditation date with yourself and honor your “me time”. Although there are times when you need to break up the meditation (time), try to hang in there with a simple “breathe and release”. Break up the energy instead of the length of your mediation. How great is it to take charge of your life and create change on YOUR schedule?~Shine Your Light Debbie
©Debra Taitel 2015 All Rights Reserved
