Read that title again; I bet you thought it read “Motivation” instead of “Meditation!” But maybe, just maybe, I can help you motivate yourself to try meditation, if it isn’t already part of your regular practice!
Oh, and for the record? I don’t give two hoots for what anyone says you should do properly for meditation. There’s no one right way to meditate. Does whatever you do to meditate work for you? Great! Then do that. Does what one of the experts says to do work for you? Great! Then do that.
Maybe it’s a minute in your parked car before you go in to your office first thing in the morning.
Or maybe it’s five minutes in your recliner after you’ve tucked your kidlet into bed for the fourth time after requests for “just one more story” or “I’m thirsty!”
Just maybe it’s first thing in the morning, on a bench in the back yard as the birds are singing up the sun at dawn.
And maybe it’s in the moments when you feel stuck, when you can’t decide which of the seventeen things on your to-do list need to be done next, and you stop to take a breath, repeat a favorite mantra, and then carry on with whatever.
I’ve blogged about meditation a few times over the years, and it continues to be one of the items in my wellness toolkit that I take out regularly and use at times other than my preferred morning meditation habit.
I have moments when I’m feeling just plain stuck. (Can you relate?) Can’t decide what to do next. Overwhelmed with ALL THE THINGS. In enough pain that I don’t want to do anything, no matter what’s on the to-do list. On occasion, I feel like my thoughts are a messy tangle, and I need to figure out how to slowly, carefully find the ends of each thought so I can roll them up into tidier balls.
At those moments, sometimes I’ll remember to take a deep breath and quietly repeat something along these lines from the late, very wise Thich Nhat Hanh:
In, out.
Deep, slow.
Calm, ease.
Simple, release.
Present moment, wonderful moment.
That is similar to this, slightly longer mantra:
Breathing in, I calm my body.
Breathing out, I smile.
Dwelling in the present moment,
I know this is a wonderful moment.
Meditation has many benefits. It can decrease your blood pressure, improve your concentration, and help you loosen up tense muscles. Those are all good things. And best of all? It doesn’t require hours and hours to do. (If you WANT to meditate for an hour, absolutely go for it!)
It can be that minute in the chaos that you take for yourself to get unstuck.
What positive mantra will you repeat to yourself for a meditation minute today?
Cheers! Here’s to your health!