Simple Meditation

I try my best to sit daily for meditation in my little Arlington, VA home.  I aim for quiet time – free from dog & husband.  I aim to  keep it simple – no Zafu cushion, no fancy mantra or expensive meditation timer.  It’s already challenging enough to simply carve out the time, even if it’s just 5-10 minutes.  So I don’t beat myself up if I can’t gather the luxury meditation tools or sit for 20+ minutes without the dog licking my face.

When I do sit in my quiet space, it’s just my breath and Timex sports watch.  Usually my intention is to simply feel my inhalations (feeling expansion & growth) and exhalations (exploring lightness and freedom).  When that seems repetitive, I move to listening to and equalizing my breath –the rhythm of each inhale, the pace of each exhale.

As simple as I try to keep my mediation practice, it’s often very hard.  Sometimes I drift into unfamiliar thoughts –almost like I’m watching a movie because often I don’t recognize the scene or people.  Frequently like most novice meditators, I drift to my “to do” list.  The best is when I have inspirational moments.  These experiences are usually coupled with the sudden urge to write down my creative ideas, but I resist in an effort not to further distract myself from the moment at hand.  The point is I “drift” almost every time I sit.  I really don’t know how many seconds or minutes go by until I catch myself “drifting”.  Does it matter?  As soon as I catch myself, I do my best to return to the simplicity of hearing and feeling my breath.

One thing I’ve learned over the years that has put me at ease is drifting is human and there are many ways to meditate –walking, sitting, eyes open, eyes closed, chanting mantras, etc.  There isn’t a right or wrong way.  The right way is what works for you.  Just do it and “be” in the moment just as you are.  The wrong way is to skip it all together.

To conclude, keep it simple.  Yes, sometimes the simplicity leaves me feeling nothing which in many ways is the point of meditation.  Other times, I leave my seat with an amazing sense of internal clearing (again feeling “empty”) and a keen awareness that carries me through my day.  The truth is feeling “nothing” is an addictive and healthy feeling.  And the more I sit, the more I want to make the time for it.  I want to continue to keep it simple.  I want to continue to feel “empty”, and I’m okay if my dog wants to lick my face and join me in the process.  Maybe that’s his simple meditation

Tapas

Real change happens when your heart is committed and you’ve dropped the mind’s negative chatter such as I can’t…, I will never be able to…, I should have…, or It’s too late…

If you want it, you can have it –whatever it is.  The key is Tapas. And in many situations, Tapas often relies upon its close friends, patience and optimism.  Tapas is a lot of work but with patience, commitment and a shift in attitude, anything is possible.

Tapas is Sanskrit for discipline.  As the 3^rd Niyama listed in Patanjali’s eight-limbs of yoga, I often think Tapas should be the first.  To fully experience Saucha (cleanliness) and Santosha (contentment), which are the first two Niyamas, mindfulness and full-attention are required.  True discipline (tapas) commands that we are attentive in the moment.

Many times discipline takes months, or even years, of baby steps until we actually reach the top of the mountain.  Discipline asks that we commit to what we are doing in the present time even if it’s uncomfortable or feels risky (i.e., holding Natarajasana 15 breaths or Headstand for five minutes).   As David Swenson said during a Yoga Journal Workshop I took a few years ago “There are fears that keep us alive, and there are fears that keep us from living”.

Getting through the event or achieving the goal that required a committed, disciplined effort, often gives us an energetic rush of confidence and enthusiasm.  The result is we start to realize we really can climb the tallest mountain and do it all!

With the practice of Tapas, our mindset shifts to positive and we feel energetically charged and inspired for what’s to come in life.  This attitude gives us the mantra “anything is possible”.  The key is Tapas.

Things I Want to Share

This posting is simply three great, yet very unrelated, things I’ve stumbled upon over the last week.  I hope you get the same joy out of the randomness of this as I do.  Shanti (Peace).

As I wait for a dear friend (new Mom with baby!) to show up at Busboys & Poets in Arlington, VA, I read… “I like to believe that people in the long run are going to do more to promote peace than our governments.  Indeed, I think that people want peace so much that one of these days governments had better get out of the way and let them have it.”  Dwight D. Eisenhower

MannMadeDesigns.com —I just bought two necklaces from this hip, full-time artist at Art on the Avenue in Del Ray (a hub spot in Alexandria, VA).  I love supporting local artists who are true to their word.  He has a strong vibe and so do his pieces.  Feel it for yourself!

Want to deepen your yoga experience?  Feel overwhelmed every time you pick up a translation of the Yoga Sutras?  I know I usually do!  Sign-up to receive a yoga sutra weekly, delivered to your email.  What better way to learn how to live your yoga daily, one sutra at a time.  Visit AbundantWellBeing.com

Savasana – Live It!

Final rest is what some students can’t wait for in a yoga class – as indicated by the many welcome sighs I often hear.  At least once a week, one of my Washington D.C. or Arlington, VA corporate yoga students will jokingly ask at the beginning of class “can we spend the entire hour in savasana?”

The truth is the blissful feelings generated in corpse pose – peace, joy, ease, lightness – are a result of what we put into our practice.  Really every pose in the asana practice should be about finding bliss and joy.  Ultimately whether we are on the yoga mat, in the office or at the dog park, every moment in our lives is an opportunity to explore ways to have more happiness, tranquility and freedom (or whatever adjective you want to use) as often as possible.

Aparigraha (Sanskrit for “letting go” and one of the primary ethical precepts of yoga) is one of the keys to finding savasana in your yoga practice.  Aparigraha is not just about letting go in your asana flow, but in your life flow.  Egotistic thoughts/actions, tension, worries, judging, anxiety and other stresses of this nature are often the result of thinking things should be a certain way.  Many times we impose a lot of restrictions on ourselves.

In life and asana practice if we just step back and pause (savasana), particularly in the face of conflict/tension, we might just discover that “letting go” is the answer.  The universe flows in mysterious ways – and many times it’s out of our control.  How you respond is always your choice:  flow with it (let go/savasana/forgive) or flow against it (resist/fight/grumble).

In savasana, corpse pose, we are invited to just “be”.  We are not asked to change anything.  We aren’t asked to do anything.  We are simply invited to let go and receive what the moment has to offer.  Being in the moment provides clarity particularly in challenging situations — fight or just be.  Savasana offers a glimpse of being in the flow of life.  And as brief as savasana may be, it is true bliss.  Seize it, enjoy it and learn to find savasana in your daily life!