I recently joined the Y with my kids so we could workout together. I have not lifted weights for a while, so my muscles are a little bit sore. I continue to work out because I know they will eventually get used to it and it also makes me feel much better. I think it is like that with meditation as well.
We hesitate to get started because our world is so full of so many noises. Just to sit in the quiet, the mind starts working extra hard and I can really hear the mind saying,”I should be doing this instead of sitting still”. But once you discipline yourself to sit, even for just 5 minutes, your mind starts to get used to it and then really yearns for that quiet time each day. My muscles, even though they are sore, enjoy going back to the gym and being worked each day. They will get stronger and stronger as I go and work them on the cardio machines and the weight machines. My connection to God, Spirit, Universal Oneness, also gets stronger and stronger as I sit in the stillness.
For me when I started meditation it was a struggle of sitting still. It seemed like a minute was an eternity. But now I feel that there is nothing more valuable to me than to sit down, quiet everything and sit in the stillness. To join the oneness of all. It calms me. It gives me direction. I feel more focused and energized to go through my day. Just like my muscles will strengthen, my meditations strengthen as I sit.
If you are just starting to meditate start off with 5 or 10 minutes. Just sit and close your eyes. Take about 5 or 10 deep breaths and feel your body relax wherever you are sitting. Just let go of all thoughts that come up. I like to say, “thank you, but not now” and push them out of my mind. As you sit, meditation improves. Do not judge your time sitting. Just start. Relax, breathe.
Believe me, as a single mother of 3 kids, I am busy. Meditation was difficult. I had thoughts racing throughout my mind constantly but I never gave up. I sat each day during a 30 day meditation class
and my meditation really improved when I started sitting with a local meditation group twice a week. I found that it wasn’t as distracting as it was at home and the energy I experienced in the group setting was amazing.
Try meditating alone or in group, if one is near. But just sit. You’ll be surprised how much sitting in the stillness will change your life.