I’m heading into a five day meditation retreat this afternoon. Beyond my focus on Ujjayi breathing during yoga practice, I can’t say I’ve ever really meditated. I have to confess that I’m pretty anxious about it (to the point of having a stress dream the other night) which in some ways feels counter-intuitive to the whole point of meditation…however, I also have this feeling deep in my gut that meditation is a powerful missing link in my health journey and that now is the right time to explore what this practice has to offer. I’m choosing to trust my gut on this one.
The science behind the benefits of meditation is convincing. Using meditation to treat everything from the symptoms of heart disease to post-traumatic stress disorder has been published. There’s even science to suggest it delays the thinning of the frontal cortex of the brain typically seen as we age. If you follow Oprah or Deepak Chopra, you may be aware of the 21-Day Meditation Challenge they are currently leading which has over 600,000 participants. My point – meditation isn’t just for yogi gurus, meditation is powerful natural medicine.
For me personally, I hope this journey into meditation will provide two things: 1) an ability to maintain calm and clarity amidst the chaos that is my life (full-time job, two small children, etc), and 2) a greater ability to appreciate the beauty of the present moment, letting go of my focus on worries about the past and fears about the future.
You could say I’ve been stuck in a heavy contemplation phase for months now about committing to meditation. Books I’ve read (and then often stopped once I get to the part where they want me to commit to daily practice) include, Full Catastrophe Living and Buddhism for Mothers.
I think my biggest struggle is in making the commitment to daily practice. Where do I find the time? How can I truly relax and focus when I know my kids could barge in on me at any moment? How do I stop myself from falling asleep while practicing (which is a realistic concern to a sleep-deprived mom)? These are the questions and excuses I tell myself.
So, my solution to get “unstuck” from contemplation is to jump in with both feet and head to a five day retreat. No cell phones, computers or makeup allowed (the last requirement is my own).
I’ll look forward to reporting back on my experience next week. Namaste!
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Image by MeditationMusic.net