"I just can't sit still", " My mind never stops thinking of things. I have too much to do."
I know! So much to do. So much to think about. So much going on. Well, now , in our accommodating culture, we have phone apps for 1 minute meditations! So we only have to stop what we are doing for one minute- less time than it take to fill our cars with gas, check our social media sites or stand in line at the bank, oh , or better yet, stand in line at dunkin donuts. Wait! Now we can meditate while we stand in line! Perfect.
Thank goodness for this, because now we don't have to put our phone down. Because if we do not have our phone in hand, we are somehow less connected in, we are somehow less of a person.
And now we have one more thing to stress about: how much we are not meditating.
So, first, let's get rid of the word " meditate."
Don't get me wrong. The practice of meditation is as powerful and important as breathing or resting. We all need to breathe. We all need to rest.
Meditation is breathing and resting.
So, think about your rest time in the day. When do you slow down for a little while? Yes, you do. Everyone takes breaks in the day, we just do not recognize them as breaks because we are still doing: on the phone, having a coffee { oh , here's that coffee reference again.. but, hey, america does run on dunkins, or so I hear....}, facebooking, twittering, watching television... Not that any of these things are bad- I am just saying that Doing something does not equal rest.
Sitting at a park, walking in the woods, even closing your eyes at your desk is resting.
Sleeping is another whole thing. Sleeping at your desk = exhaustion.
I am referring to "down time."
I am referring to "down time."
Kind of like " Time out" for kids.
When kids act up, misbehave, go crazy, it is a custom to put them in TIME OUT. This may be a corner, a specific chair, a designated Time Out space. It is a gentle way of punishing bad behavior. Sorry for the harsh words- maybe it's not punishment.... after all punishment is a " bad " word.
Imagine if we used " meditate " instead?
" Little Joey! THat's it! Go and meditate for 5 minutes! "
hmmmmm. interesting thought.
Anyway, Time OUt works. I have done it with my kids. I have even taken myself into Time out.
What Time out really does is give everyone a few moments to pull out of the crazies that are going on- gives everyone a chance to regroup- stops the momentum of an unfolding incident.
So what if we just changed our verbage for the sake of getting past the stress of meditating?
We will call it TIME OUT.
" Mom, what are you doing?"
" oh just taking a time out."
" Can you forward that email asap?"
" Sure, boss, just going to take a time out first."
" Why are you late?"
" I am sorry. I had to take a time out."
You get the picture!
Oh wow, so now , in our day, we get a TIME OUT! A FREE PASS! When are you going to do this? From this moment forward,
Let's commit to taking a TIME OUT every day. Your own Golden Moments stolen in the beginning, middle or end of the day. Maybe you can designate a corner, or a chair, or a room! All to yourself for your own Time Outs. Cool. And noone will think you've turned guru- zen- ish. Maybe you can even put a cup of coffee in front of you to start. Totally acceptable.
In this TIme Out, you are going to breathe. Just pay attention to your breath. Feel it coming in and expanding your lungs. Sense where you feel it come in. Feel it leaving you as you exhale. Notice where and what you feel. Can you feel the muscles in your belly contracting as you breathe out? Notice your feet, your tailbone, your butt as they connect to the floor, and hence to the earth. feel your spine lengthen. Feel your shoulders relax. Close your eyes. do not worry about thoughts that come. They will come. Just let them come and go. feel your self relaxing........ Open your eyes and breathe.
TIME OUT OVER.
Feeling refreshed , rested and ready? You will. Stay with it.
T
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