Day 1:
First meditative walk with Lucy after work. Of course, It's dark outside now, so I walk with a head lamp on and LED flashlight (and probably look really dumb). We walked for 45 minutes tonight, which is long for us on a weeknight. And during that time, I was seriously attempting to focus on my steps or my breath. But, it was really difficult! I couldn't get into a rhythm. I was walking too quickly to count steps and have it feel like a calming experience. And when I counted or listened to my breathing, I got out of breath. I can't 'watch' my breath, if I focus on it, then I begin to control it. Not a good combination.
When I got home, I got out my yoga mat to do some stretching, and there's where the beginning glimpse of serenity showed up. I felt like I could clear my head more, and breathe into the stretches in complete silence. I was very aware of the oven preheating for my spinach pie, and the house heating system buzzing, and every so often the jarring bark of Lucy in her watch dog role (even though she's barking at the neighbors). It was the most quiet my mind was able to achieve since leaving the house at 6:15 pm for our walk.
And now, my eye lids are sleepy and I'm going to bed...
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Love this Ali...remember that there is no right way to do this. Just taking some time to notice the sounds around you is a meditation in itself!
ReplyDeleteHey Jeanne! Yeah, you're right about 'no right way'. Its hard not to feel like you're failing at meditation when your mind is far from blank. I've struggled with that for years in my 'on again off again' practice. But, it did feel good to notice the silences and the sounds. Baby step progress; AKA BSP. :-)
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