I am thankful for meditations. While I mostly practice within the Zen school of thought for it, I have also adapted my own styles depending on the context of the situations that I am sitting in. For example, sometimes I meditate with eyes open, and sometimes I meditate with eyes closed. Often, I count my breaths on each inhale and exhale. At other times, I breathe along to various mantra patterns. Soft background music or silence. Regardless, the focus is always on stillness. Can I reduce unnecessary movements within my body? Then, can I also begin to slow down and reduce unnecessary thoughts within my mind?
In the middle of the whirlwind, can you hit pause?
-Jeff Warren
A struggle for me, emotionally, becomes an excitement that I wrestle with when I begin to see progress. That spike in feeling pulls me out of stillness, so I am still learning to recognize and appreciate my achievements while also recentering on the task at hand. Otherwise, I quickly revert back to rampant thoughts that flutter and float every which way. As my body relaxes into stillness, my mind can heighten like that in response.
Find a moment of stillness; give your heart a chance to tell you where you really need to be.
-Dodinsky
Once that next level or layer begins to relax into stillness as well, that is where lots of growth and development can start to slowly unfold and flourish. Meditations permit us to shine a light on spots that we often ignore or do not see under the surface. Stillness helps us face our doubts and fears; do not keep running from them. Dive down with them in stillness. Invite them in for tea, and then you will see that we can all live in harmony.
When everything is moving and shifting, the only way to counteract chaos is stillness. When the surface is wavy, dive deeper for quieter waters.
-Kristin Armstrong
Meditating does not suit my original or default behavioral style. I used to be way too hyper and chatty. Over time, and with plenty of practice, I have gained greater control over my body and mind. I still have a long way to go, but I am proud of my progress, and it motivates me to keep improving. Consistently carving out curated time to consciously do seemingly nothing can feel very difficult. Take it easy. Be gentle. Start small. Go slow.
The divine flow that wants to move through me requires stillness.
-Frank Baron
I believe most, if not all of us, can set aside a couple of five minute time periods each day. That is really and truly all you need to begin. Five minutes to sit still and count breaths. No fancy postures necessarily. Simply relax some while connecting with your body, mind, and soul. Step away from the external and internal noise. We each have a fountain of truth bubbling up within us. When were you last still and quiet enough to tune into it? What did it have to share with you? It awaits our reconnection with yet another lesson. Will you check back in again? I hope you will soon be thankful for meditations, too :) <3
Maybe it is wise. Maybe it is dumb. Time will tell.