There is a Zen proverb that goes something like this: “If you don’t have time to meditate for an hour everyday, you should meditate for two hours.” It sounds counterproductive but it is SO true!
I don’t meditate for an hour, but I try to sit for 15 minutes every morning, and I schedule little ‘mini-meditation minutes’ throughout the day: I have alarms set on my phone to go off every few hours. If I’m not in a meeting or teaching , I just close my eyes (if possible) for a minute, breathe slowly and deliberately, and center. At the risk of seeming overdramatic, meditation has saved my life!
I’ve only been consistently ‘sitting’ for a couple of years, and found that this practice works for me. When I tried to make myself do longer sessions in the morning, they often would get pushed aside by an early morning appointment. After much experimentation, I discovered a 15-minute session is the perfect blend of doable and productive.
AND, I have learned something miraculous. When I wake up stressed about upcoming tasks or trying to fit everything into the day that needs to happen, if I extend my session from 15 minutes to a half hour, even though it took more time out of an already packed schedule, my day went much more smoothly. I moved more easily from task to task, with less fretting in between, and with more focus and motivation to approach the undertaking with a fuller heart.
With the schedule I have right now (yes, I’m looking at you hard, retirement!), trying to meditate an hour would just be setting myself up to fail. But I CAN do 15 (and when necessary, 30) minutes in the morning and 1 minute several times a day.
And I don’t have to set up my chanting CD, or find a special cushion, or light a candle.
I can quiet down and breathe in my car, waiting in line in the supermarket, and even while my students are getting out their assignments or moving into discussion groups. Those moments have effects long past the one minute I’ve allotted to the exercise.
And they add up, maybe not to an hour, but they add up.
Would you like to enhance your mental clarity, reduce stress, and increase your sense of well-being?
I am offering a free online zoom event on Monday in which I will be sharing the ways to deepen (or develop) your meditation practice!
Come and be still, breathe, and center. You can learn more HERE.
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