I have a confession to make. I don’t always meditate every day, even though I tell everyone they should.
What happens to me is what happens to most of us. We have every intention to stop, to sit still for brief time, to just be. But life gets going, we get revved up, and the day slips by before we know it. We smack our foreheads on the way to bed and say “Oops, I forgot to meditate today!”
I wrote a book about learning to meditate, and I wrote an e-program about how to become a confident sleeper, so, for the most part, I practice what I preach. Not to be goody-two shoes perfect, but because I really do understand how I benefit from doing what I tell other people to do.
But I get sloppy. I convince myself that as an experienced meditator who knows the value of it, I will remember to sit every day – but this really isn’t true. I go on automatic pilot, get through the entire day, and smack my forehead on the way to bed, just like everyone else.
When I was talking with my coach about how I was having trouble with my spiritual connection, she asked me how often I was sitting. Big (huge) light bulb moment! There is a direct correlation between how often I meditate and how connected I feel to my spiritual source.
At her suggestion, I changed my practice from that of “I know I will remember to sit every day because I write about this and I’m a seasoned meditator and I’m really cool with this, thanks” to something really brilliant. I decided to set a time that I will meditate every day. Okay, snicker if you want. I’m just trying to be honest here, even if it makes me look like a bit of a doofus.
After I implemented this brilliant plan, I sat every day, usually for 45 mins to an hour. I did this for 10 days. Here is what happened during that time. I slept really well every night. I was open and creative, and completely concentrated and focused when I needed to be. I loved myself and those around me. I was inspired and inspiring. I was connected to my spiritual source. In short, life was great!
And then one day, I “forgot” to meditate. It wasn’t on purpose. I was out running errands and didn’t get back in time, and then it slipped my mind that day. The next day, I managed to sit but not at the appointed time. Slippery slope. In an amazingly short period of time, I had reverted to my former hit and miss approach.
And guess what? Didn’t sleep as well. Not as creative. Not able to focus like before. Striving for spiritual connection, but feeling like it eluded me. Inspiration was a distant memory.
What have I learned from this fall from grace? Simply this, it really was a fall from grace.
Do I want grace? You bet. I love grace. I love the way it makes me feel. And I know how to get it. Every day, at the appointed hour, all I have to do is Sit.
And say to myself every day that what is most important is most important. Act on it. Every day. My life will work better, I promise.
{ 12 comments… read them below or add one }
Kat,
I truly appreciate your humility and honesty about yourself. You are so right about the many benefits of meditation. But like everything else in life, it takes consistency and practice to reap the greatest rewards. Thanks so much for inspiring us to do our best – but also, reminding us that we don’t have to be perfect. We can always just start over.
Blessings & joy to you!
Renee Ludwigs
http://www.jouneytopalmcanyon.com
Thanks Renee. You inspire me to keep at it, just like I inspire you. We are all on this journey together, yes?
WOW, I loved this! I so needed to read this, because I truly want to be at peace in this life and meditating truly helps me achieve it.
I know exactly what you mean, Tabitha. We all want to be at peace, and the funny thing is, it’s only a cushion away! Next time you sit, think of me sitting with you. Create a sangha in your mind:)
Thought this was interesting – I’m doing a program called 30 Days to Grace (http://www.dianesieg.com/30daystograce.html) that author/speaker/yogi Diane Sieg created for this very reason: in her case she was a yoga practitioner who kept not finding the time to practice. The 30 Days program combines breathing, yoga, meditation and journaling around a set intention where you want things to happen or are hoping to shift energy. But for me, perhaps one of the most enlightening parts of the practice is in the dailiness of it – both in how different the “same” thing can feel from day to day (when you actually do it every day at the same time) and in the larger changes that ripple out into my life like, as you mention, better sleep, creativity, etc. Have particularly noticed the change around the meditation portion, which I used to dread (5 minutes seemed like forever) and now look forward to!
Thanks for sharing your insights, Anne. It is interesting that when we meditate daily, we begin to look forward to it. And that we begin to notice how different we are each day in our meditation — and the “ripples” it creates in our day to day lives. Such a richness meditation brings to our awareness, our mindfulness, our lives — we are indeed fortunate beings!
I love the honesty of your post, Kat. It’s so typical for all of us to stop doing what we know is best for us, from time to time. Which just means that we’re human. If I didn’t set a time each day to exercise and meditate it would be so easy for me to “forget” … I think a lot of us need “structure” in our lives to help keep us on track. Thanks for sharing your story!
Ellen
http://www.wellnessjourneys.com/blog
Well, Ellen, it was a pretty big moment for me when you asked whether I might consider setting a specific time to meditate each day. You are right about needing structure for something as important as meditation. Thanks for your, as usual, excellent coaching!
I just had this a-ha moment with my own coach this morning!! I did a 21-day meditation habit creation, and slowly but surely after the 21 days was complete, my meditation regularity began to wane. And like you, so did my quality of sleep and creativity. I, too, set a time of day to meditate, but I’ve been getting up a bit later recently (probably because I haven’t been sleeping well), and my meditation time slips right by. Time to make some adjustments. This post is right in alignment with where I am today. Thanks. And thanks to Ellen for sharing on Twitter =)
Thanks Dian for for demonstrating the subtle way we slip out of our practice. Interesting to note that you weren’t sleeping as well when not meditating. Wonder how many other meditators have been able to clearly see this link between meditating during the day and sleeping well at night?
As always, a positive there with every apparent negative – so you. It’s so true – even those of us who practice a variety of “spiritual” rituals because we know their value slip now & then, yet the forward movement never really stops as we simply choose to take wisdom to a higher level once we’re learned something yet again. Just speaks to how deeply & unconsciously practiced old patterns can be. Am reminded of a quote by Portia Nelson: “I’m astounded at how long it takes to discover . . . for the first time, the things I have learned . . . over and over again all my life.”
I love that quote Judy! It reminded me of myself in my early days of learning to meditate. I too was always astonished when I “learned” something or had some new great insight, and then remembered that I already knew that. Sort of like Groundhog Day for meditators:)