Puppy love

My cold had me awake at 6 A.M. today - Saturday. To top it off, Mr. Meow doesn't do weekends either, so for him 6 A.M. is breakfast time any day of the week. I got up, found my nose spray, and fed the cat. Everyone else was asleep so I figured I may as well do a morning meditation.

Meditating has gotten so much easier these past months. I wouldn't say it's effortless, but it's not nearly as tedious as it could feel in the beginning with thoughts ricocheting all over the place. This is where I'm at instead today, and most of what I've learned is from the authors Jack Kornfield and Ola Schenström:

- I realize that my body is breathing me. In other words I can just let that action go and occur naturally.

- I don't forbid thoughts and sensations from entering my mind. Instead I recognize them by name. For example, if I'm hungry I say to myself, "Hunger." If I start mauling about something from the past, I say to myself, "Memory." If I start imagining something that has not yet happened, "Future." And those gentle labels are enough to keep me anchored in the moment.

- Being able to separate the thoughts that come from my mind from my meditation is a big step for me. It becomes really apparent that the mind is a part of me, but it's not who I am. Imagining that my mind is more like a playful puppy that has to be reminded to take it down a notch also helps to keep my frustration at bay. (The puppy gets to go to the park to play when I blog instead.)

- Once my puppy settled down, I realized that I so wanted to feel that presence deep within me that appears every now and then. At the same moment I realized that "wanting" that is exactly what will prevent me from experiencing that. Even there, I had to let go. If the presence arose - great.

- If not, it's enough to be still. And even if "nothing" happens, I'll still get the benefit of feeling like I've taken a micronap when I'm done.

Om shanti om.

Picture from google