So true and beautifully said. Thank you for this reminder of how far I've come!! I was like you. Nonstop, for years. And now I can sit and breathe without freaking out about my feelings! Thank you for sharing!
You’re right about the business. And it’s even worse now that we can pack our phones around to fill every little scrap of time with screen. People even use their phones to meditate, so you have to think about setting a timer and getting the meditation track going. Then you wonder when the alarm is going to go off. Just sitting there is even harder.
Yes, the more reliant we are on our technology, the more essential stillness becomes. We need to unplug, get back in nature, and just be still to reconnect with ourselves. It's hard.
Hi Janine. Since I started meditating I’ve noticed that at times emotion can overcome me as well. But I’ve also noticed that as much as I concentrate on the meditation there are still thoughts that try to flutter in. Some days more so than others. It is never a completely tranquil experience is that normal?
Completely normal. Sometimes the mind empties for periods of time, sometimes it's just one thought after another. The practice is letting go of your attachment to the thoughts so they don't bother you. When you step back from thinking into awareness, you find more of the stillness. Though often it's never fully still. You don't need to empty your mind, though that can happen. The goal is to sit with whatever comes up and notice it without attachment.
It's taken me so long to realize this. I used to try to escape what I was feeling because I thought my mind was supposed to be empty. But now I think the point is just being present and aware with whatever comes up. To just feel and observe it, and then realize that the feeling isn't me. It is, as you said, information. But I don't have to *do* anything with it except acknowledge it's presence and then let it go. And when I can do that, I suddenly feel so much more peaceful.
You've got it Miguel! Many people think they can't meditate because they can't get their thoughts to stop, but it's letting go of your attachment that brings peace, not stopping the thoughts.
So true and beautifully said. Thank you for this reminder of how far I've come!! I was like you. Nonstop, for years. And now I can sit and breathe without freaking out about my feelings! Thank you for sharing!
Thank YOU for sharing. It's always nice to know I'm not alone. Intellectually I know, but it's nice to get the validation.
You’re right about the business. And it’s even worse now that we can pack our phones around to fill every little scrap of time with screen. People even use their phones to meditate, so you have to think about setting a timer and getting the meditation track going. Then you wonder when the alarm is going to go off. Just sitting there is even harder.
Yes, the more reliant we are on our technology, the more essential stillness becomes. We need to unplug, get back in nature, and just be still to reconnect with ourselves. It's hard.
Hi Janine. Since I started meditating I’ve noticed that at times emotion can overcome me as well. But I’ve also noticed that as much as I concentrate on the meditation there are still thoughts that try to flutter in. Some days more so than others. It is never a completely tranquil experience is that normal?
Completely normal. Sometimes the mind empties for periods of time, sometimes it's just one thought after another. The practice is letting go of your attachment to the thoughts so they don't bother you. When you step back from thinking into awareness, you find more of the stillness. Though often it's never fully still. You don't need to empty your mind, though that can happen. The goal is to sit with whatever comes up and notice it without attachment.
It's taken me so long to realize this. I used to try to escape what I was feeling because I thought my mind was supposed to be empty. But now I think the point is just being present and aware with whatever comes up. To just feel and observe it, and then realize that the feeling isn't me. It is, as you said, information. But I don't have to *do* anything with it except acknowledge it's presence and then let it go. And when I can do that, I suddenly feel so much more peaceful.
You've got it Miguel! Many people think they can't meditate because they can't get their thoughts to stop, but it's letting go of your attachment that brings peace, not stopping the thoughts.