Good day!
I hope all is well for you. Today’s lesson is sitting quietly.
Buddhahood
When one thinks of meditation, often Buddha comes to mind. We have all seen the Buddha statue of Buddha in his mediation lotus position.
In meditation, as with anything, posture is key. Sit upright. The goal is to create thought. It is said that praying is talking to God, and meditation is listening to God. But we can get in the state of mind. If you sit and meditate, you will get enlightenment and join the Buddhahood those who gain enlightenment.
Bodhi spot
So, the Bodhi spot is where Buddha obtained enlightenment. We can’t all go to this spot. It is far away for one thing. We live busy lives. But we can find a nice quiet place to sit and tune out the world for a while. find peace of mind, find a bit of happiness, and listen to God whatever that means to you.
Mindfulness in every day situations
To me, it would be ideal to live a very simple life. I think society in general has made this world a lot more complicated than it needs to be. But, that is the world in which we live. We have so much to do. We have work, home projects, yard work, house work, the kids have to go here and there. It is enough to make your head spin. Just when you think you have it all under control something happens. Am I right? You may be wondering with all this going on how can I take time to meditate. My question is how can you not? Now I admit, I love meditation. I like it more than most. If I could make money meditating, I would be rich.
Meditation, mindfulness actually helps you to get through all those other every day things. Remember, meditation is all about being alert. When you live in mindfulness, you are aware and focused. You are more capable of handling anything that comes your way better than with out it.
With meditation, you have better judgement. You are more calm. You are more self-controlled. Put that all together and you have good results in all actions that you take. You take things one at a time. You are not trying to resolve several issues at once. When you do that, you handle it right the first time. You don’t have to waste time doing anything again to get it done right. You will be in control of your world instead of the world being in control of you.
Be whole
We are pulled in so many directions. Does it ever feel to you that you are falling apart? Well. with meditation, you become whole again. When your mind is focused, your entire being is focused. When one meditates, your mind brings everything back to center. You feel whole again.
Baby Steps
Do you remember learning how to walk? I do. I can remember my mom placing me on my feet and my dad, crouched down saying, “come to papa”. I also remember thinking how hard this walking thing was. I was probably only trying to walk 8-10 feet. But it seemed a lot farther. But I also remember the sense of accomplishment I had when I made it to papa.
This is how it is with meditation. If you try to meditate like Buddha, you are going to be very frustrated. Buddha was a master. If you try to be enlightened right away, you will get discouraged. So, take baby steps. Just start by sitting quietly. You don’t have to sit in the lotus position either if that is too hard. But do sit up straight and have good posture. Now, just close your eyes and relax. Don’t think about anything. You may want to set a timer. That way you can keep meditating without wondering about how long you have been sitting there. I suggest you start with 10 minutes. That may not sound like much, but it takes time to work up to 20 or 30 minutes.
Just sit there. Don’t think about anything. If a thought comes into your head, acknowledge it and let it go. Now, what do you notice? Unless you are in a sound proof room, you will hear something. You may hear cars. You may hear birds. You may hear an airplane. Maybe you can hear children playing. What do you feel? Can you feel a breeze? Can you feel the sun? What is your body doing? Sense your breath. Sense your rib cage expanding, your lungs. We take breathing for granted we rarely think about the mechanics of it. How about your muscles? Are they relaxed or tense? If you feel tension, let it go. Did your shoulders just fall a little? How about your jaw? Now, are there any smells? Are you baking something? How about the neighbors? Do they have something cooking, a BBQ perhaps? And just about now, your 10 minutes are probably up. That was not so bad now was it?
You did it!
You just meditated.
I really want to help people to become mindful. Let me know how you are doing. I could really use the feedback. Thanks!
Remember, these are just the first steps. We will get deeper and deeper as time goes on.
Take Care!
www.facebook.com/lisaylifecoach
Lisa Y coaching.