Comments on awake is good: Day 12: Meditation Challenge ~ Navigating through ...

Annie, Falling asleep is pretty common, I guess. I...

2010-01-15T10:58:46.447-05:00

Annie,
Falling asleep is pretty common, I guess. I read one teacher who told a student, if you fall asleep during meditation you need more sleep! I think he is spot on. If I save my meditation time for afternoon or evening I can get pretty sleepy or even fall asleep. (Though I also use it purposely to fall asleep when insomnia hits...) Yes, even though our meditation may have felt less than perfect, it's alright. We came, we sat, we began...Tomorrow we begin again. :-)

Thanks paul, thanks Jan. I for one fall asleep all...

2010-01-15T10:45:04.158-05:00

Thanks paul, thanks Jan. I for one fall asleep all the time during meditation, though I am not aiming for it :-). xoxo
My meditaion today was quick and not very successful, but I showed up and that is the most important part.

Paul, What you say here is perfection! Truly. You ...

2010-01-15T08:57:12.946-05:00

Paul,
What you say here is perfection! Truly. You have summarized what I have been thinking (and trying to say here) with eloquence. Thank you.

"Experts" say just what you say. That sitting meditation lays the groundwork for mindfulness, for turning the mind into an ally. When we sit, everything arises. We become super aware of all that passes through us—thoughts and emotions. In that moment we can lay them down. Then come back to them when the time is right--to learn from, to dig deeper, to let go, to transform--to do whatever we need to do with them to live as our truest most peaceful selves. (Or we do nothing with those thoughts because they are just nonsense, ego ramblings, and we send them on their way.)

And your description of how you came to meditate is wonderful. I hope many people pick up on this....

Thanks for your presence and insights, as always. Love to you...

I am particularly struck by

Liz, Yes, it IS harder to calm the mind when pain ...

2010-01-15T08:52:34.687-05:00

Liz,
Yes, it IS harder to calm the mind when pain or discomfort is present. That thing, the pain or ache, become the focus of our attention. If we can shift our attention, using single-pointed awareness to something other than the pain — our breath for example, or a manta, a phrase —then the mind lets go of grasping and can relax. This is how meditation works. I am sorry to hear that you had a bad night. May today bring you ease.

Laura,
I wondered how you would relate to this post, considering your daily challenges. :-) I love how you turn this in a new direction....to address the pain with curiosity. Marvelous. This is exactly what my husband does when he has pain. He studies it like a scientist! Thereby, disconnecting emotionally from it somehow, which brings greater ease. Right now I would say that you are an expert on this, eh? And doing so with grace....xo

I really do think that learning sitting mediation ...

2010-01-14T22:51:06.481-05:00

I really do think that learning sitting mediation facilitates learning to release unhelpful thoughts as they come in a non-judgmental way.

In sitting meditation, you practice letting go of ALL thoughts. By the time it occurred to me to try letting go of stressful thoughts first at work and in later life with the pain at bedtime, I'd been doing sitting meditation for a long time.

I’m sure that in sitting meditation I learned a genuine mental skill because as the months and then years went by, I got more and more out of it. So when it came to transferring it to other contexts, I could let go of stressful thoughts more easily and reach a quiet place of greater depth than I'd have been able to do otherwise.

People are different, but from my personal experience, sitting meditation turned out to be a lot easier than people often seem to think it has to be. For me it didn’t require a guru or even a special pillow or physical position – just enough patience to sit in a chair starting with only a few minutes and working up to sessions that rarely went beyond 20 or 30 minutes once a day or once every other day.

Thanks so much for sharing this Paul. Rest is so i...

2010-01-14T21:25:37.025-05:00

Thanks so much for sharing this Paul. Rest is so important for healing and difficult to achieve when in the deep darkness of on-going pain. I have lived with chronic pain for many years and have found that meditation/observation and moving into the sensation/pain with curiosity instead of away from it and tensing up in fear/anxiety is also extremely helpful. I am looking forward to checking out your website.

gentle steps,
Laura

It's crazy how so many of your daily articles "fit...

2010-01-14T19:55:23.114-05:00

It's crazy how so many of your daily articles "fit" into what's happening with me day to day. Last night sleep was a stranger. I've been dragging all day. My head was aching & so many thoughts I could not control. I finally drifted to the couch so I could prop myself up better & kept tossing & turning. I think I finally got about 3 hours of intermittent sleep. When I'm in pain...I find it harder to calm my mind.

Paul, A powerful thought, and you are living proof...

2010-01-14T18:36:42.732-05:00

Paul,
A powerful thought, and you are living proof of that. Integrity is one of my favorite words...Peace, too, of course.

Carolynn,
I am continually amazed at our mind's capacity to adapt, close out, fabricate, endure, etc. I'd love the gift of meditating through dental visits!

Jannie,
Oh, yes, our minds need as much rest as our bodies—though it seems to me we do not often honor it in that way. That is why I like to think of mediation as "dropping in." "So nice to know you Ms. self." :-)

Tuti,
Thank you for stopping by in support of Paul and his ever present wisdom. :-) My motto has often been "whatever works." I am big on "tools."

Any aid to help us in this anxiety-filled world is...

2010-01-14T16:39:15.318-05:00

Any aid to help us in this anxiety-filled world is useful.
Thank you for this wonderful collation of meditative skills from many of your inspired writers, Jan.

Thank you Paul, for sharing the calming process in dealing with pain and anxiety. Sleep is also a good thing if one does not succeed to stay in the meditative mode.

Rochelle, As Paul said, the very act of pointing t...

2010-01-14T15:31:17.775-05:00

Rochelle,
As Paul said, the very act of pointing the mind toward something very specific and keeping it focused there begins to create relaxation. the mind wants to jump all over. People who have jumpy minds are well served to do a specific form of concentration meditation. It retrains, corrals, the thoughts, then we naturally settle down inside ourselves. ZZZzzzzz.....

Marie, I appreciate how you share your stress and ...

2010-01-14T15:28:13.016-05:00

Marie,
I appreciate how you share your stress and anxiety and your hope to have it ease with meditation. When we are in high-gear stress or anxiety, it is hard to calm the mind immediately. As someone who has struggled with anxiety, I have had to develop a new relationship with my thoughts. I have come to feel more neutral about them--even anxiety thoughts which I can tell myself I do not like--better to accept that they are just thoughts. Like anger, jealousy, disappoinment, the more we "dislike" having them the more they hook us. (I am wondering if I should do a specific thought on working through anxiety. Perhaps I should....There is a good very personal technique I have developed that I could share. Today, I have very little anxiety as a result.)

Anyway, know that what you are experiencing is normal. Better to take good care of you. Breathe deeply, get up and do something physical (that can relieve the stress), focus on a high-vibration something (even a scene in nature) to shift the energy. The less we focus on "how bad this is" the faster something can change for us. Shift into neutral....Hope that helps. Each day we begin again, each hour if we have to. Blessings!

I learned a lot from Paul here, such as the body n...

2010-01-14T15:15:08.863-05:00

I learned a lot from Paul here, such as the body needs rest, not the mind.

How could I have not known that? Our bodies do need regeneration time, but our minds, our minds, are always on the go, aren't they? Many people travel very far in sleeping dreams.

My Mom meditates her way through dental appointmen...

2010-01-14T14:29:49.069-05:00

My Mom meditates her way through dental appointments - drills, the whole bit. That's a bit advanced for me, I'll admit.

I've meditated to relax & go to sleep when I feel I need a little help with that. When sleep is my goal, it happens so fast, it's amazing.

Jenn, Your comment is testimony to the many facets...

2010-01-14T13:57:30.040-05:00

Jenn,
Your comment is testimony to the many facets of meditation and all the ways that we can choose to experience it. Central to all is some sense of calm abiding. Be here, being now, aware of what is. Doing so, opens all new pathways, some of which describe as "dirty" or "clean" thoughts. Might I suggest a next step on this journey would be "label" them as just thoughts, and take the energy out of them. That way we can settle in much more easily. We offer ourself grace and permission to be with what is. Hugs!

Lisa,
I am SURE we could swap birth stories. I have 3, each completely different. And you have twins!

I can personally attest to the power of meditation to beat insomnia. Metta is amazing for that. As I bless myself and my dear loved ones, ease does come....Paul is right.

Just had this thought... Peace and integrity don’...

2010-01-14T13:33:51.871-05:00

Just had this thought...

Peace and integrity don’t depend on feeling good, not even feeling good in its most significant and profound forms. They’re free-standing – you just need to know where to look for them.

Meditation is one way to start looking.

I'm looking forward to trying meditation the next ...

2010-01-14T13:19:30.152-05:00

I'm looking forward to trying meditation the next time (and there will be a next time) I can't sleep because my mind is racing a 100 miles a minute with various worries, wishes, regrets, fantasies, plans, etc. Thank you Jan and Paul!

Ernestine (One Woman), Thank you for posting this ...

2010-01-14T12:44:28.166-05:00

Ernestine (One Woman),
Thank you for posting this for all of us to benefit from. Your message is so important. You are transparent and open about your journey, and when we are, the doors blow open! I really believe that. I sense greater peace of body, mind and heart will be yours from now on. Self-acceptance is so key.

And how great that you learn from your son. :-) Don't we all, really, if we stay open. I marvel at my daughter, now 27. At age 20 she went off to Iraq, there in the beginning, in the worst of it. She is the most courageous woman I know. Much more brave than me. She has taught me much and I bow to her. :-)

Thank you for sharing yourself in this way. Big hugs!

Jan it just amazes me that somehow your posts seem...

2010-01-14T12:28:06.393-05:00

Jan it just amazes me that somehow your posts seem to work with exactly what I am dealing with each day. I did not get to meditate yesterday as I had a very long, stressful day and night at work. With so much on my mind, I did not sleep well. This morning I decided to take just 5 minutes before leaving for work to meditate to my new cd. I just could not get the busyness out of my mind. The swirling tornado had taken over. As the day is progressing, the busyness continues and the stress has taken over. Then I read what Chris spoke about on your blog, and realized that I need to work through this anxiety and stress with meditation. It has been such a blessing for me thus far, but yesterday and today have been a true challange for me. ~Marie

Jan, okay I say I'm 'joined IN!' please add me to ...

2010-01-14T12:08:44.928-05:00

Jan, okay I say I'm 'joined IN!' please add me to the roster, I'm deep in this now and I do need this! ;) so I will officially commit to go the full course.

You are so intuitive with the flow of this meditation and now being brought to how to deal with pain, and I am right at this part now where some pain (unfelt emotions)are wanting to emerge. It sort of overwhelmed me and I had to walk away and think about it and what was going on, and more journaling!

In my scripture reading lately I have noticed more surfacing to do with altars and thought that it really is so important to continue this helpful and ancient tradition. I think just like prayer it is more for us then it is for the Divine (though it does seem to become the working ground for the connection itself in a form of praise)

I have always loved gemology and never thought this could be part of the sacred meditation though I do use it for healing and soul assistance. So, when you said 'rose quartz meditation' I had to find it,.. and realized, wow I sort of do that already and yet did not connect the dots.

I love what your guest shared in:
"When you stop saying things to yourself, a different kind of consciousness has the chance to emerge."

I have halted and my spirit has focused on what is so, and recognize that i tell myself dirty and clean stories. So, although my heart believes that all is sacred, I do not live as so. I just finished my dreamboard book the other day and am ready to start a 'revision'-healing through writing my life in a new way! This is so exciting how it all interlinks with this topic as well with pain, and perceptions.

I also enjoy the 'baby eagle' meditation. going back into the egg again and being secure and knowing comfort.

thanks so much for initiating and hosting this challenge Jan! This is really stirring up and taking me deeper into my heart. I work much better when others help guide me through intricate areas and especially reframing processes.

blessings to you,
Jenn

Jan, I am so pleased that I came across "Awake is ...

2010-01-14T11:42:39.066-05:00

Jan, I am so pleased that I came across "Awake is Good" - as I began to look for sites that encouraged my goals.
I would say I am the oldest of your follower's. In the 3 score and 10 years - even though my spirit does not relate to this number. My son is a yoga and mindfulness student of about 20 years. I surely did not think years ago that I would be learning from him.
To make a long story short - I thought I had come along way with my mindfulness and meditation.
Yesterday proved to me how wrong I was. Life is a journey with ups and downs and the learning experience will continue as long as I am on this earth. I realize that I may never arrive. I will always be learning and growing.
http://myjourneytomindfulness.blogspot.com/