Meditation

I have almost always had a meditation practice, although I didn’t realize it.  When I started studying with a meditation teacher in Carson City, and we started exploring different types of meditation, I realized that walking for me has been a form of meditation since I was in middle school (we called in Jr. High) or earlier.  Sometimes, I couldn’t bear to ride home on the school bus for various reasons; I would walk instead.  We lived about 1.5 miles from the school.  I have continued to regularly walk most of my life, and it is often where I work through things in my mind that are troubling me.  Or I just enjoy the scenery, look and trees, watch birds, etc.

When we lived on Bainbridge Island, WA I had some books on nature writing and Zen that I would read and contemplate.  I created my own meditation practice on the quiet section of the ferry on my commutes home that I used for a while using the Zen book – reading a passage and then contemplating it as we traversed Puget Sound.

For 10 years or more I have been using breathwork, or breathing exercises, as part of a balanced personal health program.  This is a simple and one could say easy entry into meditation, which is simply focusing one’s attention on something.

When I was approaching 50, I decided to try yoga.  I was in a very stressful job situation at the time.  The yoga studio I went to had free Friday night meditation classes.  I decided to try it out one Friday when Kevin was working or out of town.  I got hooked and while I find both yoga and meditation to be beneficial to my health and wellbeing, I probably focus more on meditation at this point in my life; if I have time for only one of the two, I always choose meditation, even just for a few minutes.

Now I use a combination of the same breathwork I have been doing for more than 10 years, reading from the same nature book I have owned since I was in my 30s, a meditation ap for guided meditations, and other techniques that I am learning or have learned over time.  These routines take 30-45 minutes in the morning and a similar amount of time in the afternoon.  Being retired, I do have the luxury of time right now, but I fit these things in as a matter of priority because of the benefits to my wellbeing.  For the morning routine, I voluntarily get up before sunrise with no alarm, something that I would not have believed I would ever do when I was working!

Just a few of the benefits that I find to meditation are:

• Relieving anxiety
• Quieting my mind
• Controlling my thoughts
• Focusing on my priorities
• Identifying what is important to me

Here are some resources that I use if you are interested in giving it a try:

• The nature writing book I mentioned:  https://www.spiritualityandpractice.com/book-reviews/view/6174/earth-prayers
• The yen book I mentioned:  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8116493-zen
• Where I learned about breathing exercises:  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/37124.8_Weeks_to_Optimum_Health#:~:text=daily%20living%20that-,Eight%20Weeks%20to%20Optimum%20Health%20lays%20out%20Weil’s%20week%2Dby,affect%20health%20%26%20well%2Dbeing.
• My first formal meditation teacher who now offers online classes:  https://jennandrews.com/om-page
• The meditation ap I use:  https://insighttimer.com/
• One of my favorite meditation teachers’ website:  https://davidji.com/
• For a deeper dive (not for beginners), I am currently reading and working my way through this book:  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34324420-sacred-powers

If you have a meditation practice and have resources to share, it would be great if you could share them in the comments.