I've been feeling quite settled with sitting for 20 minutes or so first thing every morning. Then this morning I didn't. Ate some junk food last night and since I've more or less stopped doing this it really affects me badly - indigestion, headache, disturbed sleep... so I slept badly, overslept and then didn't have time to sit before leaving for work. It takes so little, even when the habit feels well established. But I did lock the office door and sit for 20 minutes at lunchtime. What I need to do, if I miss doing it in the morning, is make sure I take the next possible opportunity. The later in the day the harder it gets. But then, also, I realise that it's counterproductive to fixate on that and that no point in the day is too late!
Oh, and, new form of distraction: sitting down to meditate and instead rehearsing what I want to write here in reply to other people's comments. Sigh.
oh jean. know that one. aren't we awful?! thanks for book recommendations. I'd just ordered the two books by Wallace on amazon so will keep the others in mind for next time.
I went to the website of the Institute in Santa Barbara which sounds fascinating and I became determined to go there> Julian and I have a bit of a fan whose guest house there is open to us in Montecito whenever we wish> We love that coast and think about spending a month there some day, Julian to paint and check out galleries and me ---well now I know what I'm going to do1
I just had a wierd sit> Decided to sit on the wall by a fire of vines in the sunset at the end of my walk> Got all my favourites - the scooter lads screeching up and down the very fragile rock and sand formations, the jets, the barking dog...and suddenly I felt a strange detachment from it all and wanted to laugh>
Later I think I experienced something like 'sinking mind' (??)> Is it like that moment in yoga when rather than doing relaxation the weight of the biody simply softens with the breath and releases into the floor, but with the mind? needless to say I got so excited by it I immediately started telling myself how wonderful I was to have acheived it and then of course it was gone!
Jean, lovely to have you back among us. I've missed your presence here. Thanks for your list of authors. And I know exactly what you mean about distracting myself by planning! <:-o
Mary, if it felt like brushing my teeth, I think I'd be counting 10-15 minutes as a good thing. I'm still trying to get to the point it feels like toothbrushing. I'm not that automatic yet.
Ruth, an algae bath sounds slimier than I would find relaxing! Yes, I've heard of lavender oil bath, and clay bath, cider vinegar bath, and rose, milk, oatmeal, olive oil & sea salt etc etc... just not algae. I can't say I find the notion very attractive, but then I can't say I've tried it either. You really like it, eh? (She said with her nose wrinkled.)
Back to business: I'm pondering this morning why it is sometimes so hard to get myself to do the very things I know will make me feel good or be healthy if I do them. I did sit for 15 minutes. Had to drag myself by the collar to do it.
I thought sinking mind was something to be avoided. Maybe someone else can clarify?
Well, what *I'd* call sinking mind is to be avoided, and doesn't sound at all like what Ruth is describing. That sounds like what I'd call a still mind, and is a good thing. What I call "sinking mind" is more like when you're driving to work before you've had your morning coffee, and you discover after twenty seconds at an intersection that you've been staring at a stop sign waiting for it to turn green.
It's more something you expect to afflict people who have been sitting a lot, like hours per day.
Heavens, Jean, this is the first time you've been distracted by composing replies to comments? You're way behind me! I've been doing that for fifty-six days. (Well, fifty-four, I guess.)
Oh, Jean...I hear you on just about all counts!!! As the cliche goes, "been there, done that!"
I almost didn't go to yoga class tonight, figuring I was too busy & stressed to take the time. Fortunately, a moment of clarity appeared & I realized, "If I'm stressed & busy, I *really* need to do yoga & meditate."
And, of course, the class was wonderful, with a blissfully quiet/relaxing end meditation session even though the music from the dance class downstairs was jarringly different from the relaxation tape my yoga teacher plays. Oh well. Relaxation happens to a variety of soundtracks, and I'm hugely thankful I took the time even though I *thought* I was too busy.
8 Comments:
I've been feeling quite settled with sitting for 20 minutes or so first thing every morning. Then this morning I didn't. Ate some junk food last night and since I've more or less stopped doing this it really affects me badly - indigestion, headache, disturbed sleep... so I slept badly, overslept and then didn't have time to sit before leaving for work. It takes so little, even when the habit feels well established. But I did lock the office door and sit for 20 minutes at lunchtime. What I need to do, if I miss doing it in the morning, is make sure I take the next possible opportunity. The later in the day the harder it gets. But then, also, I realise that it's counterproductive to fixate on that and that no point in the day is too late!
Oh, and, new form of distraction: sitting down to meditate and instead rehearsing what I want to write here in reply to other people's comments. Sigh.
oh jean. know that one. aren't we awful?! thanks for book recommendations. I'd just ordered the two books by Wallace on amazon so will keep the others in mind for next time.
I went to the website of the Institute in Santa Barbara which sounds fascinating and I became determined to go there> Julian and I have a bit of a fan whose guest house there is open to us in Montecito whenever we wish> We love that coast and think about spending a month there some day, Julian to paint and check out galleries and me ---well now I know what I'm going to do1
I just had a wierd sit> Decided to sit on the wall by a fire of vines in the sunset at the end of my walk> Got all my favourites - the scooter lads screeching up and down the very fragile rock and sand formations, the jets, the barking dog...and suddenly I felt a strange detachment from it all and wanted to laugh>
Later I think I experienced something like 'sinking mind' (??)> Is it like that moment in yoga when rather than doing relaxation the weight of the biody simply softens with the breath and releases into the floor, but with the mind? needless to say I got so excited by it I immediately started telling myself how wonderful I was to have acheived it and then of course it was gone!
Jean, lovely to have you back among us. I've missed your presence here. Thanks for your list of authors. And I know exactly what you mean about distracting myself by planning!
<:-o
Mary, if it felt like brushing my teeth, I think I'd be counting 10-15 minutes as a good thing. I'm still trying to get to the point it feels like toothbrushing. I'm not that automatic yet.
Ruth, an algae bath sounds slimier than I would find relaxing! Yes, I've heard of lavender oil bath, and clay bath, cider vinegar bath, and rose, milk, oatmeal, olive oil & sea salt etc etc... just not algae. I can't say I find the notion very attractive, but then I can't say I've tried it either. You really like it, eh? (She said with her nose wrinkled.)
Back to business: I'm pondering this morning why it is sometimes so hard to get myself to do the very things I know will make me feel good or be healthy if I do them. I did sit for 15 minutes. Had to drag myself by the collar to do it.
I thought sinking mind was something to be avoided. Maybe someone else can clarify?
Well, what *I'd* call sinking mind is to be avoided, and doesn't sound at all like what Ruth is describing. That sounds like what I'd call a still mind, and is a good thing. What I call "sinking mind" is more like when you're driving to work before you've had your morning coffee, and you discover after twenty seconds at an intersection that you've been staring at a stop sign waiting for it to turn green.
It's more something you expect to afflict people who have been sitting a lot, like hours per day.
Heavens, Jean, this is the first time you've been distracted by composing replies to comments? You're way behind me! I've been doing that for fifty-six days. (Well, fifty-four, I guess.)
Oh, and I sat last night :-)
Oh, Jean...I hear you on just about all counts!!! As the cliche goes, "been there, done that!"
I almost didn't go to yoga class tonight, figuring I was too busy & stressed to take the time. Fortunately, a moment of clarity appeared & I realized, "If I'm stressed & busy, I *really* need to do yoga & meditate."
And, of course, the class was wonderful, with a blissfully quiet/relaxing end meditation session even though the music from the dance class downstairs was jarringly different from the relaxation tape my yoga teacher plays. Oh well. Relaxation happens to a variety of soundtracks, and I'm hugely thankful I took the time even though I *thought* I was too busy.
Thought some of you might be interested in webcasts of the Dalai Lama at Stanford on Friday and Saturday.
THANK YOU for the link to the webcasts, Moose. Will try to listen to some of it if I can work out the time difference.
Post a Comment
<< Home