I always find myself wondering at this time of year, how is it that time flies so fast? I can recall the promise of the new year and all of my newly formed resolutions; the joy in spring as the flowers start to bloom; the sweltering, lazy brilliance of summer...
and now the hectic pace that seems to accelerate as the holidays approach! Until I discovered meditation, I never realized that I had a simple tool at my disposal that in one shot would accomplish two amazing feats for me: allow me to step outside of that hectic pace to quiet down; and allow me to refocus on the exuberance of the season.
Is that multitasking or what? After all, aren't the holidays about smiles, sharing, camaraderie...
and appreciation? Meditation is mistakenly perceived as the absence of thought.
Many people also burden it with the expectation that it must be done in absolute quiet and in stillness.
When I had that impression of meditation, believe me, I never thought I could do it either! It was only when I realized that the label "meditation" simply describes an opportunity to "quiet down enough to notice the subtleties" that I challenged myself to find as many ways as possible to meditate - ways that did not require any of the restrictive "shoulds" that I had placed on it before.
Instead of getting hung up on the techniques, I focused the end result of meditation and searched for more ways to bring that into my life.
I believe everyone has experienced the end result of meditation before, even if they don't realize it.
I don't expect you to take that statement at face value, so here is a little experiment to try for yourself.
Just find a place where there aren't a lot of distractions.
Now sit or lie down in a comfortable position.
Close your eyes and take a deep breath in through your nose and exhale on a long sigh.
Now recall a favorite memory of the holidays...
the aromas of the food...
the first scrumptious bite you took after all of that anticipation...
the noisy excitement of the kids at getting their gifts...
the wonderful uplifting music like Handel's Messiah...
Allow yourself a few moments to relive that memory as fully as possible, recalling any of the subtle things that make your particular memory special.
Now exhale on a deep sigh and open your eyes.
Now, take a few moments to check on how you feel.
Maybe you have a slight smile on your face? Maybe you are feeling a little less stressed...
more centered? If you answered 'yes' to any of these, then you just experienced the end results of a meditation.
You also just allowed yourself to step outside of your hectic routine and to refocus on exuberance and appreciation.
If you are like me, you'll do this once as you read this article and most likely forget to do it again when you are running at full speed and need it the most.
Part of the challenge of meditation is simply remembering to do it when we need it! As with anything new, we need to experience it enough, so our entire being recognizes its worth and starts to look forward to it.
Only then does it become a tool that supports us in living our lives.
So make a pre-New Year's resolution for yourself...
"I will take a deep breath at least once today.
" Maybe it is when you wake up or before you start the ignition in your car on your way home from a long day at work or maybe it is before each meal.
Create the intention for yourself and I guarantee that you'll find many more ways than just one!