Comments on: 7 ways to overcome the obstacles to meditation http://www.susanpiver.com/wordpress/2009/01/19/7-ways-to-overcome-the-obstacles-to-meditation/ Susan Piver - Meditation, Relationships, Creativity Wed, 08 Feb 2012 14:23:08 -0500 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8 hourly 1 By: leona http://www.susanpiver.com/wordpress/2009/01/19/7-ways-to-overcome-the-obstacles-to-meditation/#comment-1588 leona Mon, 19 Jan 2009 23:20:54 +0000 http://www.susanpiver.com/wordpress/?p=502#comment-1588 I find that taking just a few moments to: 1. bring my awareness in towards me in a conscious manner (eg noises outside room, inside room, where my body makes contact with the cushion, where clothing or air makes contact with my body, how my whole body moves with the breath then breath going in and out). Now I am here. 2. Then I take a few moments to sense inwardly - what quality of Presence would I like today, in other words, how would I like to be with myself? Sometimes its gentle, other times curious or relaxed ease or compassionate. It varies. 3. Then I acknowledge anything that might get in the way of being present for my sit - the unfinished blog, work issues, the "discussion" last night with my teenage daughter, a new creative idea, wanting to go to the gym and wondering how to fit it etc. I just say hello to them one by one and let them go rest somewhere else in the house. Just not on the cushion. 4.Then I say something like, "Now I am here. Now I sit mindfully. This is my time for me." Or whatever comes that sets the commitment and intention. 5. I stay on the cushion for the time I have set. My key distraction is distraction. Better things to do. Busy-ness. Fantastic ideas that should be written down - NOW! Calls to make, places to go. HA! Hello distraction. Just continuing to sit. After all I wouldn't get off my train 2 or 3 stops early. Meditation is a practice. And practice is in the doing. Just like gettting fit. You can't think yourself fit. You have to put in the time and energy. Consistently. And then the results creep up on you slowly but surely. Most of all ENJOY. I find that taking just a few moments to:
1. bring my awareness in towards me in a conscious manner (eg noises outside room, inside room, where my body makes contact with the cushion, where clothing or air makes contact with my body, how my whole body moves with the breath then breath going in and out). Now I am here.
2. Then I take a few moments to sense inwardly – what quality of Presence would I like today, in other words, how would I like to be with myself? Sometimes its gentle, other times curious or relaxed ease or compassionate. It varies.
3. Then I acknowledge anything that might get in the way of being present for my sit – the unfinished blog, work issues, the “discussion” last night with my teenage daughter, a new creative idea, wanting to go to the gym and wondering how to fit it etc. I just say hello to them one by one and let them go rest somewhere else in the house. Just not on the cushion.
4.Then I say something like, “Now I am here. Now I sit mindfully. This is my time for me.” Or whatever comes that sets the commitment and intention.
5. I stay on the cushion for the time I have set. My key distraction is distraction. Better things to do. Busy-ness. Fantastic ideas that should be written down – NOW! Calls to make, places to go. HA! Hello distraction. Just continuing to sit. After all I wouldn’t get off my train 2 or 3 stops early.

Meditation is a practice. And practice is in the doing. Just like gettting fit. You can’t think yourself fit. You have to put in the time and energy. Consistently. And then the results creep up on you slowly but surely.

Most of all ENJOY.

]]> By: susan http://www.susanpiver.com/wordpress/2009/01/19/7-ways-to-overcome-the-obstacles-to-meditation/#comment-1585 susan Mon, 19 Jan 2009 13:41:52 +0000 http://www.susanpiver.com/wordpress/?p=502#comment-1585 Lovely, Will. Thanks so much for this poetry. Lovely, Will. Thanks so much for this poetry.

]]> By: Will Simpson http://www.susanpiver.com/wordpress/2009/01/19/7-ways-to-overcome-the-obstacles-to-meditation/#comment-1584 Will Simpson Mon, 19 Jan 2009 13:29:16 +0000 http://www.susanpiver.com/wordpress/?p=502#comment-1584 Nice! Paraphrasing Robert Aitken, "if you keep coming back to the breath, you are on the path". Don't worry about drifting around, just when you notice that you have drifted, back to the breath. This very act of coming back to the breath confirms the path. Kind of like the prodigal son, when you notice you've been distracted from practice, just turn towards the practice and know this is the practice, always turning back to the moment, to the breath. Nice!

Paraphrasing Robert Aitken, “if you keep coming back to the breath, you are on the path”. Don’t worry about drifting around, just when you notice that you have drifted, back to the breath. This very act of coming back to the breath confirms the path. Kind of like the prodigal son, when you notice you’ve been distracted from practice, just turn towards the practice and know this is the practice, always turning back to the moment, to the breath.

]]> By: Susan Piver http://www.susanpiver.com/wordpress/2009/01/19/7-ways-to-overcome-the-obstacles-to-meditation/#comment-2605 Susan Piver Mon, 19 Jan 2009 12:18:47 +0000 http://www.susanpiver.com/wordpress/?p=502#comment-2605 <span class="topsy_trackback_comment"><span class="topsy_twitter_username"><span class="topsy_trackback_content">New blog post: Seven Ways to Overcome the Obstacles to Meditation. Because it's just *#&# hard. http://snurl.com/ac9go</span></span> New blog post: Seven Ways to Overcome the Obstacles to Meditation. Because it’s just *#&# hard. http://snurl.com/ac9go

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