Meditation

I don’t even try to meditate anymore. At least I don’t call what I do meditation.
Meditation has a lot of “rules” in my mind: it must be done in a quiet room; in a seated position; all extraneous thoughts must be ignored, or maybe acknowledged and then ignored; I should sit in meditation for at least 30 minutes at a time; I should definitely stay awake through the session.

These “rules” may work for someone else, but in all my years of trying to meditate, they haven’t worked for me.

I find that a quiet room doesn’t always work for me. Sometimes I want to be outside listening to nature; sometimes I want to listen to music; sometimes I want to sing or chant. I sometimes sit, but I more often lie down. Sometimes I walk or just stand. I often will “meditate” during a 5-minte wait for an appointment, or in the car waiting for the ferry. I also must admit to occasionally falling asleep during a session.

I think what I do is meditation, but I don’t call it meditation. Maybe I will call it being in the now. It calms me, helps me find clarity, and makes me feel good. When it comes right down to it, I don’t think it’s important what you call it, it’s more important that you do it however works for you.