Recently, I posted a summary of a great book called 10% Happier: How I Tamed the Voice in My Head, Reduced Stress Without Losing My Edge, and Found Self-Help That Actually Works–A True Story by news anchor Dan Harris. In it, he says that just maintaining the meditation discipline is enough; it’s not necessary to actually feel better afterwards. Sitting down, coming back, trying again is “the whole game.”
Sometimes, meditation is just hard work.
I like this idea, and yet … I kinda hate it. Esther Hicks always harps on the importance of finding a good-feeling place. Feeling good, grateful, etc. helps us manifest what we desire, after all. If there’s a day in which meditation isn’t doing this for me, shouldn’t I spend my free time on something that does? Like going for a walk in the woods, or playing volleyball, and doing it in a meditative frame of mind?
What do you guys think?
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Meditation can be great but what is the focus on? I believe that when we focus inward and rely on fixing ourselves we do have to work hard and sometimes that process is long and we don’t always get our desired results of truth, happiness and wholeness in ourselves. But, I believe when a person focuses/ meditates on God and his meditative words that he gave us in the Bible then we have just teamed up with the One who loves us unconditionally and who wants to work with us to help us make our desired changes. I believe in the end this is how a person finds everlasting truth, happiness, wholeness, peace, inner healing etc.
Interesting idea. I often agree. Actually, I am really finding I am questioning myself a lot about this lately: what do I focus on during meditation?? God, energy, life-force, gratitude . . . or just my breath or my thoughts?
I think you’re on to something big here, Mollie. To me, a contemplative walk is on equal par to sitting meditation. I like both methods . . . in fact, I get a thrill from several methods . . . or even switching the meditation method if I’m not feeling it with my favorite method one day.
For example, switching from noticing my thoughts to focusing on my breath. Or switching to a mantra . . . Or my favorite, switching to keenly appreciating something in every feeling and thought that arises.
I love your posts — and I especially love how you work through issues, looking at a thing sideways . . . :-))
Evan
My new book (that features the wonderful you) touches on just this. I still don’t have the perfect answer. I need to experiment much, much more.
My idea of meditation is more to a new age type of thing – you don’t sit in the lotus position and center your thinking, you lie in bed and stare at the ceiling or you sit in traffic and hear the patterns of the horns or, well, anything like that. I meditate in this way a lot. it calms me and that is the reason I meditate anyway. Anything that doesn’t relax me? Well, I don’t do it to relax.
Scott