Bringing less bulls*t to the mediation mat
Means fewer headless chickens running around in your head!
Don’t bring all your bullsh*t to the mat.
I've been working on my meditation practice for a while and even though it's still terribly sporadic, I'm learning that bringing excess baggage to the mat is getting in the way of me getting more out of the experience—and like a little chick trying to hatch out of its shell, I’m rooting for this little practice to thrive!
Clearly, consistency evades me but on the positives, I’m learning a lot about how to do it and what to expect from it.
First off, a lot of us go into meditation—and therefore quickly run from it—when we think we have to fully quiet our minds in order to get into the elusive flow state. Truth is, there is never any quieting of the mind—but turns out, there isn’t supposed to be (big bonus chops there).
But you do want to widdle down the amount of bullsh*t you bring to your meditation mat (i.e. all your to-dos, desires, resentments, worries, anxieties - basically the whole of your past and future as it relates to you now–and my god that’s a bag). The reason is, less bullsh*t means fewer headless chickens running around stirring sh*t up. Because all that stirring gets in the way. It’s why you can’t focus. And it’s why you tell your friends who do meditate that while you’d love to be all zen and sh*t—and isn’t it nice that people like us have all the time in the world for it—you live in the real world and you can’t say it enough times but clearly you need to remind us… you. don’t. have. the. time. PLUS, when you did try, it was like trying to feed 47 feral cats at the same time, and you can't help but question the validity of this magical—and clearly suspect—place of peace and quiet. Does that even exist on this planet?
I know, no one wants to hear that their sh*t is noise because we all protect our sh*t with the best Kung Fu grip we’ve got, but when we do let go, at least in my experience, things settle down and I’m able to hear more clearly what’s going on in my head.
Meditation is not about sitting there trying to go blank—it’s about gaining clarity. And to do that you have to narrow your focus, listen to your thoughts, try to understand where they’re coming from, and question their validity. And when the mind has quieted down considerably, that's the best time to ask questions, which you can do in your meditation. But don’t try to answer them—because that will just be your mind chiming in—you have to try to feel them. And you do that by slowing things down and paying attention to your body.
Think of meditation as a tool to check yourself before you wreck yourself.
It’s not a tool to force your mind into silence, but to slow down your mind—and your breath—so your mind doesn’t get away with making you feel like you have to be everything, do everything, do it better, do it more, do it with a smile.
Allow meditation to help you uncover your true and honest and awesome self—because you’re in there! And when you go into it with that mindset, you're going to be able to get so much more out of it.