I’ve been doing a solitary retreat this weekend, doing sessions every few hours of Vipassana and Metta meditation. The first few years I meditated, I felt I wasn’t getting “results” and had no one to talk to about it. My first meditation teachers made me feel guilty and wrong for not having vivid experiences. My daily meditation is the foundation of my spiritual practice. I want everyone to experience what I experience when I’m connected to inner guidance. A friend asks, “I can never stay in the moment more than a moment. After all these years my brain will not stay still. Any advice?”
Even 40 years later, sometimes I can only stay in the moment for a few moments at a time. That’s why they call it “practice.” During a 60 minute session of eyes closed, likely 50 of those minutes would be spent with me trying to release a thought and focus back on my breath. That’s still a successful hour’s meditation, though. Thoughts will arise. We have to train ourselves to release the thought and return focus to the breath. It gets easier. I’ll have times I am in the slot 40 minutes and those are the times that keep me coming back. To talk to me about deepening your meditation, email horizonsmagazine@gmail.com.
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