And don’t worry about it getting boring. Meditation is boring. That’s part of it.

“I’m bored.” Come back to the breath. “My leg itches.” Come back to the breath. “That dirty &&*%$# totally screwed me over on that thing yesterday and then . . .” Come back to the breath. “I’m still bored.” Come back to the breath. “I wonder how many more minutes I have to go?” Come back to the breath. “I think this might be unbearable.” Come back to the breath.

It’s practice in dropping it. It’s practice in being present in the current moment no matter how you feel. Bored, angry, irritated, uncomfortable, etc.

Sitting meditation is a wonderful practice. The change is quiet (usually) but it’s wonderful. The first time you find yourself staying calm and slightly amused in a situation that once would have completely derailed you, you’ll smile.

Sonia Simone | Remarkable Communication’s last blog post..Why This is the Best Time to Finally Break Free

James, just remember there is no ‘right way’ to meditate. Even 20 minutes of chatter is okay, if you are mindful of the chatter. Like an inner dialogue. Or like Charlotte’s voice, eh? I’m looking forward to your postings.

James, I’ve been doing 30 minutes of morning pages followed by 15 minutes of heart meditation off and on for the past few years. on is good! I’ll be watching your progress.

chas

chas’s last blog post..friday afternoon update! 9: i’ve got a secret

@Joely – “bulk email”, LOL. “pretending to have a business”, LOL again with lots of nodding! Thank you. Here’s to seeing what happens when we try being quiet for a while (and anyone who’s met me in the flesh knows what a struggle that will be!)

@Sarah – numbers you might want to use include the googolplex or lesser known but larger Graham’s number. However, you may well be accused of hyperbole if you did. *end geek-out*

Hurrah to knowing you’re not the only one (and thank you very much for saying so). I wonder if letting go still counts if you’re holding someone else’s hand whilst you do it? Me thinks it is, and me thinks it sounds like a nice idea.

Thanks for the belief. If I run out of mine, I will definitely use some of yours!

I’ve been getting the same message, again, and again, and again. How many times have I ignored?
I suck at math. I can’t count that high.

I’ve been in the same place as you (again, this is eerie, I feel like I’m reading about me, except the person lives across an ocean, and is uhh…male.)

I’ve been reading and learning and waiting for that “ping!” moment where I’ll just suddenly get it and everything will fall into place.

Except I’m learning that life isn’t like that. The Universe isn’t like that. And it wants me to relax and let go, and at the same time, do what I’m afraid of doing.

I totally get the fear of the silence, and I wish you so much luck with your meditation. I believe you can do it.

So, confessional. I know what you mean. I’ve been getting a constant kick in the pants over being a writer for… er… my whole life. This is what led to the whole Splat in the first place. I kept trying not to do it. Most people have to try to write and spend years on a sentence. I write 17 books compulsively but I can’t face Making It Real. I want to hide. I don’t want anybody to see me, my world or anything of it.

Some of it’s failure, but most of it’s success and commitment and Doing The Impossible. So I get to a stage where I feel Almost OK with it. And what does the universe say? Sit down, shut up and don’t do anything. How am I supposed to get a publishing deal sitting down, shutting up and doing nothing? Hmmm?

Even those of us who know what we were put here to do struggle with it. That’s my point. You’ve already broken social conventions with the whole “I don’t have to have a job” which I think is utterly fabulous, by the way. I’ve been doing that for four years now. It’s called pretending to have a business. And I’ve reached the same space as you where I know that no more courses, seminars or reading is going to magically make it all go ping. Now I have to face the Big Ugly.

You find the thing you’re meant to be doing when you sit down and shut up. You know what the universe had to do to make me sit down and shut up? It had to kill me for five minutes and then leave me with temporary memory loss. Even then I fought it really hard.

But it’s also good because it’s better than waking up at 80 and realising you’ve done the same thing every day for the last 40 years.

The final really important thing I have to say is that there’s usually a feeling amongst Us Types that everybody else has it sorted. We feel defensive because they have Jobs, Houses, Partners and Commitments. The truth is, we’re prepared to look deeper at what there is going on in life. So it’s ok. It’s all just… OK.

And now I’ll stop writing essays on your blog, and go write my own…

Joely Black’s last blog post..You know what you’re doing, even when you don’t