![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
meditation
Aug. 17th, 2016 10:49 pmTo help myself meditate more, in order to build my patience, I signed up for a four-week meditation series with John Blackburn. The first night didn't do much for me because I kept falling asleep and heard practically nothing he said. The room was hot, my stomach was full, his voice is very soothing. This week I ate less for dinner and was more rested. And I found he said really resonant things.
One is about seeing the world as it is instead of how we want it to be. That's one of the goals of mindfulness meditation. What struck me about this is that a lot of my frustration and anger stems from this very thing. I want the world to be different. I want the meeting to be over. I want that cool person to like me. I want to retract words said in anger. I want everyone to see that we all benefit when *everyone* benefits. I want people to be reasonable. I want governors and representatives to think about what's best for everyone not what's best for them.
What the world is vs what we want it to be.
Something else he said was very helpful. When you're meditating and your mind wants to run off to criticize or make plans, say "not now." I used to get annoyed with Huber because she wants us to accept the world as it is but I see lots of ways it needs to change. "Not now" is a way of accepting what is, in the moment. After meditation we can critique and act. But "now now." Not while I'm training myself for the big things. Building a container for patience.
One is about seeing the world as it is instead of how we want it to be. That's one of the goals of mindfulness meditation. What struck me about this is that a lot of my frustration and anger stems from this very thing. I want the world to be different. I want the meeting to be over. I want that cool person to like me. I want to retract words said in anger. I want everyone to see that we all benefit when *everyone* benefits. I want people to be reasonable. I want governors and representatives to think about what's best for everyone not what's best for them.
What the world is vs what we want it to be.
Something else he said was very helpful. When you're meditating and your mind wants to run off to criticize or make plans, say "not now." I used to get annoyed with Huber because she wants us to accept the world as it is but I see lots of ways it needs to change. "Not now" is a way of accepting what is, in the moment. After meditation we can critique and act. But "now now." Not while I'm training myself for the big things. Building a container for patience.