Hello Monday Warriors! We’ve arrived again!
Where are you at today? Rested and ready? Sleepy and sluggish?
Regardless of where you find yourself, you’re here, and that’s what matters. Maybe let’s take a deep breath with that.
😊
It feels good, doesn’t it? To just breathe with intention… So why do we so often forget? And why when we yearn for a little peace and tranquility, do we so easily turn away from it? I think the short answer is, it’s kind of boring…and in general we don’t seem to handle boredom very well.
Think about it. All the things we desire, our cravings and habits, they often involve quick, dopamine-releasing, hits of excitement. Throughout our day we’ll reach for these triggers whenever we find ourselves with nothing else to do. Anything to avoid being bored.
Meditation is the opposite of this. It’s about settling into the moment. It’s becoming aware of everything that just is around us. It’s about just being in the present. Sounds pretty boring, doesn’t it?
This week I asked my teacher how to tackle the monotony of meditation. He explained how meditation is an opportunity to turn away from the thinking mind that craves stimulation – always wanting to be active – to be, well, bored. Because practicing this “boredom” makes it easier to be without action when there’s none in our daily life. We become better at resisting our bad habits, and living a life with more ease.
Yes, stillness may seem boring, but it’s in that boredom that we find the real joys of life.
Like autumn leaves gently falling one by one.
The glistening of frost on blades of grass on a cold, sunny morning.
The soft touch of a loved one’s hand.
These images might seem simple and ordinary, but when we stop to notice, we realize they are actually extraordinary. They are what have inspired the arts and even our technology. When there was nothing else to reach for, they were our pleasures, and all we need to experience them is the senses.
This is how we tackle the boredom of stillness. We lean into it. We practice. We awaken the senses. And we begin to see the world as it’s meant to be seen, as we are meant to see it. And we learn it’s not boring at all; we’re just not paying attention.
Today, I invite you to embrace the stillness. Take a quiet moment, find the breath, settle in and just be. And when you think you can’t sit any longer, just take one moment more. Resist the urge to be doing; there’s plenty of time for that. Give yourself permission to be bored.
Here’s last week’s FREE guided meditation to help you get started. It’s for all you busy people, like me, who need an extra nudge sometimes. It’s a short one so I know you can find some time to fit it in.
Well, my friends, I wish you a beautiful week. And stay in touch! I’d love to hear from you!
Bye for now.
❤️