Meditation is one of those things. One of those things we know we should do. We know we feel better when we do it. But it can sometimes feel really challenging to actually carve out the time to sit and do it.
I tell my students in my weekly classes at Asheville Yoga Center all the time—
“Last I checked, none of us are yogis who have been meditating in caves for the last 10 years, so it’s ok if your mind wanders.”
Sitting, even for just 10 or 20 minutes, can feel like a lot. So instead of guilting or berating yourself, I encourage my students to give themselves some grace. Just like our yoga asana practice—showing up and committing to the practice is the point. Getting it perfect or right every time we sit isn’t the point. It wouldn’t be called a practice if it was!
And I’m right there with you—as a student of yoga for 15 years, and a teacher for 8—meditation is still challenging for me too.
So if your desire to meditate is strong, but eclipsed by your busy life and busy mind, here are some creative suggestions to help you find your way back to the cushion in a way that perhaps feels more sustainable.
People embark on this path for many reasons: to find their voice, to deepen their practice, to share something that has transformed them. What is yours? Knowing your “why” becomes an anchor on the days when doubt creeps in or exhaustion sets in.
