During one of my many teacher trainings my assignment was to meditate for 30 minutes everyday for four weeks. Immediately my mind revolted: "I can't sit for 30 minutes", "I can't find an extra 30 minutes", "I hate meditation", "This is going to suck!"

Being a good student, I began the assignment. The first day I was convinced I would fail. Thirty minutes felt like 3 hours. I had set a timer and opened my eyes at least a dozen times to make sure it was counting down. I emailed my teacher and asked if I could substitute it with Savasana (final resting pose after a yoga practice), or play music for 30 minutes. The answer was, "no, just sit for 30 minutes and watch your thoughts." Ok, which one of the million thoughts should I watch? I was right, this sucked.

I can't remember if it was the second or third week but I noticed some kind of shift. I had a few brief seconds of "mindlessness". The second I recognized it, the thoughts came rushing back in my head and I checked the time again.

Day twenty eight couldn't come soon enough. I was convinced I would never be a meditator. Was I going to be a competent yoga teacher if I didn't meditate? Again, my mind convinced me I would fail. Wait! I'm recognizing I have recurring thoughts about failing. Eureka! I'm watching my thoughts! Meditation might not suck. I think I'm learning awareness.

Now, I don't recommend you start with 30 minutes if you've never tried meditating. It will suck. There are many meditation techniques to explore. Guided, sound, mantra, candle, walking and breath meditations are some of my favorites.

It's not uncommon to start out hating something because of some mind lies or assumptions. If you give it a try, it might suck, it might not feel easy or it might be relaxing and you might like it! I hope you'll join me in exploring what techniques might work for you. I'll be offering a Meditation Course soon and I hope you'll join!

Peace,

MJ