PaUsE

Meditation is:

~ "It is exactly like muddy water left to stand in a class. Little by little, the sediment sinks to the bottom and the water becomes pure." (Taisen Deshimaru)

~ Meditation is not the goal; it's the journey.

~ Three-Step Meditation (how to not let your thoughts take over):
1. Recognize that you're thinking
2. Gently return to meditation
3. Repeat steps 1 and 2 as needed

DAY 6 October 14, 2011  I close my eyes, relax, and feel my body. I paid attention to every square inch of my body. My hands in my lap, my breathing and the noises in my house. I tried being alert as possible and stated: Meditation is allowing what is three times. I said it slowly and paused after each statement, letting the words sink in.
This can work for anyone - it's a taste of what meditation can be and feel like.

DAY 7 October 15, 2011  This session was different because it was really short. The reasoning is as I was reading my meditation book, I came across a fill-in-the-blank statement: Meditation is a process that can help me _____________. Hmm. Why am I meditating? 101 goal. Ok but for there's a reason why I started meditation on October 9, 2011. I sat on my couch, closed my eyes, focused on my breathing and said the above statement. I thought I knew my reason, but the answer did kind of surprise me (in a good way). Being relaxed and focused, I found my answer: reduce stress, not be angry with myself, and be more relaxed. *If you want to start meditating, I recommend that the above be your first session. 

PAUSE.

I've accomplished my 101 goals...in a way. I kind of learned how to meditate (according to a CD) and I did it for 7 days - I would say that these past 7 days were successful and helpful. I really can see why people get "into it" with meditating. Here's what I've decided to do: I'm going to continue reading my "8 Minute Meditation" book and really learn how to meditate. This book lays out an 8 week program of meditating (Part II) and then you can upgrade in Part III. I'm going to continue documenting my experiences (not on blogger) and test out this 8 week program. It's only 8 minutes/day - I'm pretty sure I have 8 minutes to spare in my day. Let the program begin...NOW.