So, how's it going people? Reverted to the chocolate, alcohol and fags again? Or are you holding strong in the face of temptation?
At the end of Week 3 of my resolution of Stop Thinking and Do, I continue to exercise. Yes, you read that right. I am still at it. I'm still huffing and puffing through my workout dvds. This week has been a bit of a challenge. Other things have required my attention, but the good news is, the thinking led to action. Amongst other things, my pile of laundry is at least currently limited to the laundry basket. When the week started, it was creeping across my floor. Ladies and Gentlemen, let me assure you, dirty socks chasing The Cat around the bedroom at 3 am is not conducive to a good night's sleep.
As January rapidly hurtles into February, next on my List of Things to Do, is meditate regularly. I want to get able enough to do at least 30 mins of exercise a day and then to parcel some time for meditation. Last year, I purchased a book called A Path with Heart by Jack Kornfield and I've been slowly making my way through it. It is not at all New Agey. No quick fixes, no 'follow my wisdom and you too shall live a Perfect Life'. This book addresses the perils and promises of the spiritual journey. At the end of each chapter there are meditations to be followed.
Now, we all know I'm a lazy shite. I can sit and appear to do nothing for hours on end. What's actually going on is me obsessing. Picking at an issue like a vulture going over roadkill. Any hint of having to make my mind go blank, tends to lead to this internal dialogue:
Focus on my breathing
Breathe in...my back hurts
Breathe out...focus on breathing
Breathe in...is that someone at the door? When is Boy coming home? Do I have enough time to do this before the invasion of the teenagers?
Breathe out...make mind blank. My mind is blank. Shit. If I'm thinking my mind is blank, it's not blank...
You see my problem? I believe it's called chattering monkeys. I have a whole troop of them living in my head. However, Buddhist meditation give you mantras to repeat during meditation. The idea is I focus solely on the mantra, which works brilliantly. It's much easier to reign in the chattering monkeys if I've got something for them to do. Those meditations have been far more successful and have left me feeling great: I've achieved what I set out to do and my brain has had an hour off. Of course, this means I will be treating myself to a zafu and a meditation mat. I couldn't possibly consider any meditation without either.
Small successes work for me. In the past, I've rushed into things, given 110% and then fizzled out equally as quickly. The endorphins from the exercise have a very positive impact on my general mood. My shoulders aren't cramped around my ears. I've also noticed that my body temperature has risen, I'm not so chilled internally.
So, that's me. How's it going with you? Come on, share.
Bank Holiday Sunday
Dear Dave I woke up today with Philip Glass' Metamorphosis in my head. It's apt really as it was part of the music chosen for your...
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Dear Dave I woke up today with Philip Glass' Metamorphosis in my head. It's apt really as it was part of the music chosen for your... -
*runs around getting the Palais ready* Welcome my dears. As you can see, Boy and I have decorated the Palais into festive mode. There is a g... -
Today, this blog is a year old. In the next two weeks I will be coming to the end of this particular journey. I'm still not sure how I f...
This would be my problem.
ReplyDeletePlaying the clarinet once a week is a bit of a cop-out, because I should play it every day, but I'm keeping to the word if not the spirit of the resolution.
ReplyDeleteSpreading the word about the need for a puppy, so hoping for a result. Explained to the Sage that the absolute time limit is two months, because we don't want to have a new dog and a baby next door within a few weeks of each other.
The Rector asked me to rejoin the committee, I said no. Not out of the woods until mid-April, but everyone's got the message.
I do fine in the week with the "I will not be gluttonous and unhealthy" thing, but the second Saturday rolls around (hi!) I start thinking, "Hmmm it's the weekend, I must bake a cake!" Then I might do it. Then I force my boyfriend to help me eat the cake. Then we groan and unbutton our pants and lament said cake. Then I offer sacrifice in the form of "I will do extra yoga this week to compensate for the cake!"
ReplyDeleteThen I don't.
xl ~ you made me do a LOL.
ReplyDeletez ~ I'd stay off the spirits and stick to the wine! ;-)
Seriously, well done for not getting strong-armed or guilted onto the committee.
The puppy, I suspect will arrive in it's own time.
veggie ~ well, eating homemade cake is much better than shop bought. And frankly, if you enjoy the baking and the eating of it....well, why not? There are times when only baked things will do.
What do you need this zafu thing for?
ReplyDeletemago ~ a zafu is a meditation cushion. It helps support your back when you're sitting for hours.
ReplyDeleteGood for you!
ReplyDeleteIf I tried meditating (which does seem a little new agey to me) I'd end up with my mind screaming monkey monkey underpants.
I'll start my exercise sometime next week. What was my resolution?
I have managed to avoid chocolate, alcohol and fags.
ReplyDeletecyberpete ~ meditation isn't New Agey, it's been around for millenia as one of the many paths to Enlightenment. :-)
ReplyDeletedave ~ you don't eat much chocolate, drink alcohol or smoke anyway. So you can't be smug about avoiding those. Did you make any? Are you keeping to them?
Colour me unenlightened.
ReplyDeleteI'm happy that it works for some but to me it seems a little hokey.
Bloody luxury.
ReplyDeleteOh, ok so hokey means something else, but I LOVE THAT WORD!
ReplyDeletecyberpete ~ sorry honey, my explanation was a bit tongue in cheek. Meditation is a good way of keeping The Crazy at bay. The kind of meditation I want to do builds concentration with regular practice.
ReplyDeletemago ~ eh? How?
cyberpete ~ no, 'hokey' is the right word in the right context.
Good for you..Keep going!
ReplyDeleteI haven't had a smoke since Christmas (being sick & strep'd really helped) and I've only had 2 cocktails?? Waiting for the oher shoe to drop but I don't seem to care.
Don't worry I've done it before..for a decade actually and I won't ever get preachy because I have made provisions to have a piano dropped on my head if I turn into an insufferable convert.
My kind of crazy is not the kind that you can fend off with meditation, but I like the idea of the whole yoga and meditation lifestyle. It's just not for me.
ReplyDeletedonn ~ good for you honey giving up the smokes. Strep throat sounds grim. Glad you're over it.
ReplyDeletecyberpete ~ that's fair enough. It's not for every one. You've got to go with whatever works for you.
I try not do make rash New Years resolutions!
ReplyDeleteOnce you get the meditating right everything else falls into place anyway. The way to do that is not to 'stress' about the chattering monkeys and just accept what ever happens!
Another *Thumbs up*
sarah ~ I took some cream for the rash!
ReplyDeleteWell, we'll see how it goes. Small steps.