“Resting in the felt experience of my body, I am able to give my full attention to the weather of my life, to care for what is coming and going with wisdom and compassion, to love what is just passing through.”
~Rolf Gates
Taking time every day to just be still is the key to a quiet, more peaceful mind. The sitting takes practice, and discipline, just like any other behavior or skill we wish to adopt. Most people give up too quickly, when their bodies experience discomfort, or their minds are just too busy, or both. In this program, I am asking you to stay.
Stay in the discomfort. Stay with the unfamiliar. Stay with the busy mind, the to-do list, the restlessness, the noise. Stay just long enough to get a glimpse of the stillness.
Another mantra that helps me is “Just Passing Through”. These thoughts are just passing through. That noise is just passing through. This stress, this pain, this discomfort, this annoyance, it’s all just passing through. None of it is permanent, really.
Today’s recorded meditation will help you look at these distractions more like clouds moving across a blue sky…on they go…and on…and on…they’re just passing through.
After the meditation, take this concept into the rest of your day. Traffic, a long line in the grocery store, an annoying co-worker, a body ache, all just passing through. The stillness is still here.
And now the practice of yoga begins…
Namaste.
*Photo Credit Mahir Uysal on Unsplash
