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I was excited for the challenge of 5. When we start any journey, everything is new and exciting.
We continue to see a world of possibility in front of us. I was still excited when I arrived at 9: I met some of the other participants and learned how the day would go. The retreat was held in a modern two-story church which included a gym, pre-school, youth centre, courtyard, offices and chapel. The 12 of us participating would be the only ones in the building and could walk wherever we wanted during walking meditations.
Oh, so many new places to explore, I thought!
Walking around a church is not what I would usually consider to be an exhilarating way to spend my Saturday… I clearly still had my excitement blinders on. Not too long into our quest do we encounter our first obstacle. We were so busy looking into the future or doing the task at hand that we failed to anticipate the impending obstacle. We are forced to focus directly on the problem in front of us to get around the obstacle.
Enter your mobile number or email address below and we'll send you a link to download the free Kindle App. Reply Craig June 23, at 3: The task bore down on me heavily and I avoided meditating like the plague. There's a problem loading this menu right now. And I am more than ok with that. In my young 27 years, I knew being at inner peace and feeling calm would set my world afire. I have realised what I only understood on an intellectual level before starting this journey.
I was projecting a few hours into the future when I imagined I would be bored. As we settle into our journey, we continue to encounter obstacles but get used to dealing with them. We adjust to our new life on the journey and there is a sense of normalcy to the experience. We maintain our vision for the future, but are driven more by the continuation of the journey than by the completion of it.
As the morning went on, I found it easier to be present. When I was present, there was no boredom.
My mind started to come up with ideas and insights. I kept thinking how I would love to do this for a whole weekend or even a week…. As the journey becomes familiar, we start to question if we are on the right journey. It took me about two to three minutes.
The task bore down on me heavily and I avoided meditating like the plague. My therapist asked me each week how my progress was going.
It was a stupid practice, I thought. While I gave in over the next month, I continued not understanding the benefit of meditation. Looking back days ago, I was a confused person internally. Attempting to start my own business and leave the corporate world behind was my biggest project.
To tackle it, I wrote a business plan, I made a website and I talked to my successful peers. The business books and advice of friends was conflicting. I thought I knew what I wanted. Public relations and communications was my bag from high school.
Ultimately though, I knew my career path — it had been set for a long time. How does this connect back to my practice? As months passed, I stayed committed to breathing. Other days, I made it to breath one, which was not an easy feat. Finally, I began making it to breath five, then with more time, breath twenty. Through the process, I learned that it was not about getting to breath twenty and winning a prize.
This Being Led Meditation 4. The Therigatha and the Problem of Self. Rambles Around Changing the World. Meditation Workshop - Five Breaths. Intro to the retreat and the stage of integration Led Mindfulness of Breathing Practice Intro to positive emotion 9: Led Dhyana meditation practice positive emotion Led Just Sitting Practice: