Today I am open to the presence of Miracles.
Day One ~ Deepak and Oprah’s 21 Day Meditation Challenge
Today I started the Free 21 Day Meditation Challenge ~ Click Here to Join Me! and after finishing the 15 minute session, I realized that I have a lot of work ahead of me. The simple notion that I can stay still, keep my mind focused on OM and continue to painstakingly banish the multitude of thoughts that barrage my mind as I try to keep it quiet, was in a word ~ comical.
Yes indeed. It’s probably why year after year, I have enthusiastically begun trying to meditate only to throw in the towel after a few days into the exercise. My monkey brain (as a friend refers to her very busy thought-drenched brain) doesn’t seem to have an off button. It was when I was trying to meditate, truly giving it my all, that I realized just how busy the voices in my head are! (And no, it’s not like they are telling me to do anything bad. It’s just a running commentary, like being at the fights!)
Mediation begins:
OM…Deepak tells us that he’ll ‘mind the time’ and ring a soft bell when the mediating segment is over. I love that ‘mind the time’ phrase. It’s so comforting to me. So here I am, on the couch, palms up in my lap, tv quieted, cat next to me and family asleep upstairs. Early morning so there would be no distractions, or so I think.
OM…breathing in and out. OM…
Oh this is nice. Such peace and quiet. What am I supposed to be thinking of? Oh yes, something about today and the presence of miracles. Wait, I’m supposed to be quiet. Ok, OM…OM…OM..Uh oh…did I put out the garbage? I hear the trucks outside. Oh, but it’s Monday isn’t it? Garbage goes out on Tuesday. I’m safe. Whoops. Cat jumps off the couch and moseys into the kitchen. No worries. I’m still meditating. OM…OM…OM…OM…Oh my, what is that noise? Why is the cat meowing? She’s so loud! She’s going to wake them all up before my meditation is over. Perhaps I should stop it and go see what she’s got? Oh no, are you allowed to stop the meditation? Meow Meow (plaintive warble coming from the kitchen) Oh flip, did I feed her today? That’s why she’s crying. Do I dare engage and tell her to be quiet? it’s only got to be a few more minutes of this. Oh geez, there I go again. Got to get back to OM…OM…breathing in and out…how much longer do I have to sit here? It’s been awhile….yikes, there I go again. OM…OM…OM…how do people do this for so long? OM… Um, is this over yet because I have so much to do today. It’s Monday, beginning of the week. Let’s see, this one has soccer, that one has lacrosse, what’s for dinner, wow, is that my tummy rumbling? I’m never hungry this early. Um…back to OM…OM… Breathe in and out, I’ve heard that you should concentrate on your breathing…ok….OM….OM…. This is supposed to be relaxing, I feel tortured. Sh…OM…OM…Um, I think I need to go to the bathroom, how much longer do you think this is going to be? Darn, that coffee has kicked in. I shouldn’t have had that 2nd cup before mediating….OM…OM…OM…Oh Deepak…Um please ring that bell already! Deepak….are you minding the time? Enough already….OM….OM….OM…my breath isn’t coming slowly, this isn’t relaxing…I need practice. I’m terrible at this. How can I be suffering so? I need to do this…OM…OM…Twinkling Bell Rings Softly…Eyes fly open. Thank Goodness!
Do you mediate? Do you have any secrets for a beginning who really wants to be able to do this? I would appreciate any and all suggestions! Because 21 days is a long time and who knows what I’ll be thinking of next! HA LOL
Join me please and let’s mediate together!
I promise not to OM out loud!
Shine On! ~ Shine OM! ♥
xo
P.S. I’m not making fun of this special series ~ I’m just making fun of myself as I really want to succeed so please help me!
Misifusa's Blog 
LOL! This is so funny! Everyone (even the masters…but they may not admit it) have trouble with keeping your mind on target. When a thought comes into your head just label it “thinking” and watch it drift away and come back to your focus. (you may have LOTS of floating balloons at the end!) I also read to think of your wandering mind as a child wandering off the path.. If the child wanders, just gently guide it back on the path.
Don’t beat yourself up! You should give yourself a big pat on the back for taking on the challenge! Yay you!!
I’m also doing the challenge! So we can support each other!
Oh Sis, I’m so happy to hear you are doing it too! I like the balloon idea but what if I float away? I mean that was just a smattering of the thoughts that edged their way into my OM! LOL! I figure practice makes perfect, so now that I have you as my buddy, I’ll have to stick it out for the 21 days! Thanks ~ Yay You too! ♥ ♥
Wow! That’s great that you two sisters have this connection! Congratulations! tomas ☼
Actually Tomas, her blog name is the Savvy Sister and I just abbreviated it! We aren’t related. ♥
Oh! Well, it was a nice thought while it lasted 🙂 ♥
I like the way you think! ♥
☼ ♥ ☼
HA! I can’t even BEGIN to try this! Bless you and best of luck! So funny……xoxo
Oh come on Rhonda, I know you like a challenge! Try it, once ~ for me? Pullleease? ♥
I can refuse YOU nothing! Okay….Om gonna try! 🙂
OM so happy! Pun intended! Giggle Giggle! ♥
hahaha.
Good luck! I think everyone has to figure it out, and does, eventually. Congrats for getting started!
Thank you ~ want to do it with me? The more the merrier! Do you meditate? ♥
Oh yes, I’m an established meditator- every day! Is the challenge only for newbies? Or everyone?
Nope, challenge is open to everyone! Check out the link! Come join us! ♥ The more the merrier!
OH thank you for this! Loved what you wrote. So honest and true. And I ahve been wandering away from my daily meditation practice and you’ve given me both a reminder and a path back to it!
When I feel or catch my mind wandering away, I let my thoughts become clouds in the sky and let them simply drift away without judging, or trying to catch them.
I’m with you on this 21 journey — and so delighted to be here! 🙂
Woo Hoo ~ I’m so glad to have you with me Louise! Clouds are a great idea as well ~ Sis told me about balloons! Let’s see what tomorrow brings! Thanks so much for the suggestions! I love trying out new ways to make it through the meditations! ♥
Hahahahaha! Great! Perfect! tomas ♥
Ha! I’m with you sister! I can’t empty my mind I have to do it chanting style. like breathe in peace, breathe out anxiety or count my breaths and even then I only last 5 minutes tops!
Diana ~ you chant! Wow! I love that! Do you say OM when you chant? I think 5 minutes will be my goal! 🙂
no, if I say OM my mind wanders! I have to repeat a phrase in time with my breathing. 🙂
Ok, thanks for explaining! Perhaps I’ll try that today! 🙂
I don’t really sit and meditate..it is more like a state of being..except when I write. The thoughts seem to clear way and listen to my heart. I pretty much just observe the thoughts and everything as an observer..even the cats..
I have gotten more insights this way and more peace..when I work with a coach, I don’t try to relax. Sometimes there is a message in how my body is or what is happening around me. I know I can’t focus on it all at once..so the challenge for me is to notice what is happening in the moment..
Love –
L
And then I practice letting go I guess.. not trying too hard. 🙂
Whew ~ that may be hard b/c I hold onto everything! It’s something I’m working on myself! ♥
Finding a space between all of the noise ….
Ya, that’ s it. ♡…
Forgot to mention that.. then I expand that..I love visualization from this quiet place.
It’s going to take baby steps for me I think ~ there are some posts which ‘write themselves’ from that place so I get it. I just have a tough time getting quiet I guess. It’s my goal. One day at a time! Thanks for sharing Laurie! ♥
You are so successful with this ~ your posts show it! I always get a beautiful sense of peace every morning when I read your special posts. It is so obvious to me and I hope that one day I can enjoy the same. ♥
Reblogged this on Momentum of Joy and commented:
Hysterical and so easy to relate to every word!
You are such a riot! I could relate to every word. I am going to check this out, too. :). Thanks for the giggle and the inspiration!
MoJo you are so welcome ~ glad you got a giggle and inspiration! Care to join me for 21 days? ♥
Just let everything be as it is, wandering thoughts, bouncing here and there, all is really just fine, fine, it is what is. Our mental conditioning tells us we must “get” something, a certain peaceful state, silence, we must “do” something to get it – when there is really nothing to get. Eventually the mind will of its own quiet down, and if not, let it be. Meditation really is about seeing there is no separate “meditator”, there really is no separate “me” – “I, me, mine” are only thoughts! shanti….
Thank you so much for your kind words ~ this is so new to me and I’m grateful to find that it’s not uncommon to find myself in this position! It’s a learning adventure ~ I feel great to have so many amazing friends like to you to help me! ♥
You are hilarious! I can SO relate to your ‘monkey brain.’
Meditation has been a huge tool for processing my PTSD, and I first learned how to do it with my counselor. I wish I had a video of that first session because it was that funny. I kept opening my eyes asking questions. She was patient and helped build some tools for me to use at home.
It’s taken me years to learn how to quiet my mind, and the only thing that helps is practice. I focus on my inhale/exhale, actually listening to the sound. It helps me clear my mind. If a thought comes up, I just let it float away without judging it. That’s hard to do sometimes.
I also do hot yoga, which helps A LOT…
Can’t wait to hear how your continued mediation goes!
Thank you for sharing Lori! Will you be doing the 21 day challenge too? I am glad that you’ve found help with PTSD. My goal is to be able to meditate for a few minutes by the end of the challenge ~ one precious minute at a time. Many people have said to allow my thoughts to float away. With so many like you giving me that advice, it’s what I’ll try tomorrow! Thank you! Wish me luck! ♥ What’s hot yoga?
Oh wow… I sure can relate to this!!! I have a similar Monkey mind. Even if I reduce my goal to a MINUTE, my mind races off. But I keep trying! 🙂 Thanks for letting me know that I am not alone.
Oh no, you are not alone! Join us ~ it’ll be fun! ♥
This was so funny! Totally can relate and I have been meditating for years! 🙂 the best advice I can give is to start small. If you can focus on your breath for just 1 minute in the beginning, then consider it progress for the day 🙂
Ok, baby steps ~ I can do that! Thank you!! Tomorrow’s goal will be one minute! Perhaps by day 21 I can do 20 minutes? 🙂 LOL
Yes! So honest. I chuckled out loud identifying with you.
Thank you ~ it helps to hear that others understand! ♥
Your experience is pretty much mine! Good job sticking with it today! (I did an earlier 21-day Meditation Challenge with Deepak and Oprah, although I have to confess, I probably did about 8 days out of 21…it was a start anyway!) Patience and loving kindness are key (I think, I’m no expert, obviously!) 🙂
Come join me Vicki! I attempted the challenge last year as well and like you, I wasn’t able to complete it. But with all the benefits which seem to come with meditation, I figure I’ll try again! What have I got to lose? ♥
I still haven’t figured it out… but I’ll share with you the advice I’ve been given.
Meditating is not like doing push-ups… you cannot “drop and give me 20”; you have to decelerate… take the off-ramp from the highway of your life. Journal-ing before (and again after) meditating is, supposedly, a good way to do this.
It hasn’t worked for me, but that doesn’t mean it is not good advice. I’m the only person in America who gets stressed by journal-ing , so it actually accelerates my brain rather than winding me down.
I don’t believe you are the only person in America my friend who feels that way. Thanks for sharing the advice you’ve been given as every little bit helps! Do you want to try the challenge with me? ♥
Heart says yes; head says no… which means I probably should 🙂
Then say YES and do it with me! 🙂
I picked this up through Momentum of Joy’s reblog and thought I’d jump in. I’ve been meditating for 28 years and I still have trouble quieting my mind many times. When I started out the sit with no thoughts kinds of meditations drove me nuts. So I did guided meditations. There’s tons of recorded meditations out there. I also learned quite a few where you just take yourself through the steps. I also practiced yoga and pranayama. Some years later when I decided to try vipassana all of that had calmed me down enough that I could quiet my mind much more easily. There are also moving meditations like chi gung and tai chi or chanting meditations. I think they’re All That Is’s kind way of letting those of us with crazy monkey minds meditate more easily. There are lots of teachers who will tell you to just stick with the clear your mind stuff but I personally see no reason to suffer that much. Find a type that’s easier for you and let it calm you and quiet you more and then, if you want to, go back to try the “clear your mind of thoughts” — i.e. just sit and breathe — type you may find that it’s not so hard.
Wow Leigh! I’m so impressed ~ 28 years! That’s awesome! I will check out your suggested options ~ I appreciate your taking the time to give me advice! Thank you! 🙂
You’re welcome! I meant to make these suggestions and see that I forgot:
1. Wayne Dyer’s Getting in the Gap — it’s a little book with a CD on which he does two or three guided meditations. They give you moments of silence but largely you’re being guided.
2. Swami Janakananda’s Experience Yoga Nidra. Yoga nidra is a sort of meditation that you do lying down (love the comfort factor) and it’s a very fast paced set of guided instructions. I find it helpful for mindfulness because I miss big chunks of the meditation if I don’t stay focused (which sometimes just means I miss big chunks — but it mostly it helps me stay focused without such a busy mind). There’s a 20 minute version and a 45 minute version on the CD. I love the 45 minute but for starters probably the 20 minute one is good. Few other “long” versions (the 45 min) have the complete meditation that he has here.
Wow! Thank you!!! Leigh I appreciate all of your suggestions and I definitely am going to try them out! It’s great to hear from any expert like you! ♥
I really enjoyed reading that. Very funny.
Thank you! 🙂
How about trying one of those sound machines while you meditate? The ones that play sounds of nature, the ocean, white noise, etc. It might help…..
Thank you ~ that’s a great idea! ♥
I do meditate, Misifusa, but mostly it is unplanned…quite difficult to explain. I wish you well, and I know you will master meditation. Keep shinning!
Thanks Hope ~ I appreciate you! ♥
I tried this years ago, only I was meditating on an egg! I discovered that thoughts never cease, and just accepted it. WATCHING the thoughts worked thought. I was strangely very quiet in doing that, because I wasn’t acting on them. Maybe that’s what silencing the mind really means. Good luck with this! I’d love to hear your success stories.
Thank you for your encouragement ~ I will continue with updates on how it goes. In the meantime I love your idea of WATCHING the thoughts…that feels right to me! ♥
I don’t really meditate for there is simply too much things going inside my head…LOL…
All the best to you in this challenge! Cheers~ 😀
Thank you for your support ~ I have a lot going on in my head too ~ that’s why I figure this is good practice! 🙂
You’re welcome! 😀
Take care and be well, always~ Cheers!! 😀
I Zentangle while I listen to music….that is meditative for me…and helps me clear my mind, or at least relax….I gave up on classic mediation long ago. I always fall asleep:)
I love to meditate, the secret is meditating ON something. Why do you want an empty brain? Is there a purpose? is there an outcome that is of value? I meditate on the Word of God. The rewards are peace and joy and healing and love and on and on… Oprah and Deepak are misguiding you because they are following the New Age religion which tries to get spirituality without the Holy Spirit.
Thank you Lily! I definitely am looking for peace, joy, love and healing so I will follow your advice and see where it leads me. I appreciate your taking the time to share! ♥
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I have been thinking about how I tried to explain what I do as far as meditation.. Better for me to show I think. So another reason I write the way I do. Not to tell people how to do anything – but to show..
Thanks for the inspiration. 🙂
I am glad you are telling your story.
Much love –
L
Laurie ~ your morning posts help me to breathe easier so in a way, I completely understand what you are saying. I guess you are my every morning meditation ~ always starting my day off with a peaceful smile on my face. Keep up the great work ~ you make such a difference in my life! ♥
Likewise.
OMG, this was great!!! We need a laugh from time to time..
Thank you! I love to giggle! 🙂
Am with you. love, Paulette
Big hugs to you Paulette! ♥
LOL…I love it.
Thank you! ♥
Very Nice one.
Thanks!
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