I forgot how much I love being a student and have really enjoyed these past few weeks, as I’ve been taking a deep dive into my yoga-teacher training. I’ve got less than a month to go before graduation and lots of studying and assignments to complete. This focus on learning has caused me to be a little absent on Twitter and less prolific on this blog. I really miss all my Twitter yoga peeps, but now is the time to buckle down and focus on graduating summa cum yogini.
I still take the time each day to check out a few of my favorite blogs and have read in awe as so many of my tweeps (@MeredithLeBlanc, @CieChange, @Emmainbxl, @yoga_mydrishti to name a few) have been bravely posting their New Year’s resolutions and goals for all to read—and (gasp) to keep you accountable. I wasn’t so brave. I’m still a little new to blogging and wasn’t ready to put that 2011 goal sheet up on the blog for public consumption. Why am I kidding myself? I still haven’t even started to write down my goals for 2011.
But I am going to put two firm feet on the ground, standing tall in mountain pose, hands at heart center, and proudly proclaim one goal for 2011. I am going to get into the practice of daily meditation. I am going to fall in love with it and spread the word about my experiences. If it is the only goal I work on and achieve this year, I will have accomplished something pretty damn amazing.
I just finished reading chapter one of Meditation and Its Practice by Swami Rama and can’t wait to finish this book. This book is on my required reading list for yoga-teacher training, and I plan to use it as my road map for my journey into the wonderful world of meditation this year.
So, why am I so fired up about meditation? Here’s a list of benefits Swami Rama provides in Chapter 1:
- Meditation helps relax muscular tension and the autonomic nervous system and provides freedom from mental stress. I am a major stress queen. Meditation, take me away… I am so ready to be free of mental stress!
- Meditation is a systematic way of enhancing our innate talents in daily life. Or, in other words, the practice will help develop my creativity, intuition, and ability to write and think more expressively. I’m not going to look at the time I spend each day meditating as something frivolous, but rather as professional enrichment, something I need to do each day to produce better, more productive work.
- Meditating is a process that is restful for the mind. I don’t know about you, but we all beat the hell out of our mind on a daily basis. This year I’m giving back and letting my mind enjoy the breaks it deserves: the chance to let all those stressful thoughts—such as worrying, planning, thinking, and reasoning—just melt away.
Swami Rama claims that “the highest of all joys that can ever be experienced by a human being can be attained through meditation.” Now, that piqued my interest. Sign me up! I’m setting a goal of finding that highest joy!
So, there; I’ve done it. Put that goal out for all to read. Please hold me accountable in the coming year! Ask me how my meditation is going, and tell me about your experiences. I’m hoping some of my yoga buddies (like @yisforyogini) will continue to put out 30-day kriyas, and maybe I’ll start a few fun group activities to keep us all motivated to meditate!
Wishing you a year of delightful meditation in the quest for the highest of all joys!
Wow thanks for the shout-out!
I hear you on the YTT, my next weekend is approaching and I’m already giddy with excitement, I can’t wait to go back.
Daily meditation: now that’s a brilliant goal! It is indeed enrichment, every time I meditate I have some sort of answer to my questions, and a direction to follow. I’ve had trouble including meditation in a daily routine but I definitely need more too. You go girl! 🙂
Ahh daily meditation – something I’ve been working on for around a year. Sometimes I get it every single day (sometimes multiple times a day) in a good groove and all is well… then sometimes I fall off the wagon for a few weeks. It’s tough – but it’s such bliss! I love meditating. Good Luck!!
I love this! Meditation is something relatively new for me. I made a promise to myself (and my life coach) that I would bring meditation into my daily life about a month ago. Though it hasn’t been daily, it’s been close. And I’m finding all sorts of creative ways to meditate – while on a hike, before bed, in the morning, after yoga practice — sometimes for 30 seconds and sometimes for 30 minutes. The less hard I am on myself about it, the more easily meditation seems to come. And the benefits….Wow. It’s staggering. Thanks for your post!
Hello dear friend,
Appreciate the shout out! I like to share goals, I tend to keep them when they are shared, too easy to slack off when I’m the only one who knows about it! But that’s just me. Meditation! Great wonderful goal. I can’t wait to hear all about it and yes, maybe we can all get involved! I meditated quite religiously every morning for several months while taking a coaching course. I got away from it, and wish I hadn’t. I think you will notice a difference in how you feel and how you live, in combination with yoga, it’s powerful! I need to get back to it, daily. I find myself at times meditating, but for me, a regular pattern/routine seems to to work best. Now if I had made it one of my GOALS I would DO IT !!! Good for you! Do tell us all about it. And good luck on all your work for YTT. I miss my assignments!!
C.
you bet i’ll keep up the kriyas! i’m somewhere around 160 days in a row now. 🙂 so excited. and i love that you are always down for them, as well. i feel like we’re all so connected, sharing our different kinds of meditation or doing the same one. can’t wait for your upcoming crew activities! 🙂 xoxox
YAY! Love your goal! Meditation is the one thing daily I really strive to make time for; I like my asana practice but meditation is where the real work is for me. I’m here cheering you on ♥
xoxo
Have you tried humming mediation yet aka bhramari pranayama?
And YAY on your pending graduation! let’s give you a round of namaste woooo hooooo
😀