Happy Pride Month, day 12, meditating
Jun. 12th, 2024 06:13 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
sonia12. I'm proud of meditating every morning. I started 20+ years ago out of sheer desperation, 5 minutes at first. I worked up to 20 minutes, which I've kept doing ever since. It's a very simple kind of meditation: If my butt is on the cushion, I'm meditating. I might count breaths for a while, or not. I might move and stretch, or make sounds. I was inspired by Cheri Huber's book How to Get From Where You Are to Where You Want To Be.
At first I didn't know why it helped - I just knew I needed to keep doing it. Over time I realized that it gives me a tiny non-judgmental space from which to observe the judgment I'm awash in all the time. It also helps me get present in my body, and settle my nervous system, and spend some time with whatever is bugging me. And count breaths, if I remember. Basil often sits on one leg as I sit cross-legged, so it's a peaceful time with my cat, too.
In general, I'm proud of slowly figuring out what's helpful for me, and then dedicating the time and energy to self-care. And it's also simple necessity in order to stay functional, to feel better, to find a measure of happiness amidst what's hard.
At first I didn't know why it helped - I just knew I needed to keep doing it. Over time I realized that it gives me a tiny non-judgmental space from which to observe the judgment I'm awash in all the time. It also helps me get present in my body, and settle my nervous system, and spend some time with whatever is bugging me. And count breaths, if I remember. Basil often sits on one leg as I sit cross-legged, so it's a peaceful time with my cat, too.
In general, I'm proud of slowly figuring out what's helpful for me, and then dedicating the time and energy to self-care. And it's also simple necessity in order to stay functional, to feel better, to find a measure of happiness amidst what's hard.
