HMC Day 14: Meditation for clarity
Do you ever have times when your mind is so chaotic and overwhelmed that you have trouble organizing your thoughts or figuring out what to tackle first? You have so much to do, yet you end up doing nothing, because you spend too much time in indecision. It a pattern that happens to a lot of us and it’s maddening.
Through meditation practice, the hope is that you begin to locate that calm center of yourself, shielded from all the busy details of your day-to-day life. You can go there when you need a respite. You can go there and wait until you have more clarity. Your priorities, your values, your biggest dreams and most important goals all live there.
It’s important not to load up any particular meditation session with a bunch of expectations, aka, “I’m going to sit down to meditate so I can figure out what I need to prioritize today.” It’s better to sit with the intention of being in the moment, seeing what’s coming up for you, watching and listening, and go from there. Sometimes you will get the clarity you seek, other times your mind will not cooperate and will keep bringing you back into the chaotic thoughts. Your job is to notice whatever is happening and recognize it for what it is. “I see you, mind, and I see what you’re doing!” In the recognition, the awareness, the acknowledgment, you may stumble upon the clarity you’re looking for.
Assignment:
During a moment of overwhelm, pause and meditate for a few minutes. Observe your breath. Notice your racing thoughts. Consider whether the details and to-dos and tasks flooding through your mind are serving another function: distraction from what really has to happen in your life, an escape from a painful truth or difficult conversation that needs to be had, something about yourself that you’re reluctant to face. Or maybe busyness is just a habit you’ve developed. Let each thought go, one by one. If you’re able to sit for 12-15 minutes, all the better.
For a guided (16 min) version, try this: http://pxlme.me/l_qnrhUy
**If you missed the introductory post, welcome to the Holiday Meditation Challenge! To receive a summary of each week’s assignments in e-mail form so you can go back to them anytime, click here: https://www.subscribepage.com/holidaymeditationchallenge.