Day 23: 30 Day Meditation

Today I sat with awareness of the present moment and practiced deep listening. I caught myself drifting into thoughts and plans time after time. I noticed that every time my mind wandered, my body slumped. Then when I brought myself back to the present moment, I would lengthen my spine again and set my head more comfortably at the top (vs. neck bent, head tipped a bit back and chin jutting - aka, the neck slump).

A student shared a poem with me a few days ago and I thought I would share it here for the rest of us.

Meditation Poem

From  The Heart of the Buddha's Teaching, by Thich Nhat Hanh (pronounced Tick-Not-Han)

"The fourth element of our body is air. The best way to experience the air element is the practice of mindful breathing. "Breathing in, I know I am breathing in. Breathing out, I know I am breathing out." After saying these sentences we can abbreviate them by saying "In" as we breath in and "Out" as we breath out. We don't try to control our breathing. Whether our in-breath is long or short, deep or shallow, we just breath naturally and shine the light of mindfulness on it. When we do this we notice that, in fact, our breathing does become slower and deeper naturally. "Breathing in, my in-breath has become deep. Breathing out, my out-breath has become slow." Now we can practice, "Deep/slow". We don't have to make an extra effort. It just becomes deeper and slower by itself, and we recognize that.

"Later on, you will notice that you have become calmer and more at ease. "Breathing in, I feel calm. Breathing out, I feel at ease." I am not struggling anymore. Calm/ease." And then, "Breathing in, I smile. Breathing out, I release all my worries and anxieties. Smile/release." We are able to smile to ourselves and release all our worries. There are more than three hundred muscles in our face, and when we know how to breath in and smile, these muscles can relax. This is "mouth yoga." We smile and are able to release all our feelings and emotions. The last practice is, "Breathing in, I dwell deeply in the present moment. Breathing out, I know this is a wonderful moment. Present moment/wonderful moment." Nothing is more precious than being in the present moment fully alive and aware.

"In, out
Deep, slow
Calm, ease
Smile, release
Present moment, wonderful moment.

"If you use this poem during sitting or walking meditation, it can be very nourishing and healing. Practice each line for as long as you wish.

Enjoy!