#53 The Riddle of Mindfulness

Practicing meditation is a practice in doing nothing. That may sound like a riddle, but it's the truth! And it's why meditation is so difficult for some of us. My yoga teacher always used to say that meditation was very difficult. Asana yoga is almost easier because as we practice the poses, we are giving our minds a distraction from the sheer weight of nothingness. I'm here to tell you that the key to meditation lies in embracing this nothingness, this intangibility of the practice. Meditation is designed to move us away from the material world and into the quality of the exact moment we are in without a hectic need to define it or run away from it.  Unfortunately, our minds don't always work that way. Don't you ever experience doubts on the yoga mat? We are always looking for something to fill up the moment that, in the instant we're left alone with the stillness, we start to doubt ourselves.  Who are you without your thoughts? What are we without our busy schedules? Sometimes there can be unprocessed thoughts and emotions laying heavy on our hearts that we don't want to face. The silence forces us to face them, which breeds fear and doubt.  This is because if your mind is not trained it will ruminate back and forth between worrying about the past and projecting into the future. Meditation trains our mind to recognize the frequency of our thoughts so we can break that cycle of worry and doubt. I have a few helpful tips for my fellow yogis who have a hard time accepting the stillness of meditation, and I'm discussing many ways you can break the cycle, including:  First, be nice to yourself. Everyone is allowed to have their mind run wild once in a while. Just bring yourself back to your breath and refocus your mind. Count your breaths backward from ten to refocus your mind. Accept that meditation is supposed to be boring. If you're bored, then you're doing it right. Tune in now for more helpful ways to anchor your mind and more tips on how to get into that state of mind even if you don't have a silent space to practice at home. Quarantine has made many of us modify our yoga practice to fit into our new lifestyles, and it's important to share these moments together.  Practicing meditation together, as I have done in previous episodes of this podcast, creates a collective energy that inspires us and makes meditation a little less intimidating. When practice is more attainable like this, you're more likely to stick with it. I want to keep inspiring you to continue your practice. Send an email at [email protected] and tell me - what does yoga mean to you? You could be invited to guest spot on The Yoga Inspiration Podcast. Stay connected: @kinoyoga and @omstarsofficial View my teaching schedule, blogs, etc on Kinoyoga.com Get your free 30 day membership on Omstars.com& use code: PODCAST