In Its Own Time

I often have students say to me "I want to meditate (or do Yoga) at home, but I just don't make the time for it." And I always say "it's frustrating, but things happen in their own time, not ours".

And I've felt that way about my own practice (and my own life) for ages. I've had a regular meditation and Yoga asana practice for years. By regular I mean that I was usually doing it daily but sometimes I wasn't. I found this frustrating, but...see my note above. I could have forced myself, but that's not the type of practice I was trying to develop.

I always found that when things got too busy, too stressful, my practice would wane. But something has shifted.

This week I have been really busy with contract work (and expect to be for at least another couple of weeks). On Tuesday, I had to choose between lunch and meditation. I chose meditation. On Wednesday, I had to choose between supper and meditation. I chose meditation.

I feel like my subconscious has finally recognized the value I get out of meditation, allowing me to embrace it during stressful times (rather than run from it). Since I don't get to choose how these things go, I don't know if this shift is permanent, but I'm loving it.

And in case anyone worries that choosing meditation over meals isn't healthy, I had more than enough calories in both of those days (another coping mechanism when I'm stressed). I just didn't actually sit down for those meals when planned.