Just Being
The last three months I have been relatively healthy physically and then, all of a sudden, I visited home and boom, I “got sick.” What’s that supposed to mean? My immune system might have been compromised with the transition to SF. Let’s just say that my family members weren’t feeling so well either. I hope I didn’t spread my sickness to those I’ve kissed last weekend. Whoops. Anyhow, being sick can be super inconvenient, and it’s also a call to listen to my body, my health, and my heart. What is it saying? Is it stressed? Does it feel homesick? What do I need right now? More rest, a breath of fresh air, a friendly voice, a hug? I’m learning to listen to what I need. With awareness comes a choice to act for myself, to serve myself, to choose myself, and to love myself. Instead of always having to do something, let's practicing being. Feel the surface you're sitting on, feel the texture of the clothes or lack of clothes on your skin, feel your heart beat, feel the breath as it goes in and out of your nose and/or your mouth, feel the placement of feet on the floor/bed/sofa. This is how you can start cultivating mindfulness, the paying attention to the present moment with openness and curiosity. On my meditation practice: I've been meditating in the morning before work and while I'm very tempted to hit the snooze button like I used to, I'm also afraid to waking other housemates up. The alarm is set at 6:20 am. I use the restroom, take out my retainers and new night guard (anyone else grind their teeth while sleeping?), brush teeth, and drink water before I meditate. This process takes 7 minutes. At 6:27 am I start the timer and meditate for 30 minutes. I’m proud to say that I’ve been meditating every day since April 13, 2016. Ever since my grandma passed, life just got too real. I knew that meditation --> willpower --> happiness. Getting through a day can be a struggle. There are many different factors that I may not be able to control, but what I can control is my meditation practice. Now, I’m upping my meditation game and instead of fitting it in my schedule, I’m prioritizing it first thing in the morning. I feel the benefits of meditation right away. I experience more clarity, more patience, and more compassion as I walk into work, more present and grounded. Work can sometimes feel like it's one straw away from chaos, and I have the power to choose to return to my breath, even for a few seconds, before I respond instead of react. We're all in this journey of life together. Let's take it one day at a time, one moment at a time. There are 1,440 minutes in a day. We can start over any time. What keeps you going? I look forward to hearing from you. With metta (loving-kindness), Alisa
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