What Are You Waiting For?

"You should sit in meditation for at least 20 minutes a day,

unless your too busy -

then you should sit for an hour."

Zen Saying

As the world around us becomes increasingly chaotic and uncertain, our lives can often feel out of control and peace of mind as fleeting as a dream. Often we can feel like we are sleepwalking through life, barely aware of what is actually going on around, and within us. As we wake-up from the illusion that anything 'out there' in the world will ultimately satisfy us, we can find ourselves looking for something/anything that will give us the peace and happiness that our hearts long for. Interestingly, one of the things that almost all of the world's spiritual traditions agree upon is the power of daily meditation to bring tranquility to our minds and joy to our hearts.

The practice of meditation, which has been around now for thousands of years, gives us the opportunity to relax out of the 'monkey mind', the voice in our head that is constantly worrying, judging, complaining, and trying to get anywhere but here. Even more important than the well-documented health benefits of daily meditation: increased energy, alleviation of anxiety, and improved sleep (among many others); we find that when we turn within for even as little as 10 minutes a day, we begin to touch down in the peace and stillness that are at the heart of our true nature.

As we make it our practice to be present with whatever is unfolding here and now, we find ourselves living from, and as, Awake-Awareness. We also find that we begin to have an even greater enjoyment of all of the activities of our lives and appreciate even the most ordinary moments that unfold. Besides sitting for 10 minutes a day (or more, if you are inclined), taking three deep, refreshing breaths every hour will do more to improve the quality of our lives than all of the time we squander on activities that distract us from the present moment.

All that is required to know the freedom and clarity of your true nature is to begin a meditation practice and stay with it, no matter how much your mind may try and convince you that you have better things to do. If peace and joy are what you truly want, you don't