Mindfulness Meditation Doesn't Change Life

“Mindfulness meditation doesn’t change life.  Life remains as fragile and unpredictable as ever.  Meditation changes the heart’s capacity to accept life as it is.”

-Sylvia Boorstein

 

I believe that many people think meditation is a way to escape reality.  There have been people who joke that I walk around in a Zen daze while everyone around me is freaking out.  Meditation is to the spirit what physical exercise is to the body.  Exercising is not necessarily enjoyable but when done on a regular basis it keeps the body in shape so when the body is tested, it is ready.  Meditation is much the same.  Sometimes I enjoy meditating.  I will feel peaceful and content.  Other times it is not really that great and I will be restless and fidgety while I am doing it.  However, like the effect of physical exercise on the body over the long haul, meditation can help your spirit to be in shape when it is tested by the trials and tribulations of everyday life.  I think meditation is at least part of the reason I am the calm person that most people think I am.  This doesn’t mean I can never lose it.  Occasionally I do get angry and there are times when I do what my family calls “flailing”.  Meditation helps me to have emotional balance in my life.  We all have challenges in our lives although they may not be the same for everyone.  Some of you may think you have never meditated and perhaps the idea sounds too esoteric for you.  For some meditation is also some type of prayer practice that you do on a regular basis.  The words prayer, meditation, and contemplation are interchangeable on many levels.  There are differences in nuance and technique but whatever you what to call it, taking some time in your day for the pause that refreshes should be something that your value and prioritize.