Time: January 11 - 17

Last week, I wrote about creating a home base, a place to collect our scattered selves, a place to listen to the quiet wisdom of the heart. This week's building block focuses on time.

Meditation is a skill just like cooking or writing. While some people have an innate ability, most of us need to invest time and energy to develop our capacity. I meditate for 20 minutes each morning. Why? Because my best energy is in the hours after I first wake up and 20 minutes is my sweet spot. Less time and I don't settle down. If I meditate longer, I tend to get antsy. My daily practice keeps me anchored and sane these days.

Decide on the time of day and the length of time that suits your temperament, schedule, and energy. If this is new, try it for a week or two. Tell me if you discover struggles or benefits.

Practice

I'll give you a window into how my meditation flows. There are usually four phases:

1. Arriving in the Body

2. Focusing in the Mind

3. Opening the Heart

4. Returning to the day

Let's meditate together. We'll begin by arriving in the body. I'm amazed how quickly I can feel overwhelmed and caught up in the demands of the day. There doesn't seem to be enough time for everything I need to do. This is the perfect time to shift my attention. Take three slow and deliberate breaths. Connect again to the body. Feel the chair or bed holding you. Let gravity support you as you relax more and more with each breath. Rest in the present moment.

Focus on your home base, which could be your breath, your hand on your heart, the sensation of your hands or feet. Practice abiding here. Thoughts may come and go. You may find yourself daydreaming, planning, storytelling. No worries. Each time you've drifted away, come back to your home base. Practice abiding here. Each time you practice this step, you are strengthening your mindfulness muscle. Good job. Keep it up.

At a certain point, release the practice. Let the mind do whatever it wants. No need to control it. Remain in your home base. Beneath whatever storms are at the surface, sink like a stone into the depths of stillness. Open more and more to the inner calm of the heart. Recognize peace, wholeness, and beauty already present in this moment. Let go of the words. Let go of the images. Simply be fully here. Abide as long as you wish in this place beyond time and space.

Eventually it is time to return to the day. Honor yourself for showing up and taking time to simply be. Bring with you the mindfulness that you cultivated into each activity and interaction.