Ruminations on Meditation

"The flower that you hold in your hands was born today and already it is as old as you are."~Antonio Porchia, Voces, 1943, translated from Spanish by W.S. Merwin

I have been sitting everyday for the past week in an effort to better my meditation practice. Despite the effort, my hag-ups are still getting in the way of my progress. The chief among these challenges is the issue of my preoccupation with the time that I am sitting for; not "time" as in a.m. or p.m. (I'm comfortable using time in the morning after a brief series of yoga poses), but "time" as in the duration of the sitting session.

Many of the resources I am using as guides (How to Practice: The Way to a Meaningful Life, Awakening the Buddha Within, and a number of websites) speak of sessions ranging from 20 minutes to an hour(!). I thought I had been doing well to stay "on task" for much shorter having built up to over five minutes.

I recognize that part of my error is even worrying about time, though I have alleviated that internal need by setting a small alarm clock to go off after x minutes having established my sit time in advance. Part of trying to experience the moment is losing track of the "before" and "after." If I'm subconsciously concerned with later, it is hard to be "now."

Breathe in, breathe out… YOU AND I ARE ALIVE!