Day Three

Waking up far too early (5 30am) with a stomach ache probably induced by drinking espresso yesterday and following that up with a mug of disgusting instant coffee (black, of course)

Anywho, the early start meant I got an hour of meditation or an hour of Holosync in first thing. The connection to what is was broken by my inability to remain equanimous in the face of quite severe pain at 45mins; again with the half-lotus. There must be some way to make all this easier and I kinda wish I had practised yoga and flexibility more regularly in my youth.

In Vipassana and many other forms of meditation there are three key factors; not just three, but three factors that I consider to be paramount. One is stillness of body and it is with such stillness that I feel the strongest connection to what is can be made. The other factor is equanimity, that is remaining non-judgmental and balanced in outloook no matter what arises in meditation. In my case in today's example I lost equanimity in the struggle with pain, or unpleasant sensation. The other major factor is impermanence, chi or the knowledge that everything changes all the time. Nothing is static in us, in anything around us or in being (bit of a mute point but us, everything around us and anything else is "being" anyway). Being mindful of this in the meditation time, and in fact all the time, can be very helpful.

I received an interesting email from a friend of mine yesterday which said this:

It sounds too obvious, but most people just don't
"get" it. And that's why we're a nation (and planet)
of "morbidly obesse", chronically sick, and desperately
unhappy people.

Of course, if you've been a Mind-Body Practitioner
for any length of time, you're probably not on death's
door anymore (I hope not!). I'm sure you already know
this and you're already on the path... But don't be fooled...

The effects of stress are subtle and sneak up on you.

When chronic stress happens to you day in and day out,
your body begins to break down, and you are no longer
able to repair yourself.

The solution, well there are many but one of them is regular practice of stillness, meditation or anything else (e.g. physical exercise) that may help you focus your mind and reduce such stresses.
Be well!!