I am not really a morning person.
I know it may seem that way.
I am kind of a forced morning person.
I mean, I don't jump out of bed with lots of energy and super excited about the upcoming day ahead.
Who does?
Well, maybe on my wedding day. LOL.
But I am a ROUTINE person.
I wake up at 5am most weekday mornings and start my morning routine (which I talked about here).
Coffee.
Meditation.
Quiet time.
This is HUGE for me.
Especially for someone who is very much an introvert. Leading an extroverted life.
I don't meditate very long. Only 11 minutes.
In silence.
No music.
Just sitting.
Sometimes my cat joins me.
Following my breath and watching my thoughts. Attempting not to cling to them.
I am not always successful with that.
You see, I used to do 10 day silent meditations.
They weren't "retreats" per say. There was nothing retreat-like about them.
They were "courses" teaching the style of Vipassana, or Insight Meditation.
You can read about it here, here, and here. Oh, and a really neat documentary about how they brought it into prisons! Yey, Dhamma Brothers on Netflix.
I wrote about unplugging in my very first blog, "ironyogini".
It was a game changer for me. This style of meditation offered me a new perspective in a lot of ways.
It's been nearly 5 years since I've done a 10-day course and I've been itching to go back.
In line with a my TBT posts, here is a post I wrote on June 25, 2013 on my former "ironbikini" blog (see a trend? LOL!) about an upcoming course I was taking. Enjoy!
I would say this is probably the hardest thing I have ever done. Harder than any crazy athletic endeavor (yes, even Ironman training!), harder than dieting for a figure competition. Because there is no way to distract yourself. No talking, eye contact, gesturing, reading, writing, listening to music, cell phones, any form of electronic device, yoga, exercise (oh, the horror!), etc. You literally just meditate, sleep & eat. Wash, rinse, repeat. For 10 days. Beginning at 4am. Just you and your crazy thoughts. Yes. Terrifying. Did I mention I love intensity?
Being that this is my 3rd year in a row participating in this course (I refuse to call it a "retreat" since there is nothing spa-like and relaxing about it … this is hard work!), I know what to expect. And I also know that each sit is a completely different experience. For some it is life changing. Completely transforming. For others, there are more subtle changes (like in my own experiences). But incredibly penetrating. Something deep within will never be the same again.
On the physical level, this will be very different as I am coming straight off of a bodybuilding lifestyle. Where I train nearly every day and eat 5-7 times a day. Now I'm doing absolutely no exercise and fasting by only eating twice a day. AGHHHHHHHHH!
My mind is going crazy. "OMG, will I lose my fitness level? Will I mess up my metabolism? All this hard work! GONE!" 2 weeks. TWO freakin' WEEKS!
Silly mind chatter.
As I had my moment of freak-out (actually, it wasn't that bad … I know my body needs a break and will benefit tremendously from 2 weeks off), a friend of mine reminded me how this will actually help my training. Because I always try to take a holistic approach in everything I do.
It's not just about building & strengthening muscles on the body, It's about building muscles in the mind. Strengthening it, focusing it, allowing it to relax. And that can only be done when you actually take the time to stop. And BE. This type of meditation is about noticing the sensation in the body (pleasant or unpleasant) and realizing that it is all impermanent. In a constant state of change. This too shall pass…
And when you get distracted by that crazy monkey mind? Just come back to the breath. Breathe. Notice. Feel. Again and again and again … as the instructor of the course so infamously says "start agaaaaaaaain…"
So here we go. 8-10 hours of meditation a day. Just me and my thoughts. 2 vegetarian meals a day. No exercise. Complete disconnect from the outside world. Time to go deep within.
Got enlightenment?
LOL.
Makes me want to go back. Life was incredibly simple then.
Today's workout:
Namaste.
Do what makes you happy.
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