meditate on this…

I have a confession to make… I’m a yogi who has never meditated. Even to me, a certified yoga teacher, meditation has always seemed a bit intimidating. How exactly do you do it?

I’ve read about moving meditation, and I’d like to think that my runs along the Hudson River fall into that category. And they can! But what about good old-fashioned crossed-legged lotus-pose meditation? My acupuncturist told me about meditation classes here in NYC, and I've been meaning to attend one. It’s on my “to do” list. (How American – and ridiculous – is that?!) In the meantime, I’ve been keeping my eyes and ears open for tips, and I came across this newsletter from goop today. Gwyneth Paltrow recently picked up Andy Puddicombe’s book, Get Some Headspace, and she was “inspired by his ability to demystify mindfulness.” If Puddicombe can demystify mediation, I’m all ears. I’m going to get my hands on Get Some Headspace ASAP. Until then, perusing Puddicombe’s site is already proving to be helpful. Paltrow interviewed Puddicombe for goop and this part in particular resonated with me:

Q – What do I do if thoughts start to appear and my mind wanders?

A – In the busy and modern world we live in, our default setting has become frenetic thought. If we could stop thinking at will, we wouldn’t need to learn to meditate. Just be gentle with yourself. Bring your attention back to your breath each time, and with a little practice the sense of calm will begin to increase.

So basically, as with most things in life, we need to take baby steps with meditation. And not be so hard on ourselves. I probably won’t be truly meditating the first time I try it, or even the 20th. But eventually, I’ll get there. And I’m sure the process of “getting there” is what it’s really all about anyway, this meditation stuff.

P.S. Speaking of baby steps, how awesome is What About Bob? My dad and I are both obsessed with Bill Murray. I met Murray once on the street in Chicago, and we totally hugged it out.