Had a really amazing shift in my lovingkindness & sitting practices. I’ve begun to use the guided audio meditations that are provided on the Real Happiness audio CD and I’m finding them quite supportive. The addition of the guided meditations is allowing me to lengthen the amount of time I spend while helping me stay focused.
Struggling with tinnitus I had avoided the Sound Meditations out of an irrational fear that things would become unbearable. Since my past post Layering Meditation: Sitting with Tinnitus lots of people have reached out to me about the topic. It’s been nice connecting with others who face the constant noise distraction. In the post I mentioned my fears around doing Sharon’s Sound Meditation. Little did I know that I’ve been doing sound meditation for years. I didn’t have the language or concentration to understand that.
As an experiment the past couple days I’ve been using the guided meditations either to start or close my sitting period. By combining a silent & non-silent section to my sit I’m finding it easier not to be drawn into the consistent ringing. The gentle voice of my teachers provides an audio focus that has been allowing me to find some balance.
It’s also helped me find a rhythm in the LovingKindess practice.
After a couple sessions of using the audio from the book’s CD & the samples on Soundcloud I’m finding the Metta practice easier. When I first began my attention was struggling between my breath and the LovingKindess phrases. Last night I was listening to Sharon’s voice as I sat and something shifted as she was leading me through.
Still having trouble when I direct the practice at people who I’ve had difficulty with: my attention goes back to the breath. Hoping with a little more practice & patience with myself the other parts of the meditation will start to flow. It’s feeling a bit uneven at this point. Not convinced it’s a matter of concentration. It’s hard sending positive energy to people I’m not so fond of. Know with time & the support of the 28 Day Meditation Challenge community I’ll find a way through this.
