As excited as I was to get started on Day 1 of the Real Happiness Challenge, I didn’t get a chance to open Sharon’s email with the first guided meditation until early evening. How did my day get away from me like that?
That’s when I realized why my meditation practice has stopped being a part of my daily existence: I’m letting my days get away from me. I’m not being mindful of how I choose to spend my time. And the fact that it took me all day to sit down and meditate for 8 minutes tells me I need to make some changes.
Once I finally found my way to my meditation station in my home office and sat down on my meditation cushion and closed my eyes and focused on my breath as Sharon instructed, that day that got away from me didn’t matter anymore. Focusing on each breath helped me stay in the moment instead of thinking about every step I took throughout the day that prevented me from getting to this point and worrying about the things I still had to do before day’s end.
Focusing on the breath is such a simple practice, but one that is so important, especially as the week continues with the theme of concentration. And while I admit I found my thoughts wandering more than I’d like during today’s meditation, I know I can always start over. The breath is always there.