A Research Story

This past week, I went through what so many of us meditators have experienced at one point or another: I got irregular with my practice. New demands and schedules came my way and, next thing you know, I'd missed 3 morning meditations in a row. Here's what I noticed: I was way more scattered, somewhat irritated, and I was exhausted by the time I got to my afternoon meditation.

Yesterday morning, I had a giant to-do list, but I got up early and got my morning meditation in. I came out of that meditation and flew through that to-do list like it was nothing. I was able to get some extra work done. I then felt charmed to go on a bike ride and, since I now had time, I went and ended up seeing 2 bald eagles on my excursion. It was a great morning.

And here's the thing: My mornings with missed meditations were still productive. From the Vedic perspective, the only thing that's ever happening is progressive change. So what's happening when we feel like we're off track? It's still progression. Those moments are there to provide contrast. By missing my meditations, I got a reminder of why it's so important to meditate.

We're progressing whether we like it or not. And periods of research are going to happen. The key for us is to keep those research periods as short as possible. For most folks, it takes years to do the research and learn the lesson. For us, let's have it be a couple of days. As we become less stressed and more perceptive, it's easier for us to take the hint, learn the lesson, and move on.

You're still on track.