In some ways, meditation can be compared to sports.
If you train for a day and then slack off for a week, you won’t make much progress.
In fact, you may end up straining a muscle or hurting your back. This is why fitness gurus recommend consistency with your workouts. It allows your body to get in shape gradually… and then keep on improving.
When you practice meditation, you’re developing your mental and emotional muscles: concentration, mindfulness, and receptive awareness.
Consistency is the key here, too. You need to keep it up and keep it regular, no matter how you’re feeling from day to day.
Fortunately, your feelings can provide fodder for your meditation practice, as you expand your awareness from your breath to include the full range of your experience. There’s no special way you need to be – just show up and be yourself!
As one old Chinese Zen master used to say, “Sun-faced Buddha, moon-faced Buddha.”
In other words,
Happy or sad, energetic or tired, just sit as the being you happen to be.
Photo credit: Kristin Kokkersvold
