Catching My Breath: Coming Back to Meditation

Everything is caught up in a whirlwind at the moment.  I'm making the rounds of appointments, getting my flu shot, packing and unpacking, deciding what I must take to SOAR and what falls into the category of "nice but not necessary."  It's difficult to stay mindful, next to impossible to remain in the moment, what with all the excitement just ahead.

So, I knit and I spin.  I breathe.  Each time I am overwhelmed by decisions, I pick up my needles or spindle.  I head to my mat, do a few rounds of simple Sun Salutations and spinal twists, all the while counting each breath.  As I do, I am pulled back to Now.  I calm down.  I can focus once more.

This is the difference between "zoning out" in an activity and using that activity as meditation practice.  Instead of spinning, knitting or moving through postures to escape life's pressures, I use them to bring my attention back to this moment, to clear my head, to still the whirling thoughts that crowd that little room that is my mind. 

I can anticipate the pleasures I expect to have at SOAR, but I don't need to build a story about it. I know that everything will unfold as it should, if not as I planned.  I can enjoy the preparation for the conference because, of course, it's part of the event, too.  All will be well.

My breath tells me that.

Namaste.