My Meditation Cushion
Perfection vs. Imperfection...Procrastination vs. Action
Take a comfortable (seated, resting, moving) position
When we consider the practice of meditation, it’s useful to remember…meditation can look very different from one person to another, from one day to the next, from moment to moment.
Here’s what I’ve learned…
Meditation can take place…
laying down
on a walk or run
in a working flow state
praying
breathing
When we pause to focus on breath and let go of our mental chatter, as we can…perhaps with the help of a mantra…we meditate.
When we are in a relaxed position and take some time to focus on each part of the body, beginning with the toes working up to the top of the head…we meditate.
When we sit quietly in a place that is Holy to us, be it indoors or out, and focus on something greater than ourselves…we meditate.
Here she is, my well-worn meditation cushion!
You’ll notice fuzz, fur, a tape marking, and pink stitches! You’ll also notice the beginning notes for this article written on paper over my yoga mat.
This yoga cushion has afforded me an abundance of inspiration for writing, serenity to organize thoughts, peace to calm my anxious mind and body, ideas for work and life, and space for prayer…quiet time where I can offer my concerns and gratitude and open my ears and heart to listen.
The seam had torn three years ago, so I placed some packing tape over the tear so the buckwheat seeds wouldn’t fall out. When I finally took off the tape and stitched it up, I gazed at what was left…a sticky tape spot and pink stitching. And in my heart I knew…
This cushion is just like me:
imperfect.
Which means:
we are both perfect as we are.
Working with opposites
This brings us back to a common theme throughout my work as a yoga teacher…working with opposites.
While I’d love to have purchased a new cushion with some beautiful fabric and no markings of tape or thread, this old cushion still works…it still serves the purpose of allowing me a comfortable seated spot where I can meditate, pray, be inspired, write, and listen.
I would love a perfect cushion instead of this imperfect cushion.
I strive for perfection over imperfection.
In this striving…I inadvertently end up procrastinating instead of acting…delaying instead of moving forward.
The opposites still exist no matter how hard we think we have escaped them.
Taking the time to meditate, in whatever form you choose, gives you the ability to recognize the negative actions (or inactions) you take each day and turn them into positive forward motion.
The negative actions include mindlessness, worry, succumbing to distraction, and so on.
The positive actions include mindfulness, cultivating a calm mental and physical state, focus…
But how do we get there, to this state of positive, forward motion?!
Working with the body and breath…to tame the mind
Quieting the mind, even for a few minutes a day, boosts our mental clarity and awareness, heightens our intuition, allows us to know when we are in an undesirable negative state so that we can choose the opposite…a desirable positive state where we can move forward.
Meditation comes easier when two things occur…
movement first
repeated practice
The system of yoga teaches us that we first move the body and become attentive to the breath so we can then calm our mind.
In the eight limbs of yoga, the order is: movement (asanas), breath awareness (pranayama), and then meditation. This is simplified of course, but it’s where to begin if you’ve had trouble meditating in the past…keeping it simple so you can simply begin.
Practice the asanas of yoga (even just a few), go for a walk, do something to move your body…then find your way in to breath awareness and then to meditation (sitting, laying down…).
Then…repeat, repeat, repeat. And each day may look different. Depending on how you feel, how tired or awake you are, how much time you have. The more you practice (imperfectly!), the easier it becomes and the better you begin to feel.
Final thoughts…
20+ years ago I thought, to practice yoga and meditation, I’d have to sit perfectly cross-legged in order to be taken seriously…to be considered a practitioner of yoga…to meditate “correctly.”
Thank goodness my 200 and 300-hour trainings were not your typical bendy-flexie trainings, and that my teacher was one who teaches for all types of bodies, ages, and movement abilities.
Had it been a different training scenario I may still be trying to make the “perfect” seated position with my body to meditate…the typical cross-legged meditation posture that’s shown as “meditation” everywhere.
I would have given up after seconds of trying. What a shame that would have been.
If this happens to be a path you’ve traveled in search of your own meditation practice…please know…
there is no need for perfection here
there is no perfect seat
what feels right is right
today, tomorrow…now
practice imperfectly
your body, mind, and spirit
will thank you
Feel inspired to begin (maybe again!) your practice of meditation? Go for it!
No stress or overthinking about the act or outcome of your meditation…that’s why it’s call a practice!
You do it, imperfectly…and it becomes your perfect practice! One you love and can’t live without (just like my practice and my cushion!)!
xoxo Michelle
P.S. Here are a few resources for you!
To learn more about the yoga trainings that helped change my life…visit Subtle® Yoga! There are pages specifically for yoga enthusiasts and for teacher trainings…and she writes an incredible blog you can subscribe to!
To find your perfect meditation cushion in the most gorgeous fabrics and other supports for your practice…visit Inner Space!
To book a complimentary 30-minute 1:1 session to learn more about how we can work together to develop your meditation and yoga practice, or to learn more about a “looking” session (more about that here and here)…pick some time on my calendar…let’s chat!
