What keeps you off the cushion?

[medivate]

I've been resisting sitting today, even though I know I'll probably feel better when I do it. Does this happen to you? And why?

For me, I'm processing some difficult emotions from yesterday, and when that happens I don't feel like looking at them directly, because I know (correctly) that that will be painful, although the actual fact of doing it isn't that bad.

I know how practice helps me, but sometimes I hit blocks, usually not for more than a day at a time.

Does any of this keep you off the cushion, or what else does?

[Vivek]

If there is resistance, then be with the resistance. Observe it: what constitutes that which you call "resistance"? What sensations? What thoughts? How is the breath? Observe all this. Observe how what you call "resistance" changes over time. 

[medivate]

Hi Vivek,

That makes sense, and it seems like it could help, maybe. Does it work for you, in the sense of actually helping you cut through your own resistance and get to the cushion? (Do you experience the kind of resistance I'm talking about?)

Fred

[goodlife]

medivate, i havent seen resistance to meditate but to a lot of other things .. attending to work on a weekend for e.g. i feel if you take the time to quiten down & figure out whats playing on your mind, allow the underlying emotions lie behind the resistance to surface to your consciousnes , you may be able to take a decision on this.. you may not able to force think it as much as just letting yourself be & letting the thoughts & emotions to come up on its own pace ... this has worked for me in similar situations

the other thing is of course addressing any motivation gaps by reflecting on how your practice fits in with your life philosophy & internalizing the central role it plays .. if it does for you..

metta
 

[Masauwu]

One possible answer to resisting practice is that we ignore a vital component: right effort. The more we know and understand about the path, the smoother the ride.

[Vivek]

Yes, it does help me, Fred.

[Falkov]

If I know I need to do something, I would do it right away- especially when it helps me.   I don't allow the thought or feeling of any kind to stop me.   Instead of looking for excuse or spending energy avoiding it, I spend that same energy making it happen.   This is by the way is how I train myself.

[Purple]

Meditation, just like anything else that's healthy, is a hard habit for me to form. I've spent so much of my life wasting time, eating junk food, smoking, drinking, and generally being a lazy bastard, that my ways are deeply ingrained. I'm getting better all the time but it's a long road.

My body resists exercise and good food because it's used to doing whatever it wants. My mind resists the notion of meditation because it, too, is used to doing whatever it wants. The key to establishing a healthy habit is repetition. I can meditate twice a day, every day, for a week. Then I miss ONE TIME and everything gets thrown off. There doesn't seem to be anything mystical about it; you just have to physically get your ass on the cushion, every day, no matter what.

[goodlife]

I can meditate twice a day, every day, for a week. Then I miss ONE TIME and everything gets thrown off.

hi purple, your above quote just makes me wonder if you are being hard on yourself when your practice slips once a while.. one of the things that is helping me in my practice is to learning to be okay with myself when a slip happens .. equanimity with oneself, i have found that this kind of self forgiveness with the understanding that perfection is a long process like you have mentioned , usually gets me back into the practice quicker..

best wishes

[Purple]

No, I didn't mean that I judge myself, or lament that I miss one session. I was just referring to the formation of a healthy habit. It's the repetition that makes it solidify. If I skip a session for whatever reason - work, laziness, exhaustion - then it's that much easier to skip the next one. If I maintain a solid practice, though, it's easier to get on the cushion every day.

I don't beat myself up if I miss a meditation; I just realize I'll have to make a little extra effort next time.

[goodlife]

agree..