OK, I'll just calm my mind.
Easy enough.
Caaaallllmmmmmm...
Shit - now I am thinking about calming my mind.
No no, I'll just calm it, let it all go.
I can do this.
Caaaallllmmmmmm...
What should I make for dinner tomorrow?
That's not calming.
Caaaallllmmmmmm...
I need a pedicure.
Dammit.
Sound familiar?
It does to me.
This is my monkey mind all the time.
Jumping from topic to topic, like a monkey leaping from tree to tree.
Meditating is hard, dude.
Like really hard.
That's why people get frustrated and give up right away, because it feels like work...and it's something that is supposed to be soothing.
But you have tool.
It's not a special tool; everyone has it, but most people don't know how to use it.
It's your breath.
Take a deep breath, count to four while you inhale.
Let let it out slowly, counting to four while you exhale.
Didn't that feel amazing?
Do it again with your eyes closed and then come back.
That was great, right?
Do it a few more times, eyes closed, counting off in your mind.
Concentrate on the counting, do five rounds counting to four on the inhale and again on the exhale.
I'll wait here.
For those forty counts, did you think about anything else?
No, you concentrated on your breath and only your breath.
You took your first step toward successfully meditating!
Look who got to see MC Yogi in Miami last week!