The Breath

Today was a rather peaceful morning, possibly because I got a decent amount of sleep after a day of not very much. I sat outside to meditate, which wasn't going that well, but well enough. I could definitely see pockets of clarity as my focus on my breath drifted in and out. My timer rang, telling me my 25 minutes were up, but I turned it off and sat for a couple more.

Suddenly, I felt like I was noticing my breath for the first time in the entire 30 minutes, even though I had supposedly been focusing on it the whole time. I was completely aware of my breath. I became even more aware of my thoughts and feelings that were drifting in the background, allowing me to drop my apprehension about things happening later in the day. As I did that, I was totally in touch with the present moment. I was simply observing my breath.

As I experienced complete freedom from the churning of mundane thoughts and trivial worries in my head, a palpable joy filled all corners of my mind. I was so incredibly happy to be alive and breathing. Life is so wonderful.

I basked in the beautiful "everythingness" of the moment, and smiled as I looked at the plants and birds in the garden.

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Interestingly, this is a fairly common experience for me. It doesn't happen every time I meditate, but it's incredibly rewarding when it does. The point, however, is not that "peak experiences" (as they are called in scientific literature) are something to strive for; it's that we are in control of our minds, and that change for the better is possible (and wonderful).

Is there something you want to change about yourself?

(Walden Pond this past Sunday)