Monday, February 16, 2015

My New Daily Must-Read

I don't quite know how I ended up with the large print
edition but it made me laugh when I saw it. Obviously
the Universe wants me to get the messages loud and clear!
When I was feeling out of sorts a couple weeks ago, a good friend recommended that I start integrating meditation into my daily routine.

The great thing about meditation is that it doesn't have to look like hours spent in perfect stillness and silence. 

It can be quiet contemplation achieved while sitting on the carpet in a sun-filled living room. It can be a few blissful minutes spent watching birds scratch for seeds on your back lawn. It can be that moment at the end of the day when you close your eyes and breath and let your shoulders drop and loosen.

At least, this is what I believe meditation can be.

While discussing all of this with my friend, she mentioned a book that has been sitting on my bookshelf—unread—for over a year. If you've never heard of Mark Nepo's The Book of Awakening, I recommend that you just dive right in and buy it. Don't research it, just order it on Amazon.

It has 365 stories and accompanying meditations that guide you through your stillness practice each day.

It's so beautifully written. Even if you never did any of the meditation exercises, Nepo's rich prose makes the book worthwhile. I mean, just feast your eyes on this excerpt from today's entry:
"In actuality, misery is a moment of suffering allowed to become everything. So, when feeling miserable, we must look wider than what hurts. When feeling a splinter, we must, while trying to remove it, remember there is a body that is not splinter, and a spirit that is not splinter, and a world that is not splinter." 
Lovely, right? And spending a few minutes each day breathing and letting the mind and spirit explore each topic he covers—it's transformational.

It's the perfect way to invite some calm into your life if you're feeling caught up in chaos. Definitely a must read.

2 comments:

  1. I just started doing morning meditations. I found a book called the miracle morning and it recommends it. I might have to check this book out as well.

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  2. This makes me so happy. Love this book! I read it every morning and sometimes ask a question and then open to a random page for the answer. Never fails! :)

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