Journal 10

 

Week 10 of online yoga. Today's lesson is about meditation and the video that I am using is “vipassana meditation 1 hour sitting” by My Meditation World. Throughout the one-hour video, there were lots of chanting and only a photo on how to sit. I do not think it matters how one sits during meditation, the only requirement is that its comfortable, but to make sure I sat in the crossed-legged position with eyes closed. It was difficult in the beginning to clear my mind with the chanting but after a few minutes, it became easier and easier. I did not get through the hour-long video, but I did get about 40 minutes in. To lessen the background noise, I used noise-canceling headphones so that I only hear the video. The moments of silence were the most beneficial to me because I do not like noises when I try to meditate. From what I have seen meditation is practiced in a cross-legged position, sitting on a pillow or anything of your choosing, the body is relaxed, and the mind is cleared of all distractions. I use meditation almost daily. Not in the way where I sit and chant “om” but every morning I go into my sunroom with my cup of coffee and stare into the forest behind me with a clear mind. This gets me started for my day with a focused mind and motivation. Meditation is absent from most of my yoga classes because it is difficult for me to focus on both clearing my mind and performing the poses simultaneously. During my yoga practices, if there is a long enough pause, I try to incorporate meditation as much as I can, but I often am distracted. I prefer to not try to blend in with meditation and yoga because most of the time I am focusing more on how to do the positions and always wonder if I am doing them correctly at home. This year everything is online because of the pandemic which makes somethings more difficult. I would rather have an in-person face-to-face yoga class because then my peers and instructor can give me more detailed feedback on how I am doing.   


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Omzbeq8unLs&t=957s 

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