Building Muscle

There was a period in time when I could rip off fifty push ups. If now instructed I would be lucky to hit the deck and give you twenty. If you don't use it, you lose it. Now, if I decided that I wanted to build myself back into a fifty push up regimen, it would require of me a few simple things.

1) Practice

2) Patience

3) Acceptance

You can't turn yourself from a ninety eight Lb weakling into a Charles Atlas overnight. The same is true of meditation practice too.

You have to take responsibility and decide to practice. The muscle will not build by itself. You need patience. You cannot go from eighteen push ups on day one to fifty on day ten. Acceptance - you have to watch as the muscle increases in strength. No amount of frustration or disappointment will alter the speed in which progress is made.

We have decided to begin a meditation practice. We need to be patient. We need to watch the meditative process unfold with true acceptance.

This means that we make the decision to practice. Setting up a time at least six days a week. Seven if you can. No less than five. (flexible, eh?) Try to meditate every day at the same time. You need to be patient with yourself as you struggle with the addition of this new task in your life. You will not turn from a Human Being into an Immortal overnight. (lighten up!) As your mind flits about as a bird in a tree, accept it. Just note the flit and return to the meditative process.

At the start of The Compassion Project I asked that you review the two meditations that I outlined for you. The Inner Smile and the Loving kindness meditation.

I now offer you a third choice: which is what my practice will entail.

We will begin with a short session of Taoist-based spine stretches.

We will use mindfulness (vippassanna) meditation to center ourselves.

We will use the Inner Smile meditation as I have learned it: lightly resembling the micro-cosmic meditation

And we will proceed onto the first layer of the Loving Kindness meditation.

This we will do until we decide to move deeper into Loving Kindness.

I will soon post a walk through of the process as in a mock trial. (testing, testing. This is a test!)

Please forward any questions or comments.