The first professor I ever had in law school told us that to be successful, we had to remember four words: "Apply A** to Chair." (I'll give you a hint and tell you that the 2nd word is not "art.") What he meant was that you can't accomplish anything until you sit down and put your mind to it.
So that's our first step: sit! There is such thing as a walking meditation, but the practice that we'll be exploring over the next month is going to be a sitting meditation. You can sit just about anywhere that gives you some time alone to quiet yourself. But I don't recommend reclining because you might fall asleep!
Let's make this our first assignment. Scour your home and locate a quiet corner that you can make your own. Maybe you decide to shut your bedroom door and sit on a pillow in front of a candle. Maybe everyone has left for the day and you decide to sit quietly at your dinner table. Wherever the space is, make it somewhere that you will not be interrupted for five minutes. (That means leave the television off!) Take a comfortable seat and set a timer for five minutes. And just sit. Close your eyes, lengthen your spine, let your breath enter and exit your body, and focus on that.
During our time together, keep a journal with you and after your five minutes write down anything that comes up for you. How does your body feel? Do you want to sit somewhere different next time? What time of day is it? Maybe you want to try this at a different time of day to see if that feels any different to you. How do you feel? Calm, agitated, energized? I hope you'll begin to look forward to these five minutes as much as I do.
