When meditating feels hard, I watch a candle or an incense burn in silence. I fix my gaze onto the flame, the glowing dot; following each movement and noticing each moment of changes; no matter how minuscule: that second when the candle melt, when something flickers, when the ashes fall.
In the evening, I listen to this and this, beautiful music from Toshi Arimoto. I lit up some of my favorite scented candles and sit cross-legged on the couch in the dim-lit room. I close my eyes and start breathing following the rhythm of his music. I find this activity really soothing and I can tell that my body is enjoying it. I also realized that since I am concentrating to breathe according to the rhythm, my mind doesn’t wander as easily. I’ll do this breathwork for 20-30 minutes, and I always feel calmer and more grounded afterward.
4 Responses
When life feels hard, I love re-read your post. Some are my favourites and they’re calming. Thank you!
Aaaaw, thank you so much! You made my day! ๐ *hugs*
Meditating always seems hard to me; I shall use your examples.
There are times when I just feel like I can’t focus and my mind is too noisy or I can’t just sit still. When this happens, I do the things above, and usually, it works ๐