When I first started meditating in earnest, I clung to the idea of a timed session. As most people, I’m sure, the idea of going past 10, 15, 20 minutes was unfathomable. I was itchy, fidgety, achy, kept looking at my timer to see how much more etc etc.
My normal time daily time is approx 15-20 minutes. Just enough time to get my mind where it needs to be.
Lately, I have been finding that the timer goes off just as I’m starting to comfortably get settled, and yes, sometimes I reset the timer and continue on, but then it’s at times too long. So, This morning, I decided to set my timer to “infinite”, with mindfulness bells every 2 minutes. I had no where to be, no agenda for the day, and I just let myself slip into a kind of peaceful veg. The bells insured I didn’t wander too far, and the location (on the front deck of our camper) gave me an interesting soundtrack… Crickets, birds, squirrels, Campground golf carts, the sound of camper AC units… And none of that was distracting to me. For the first time in a while, I found myself very content to just “sit”.
I sat for 45 minutes. Which I’m sure in more experienced circles is a small drop in the bucket. For me it’s a milestone.
No, I’ll never be a monastic. I might not ever get to a point where I actually sit sesshin. But I’m on the path.
Elemental Zen 