This morning, sitting in my favorite red egg chair, tweeting, I heard the #wannasit call from @DavidMAshton and @New2Buddha. And I decided to join right there, on the spot. Not leaving my chair, not changing position, laptop still on my lap . . . I closed my eyes and discovered new sensations. New pain from curved spine kept still. Coldness, hard edges from the computer soon becoming part of the body. Mind had to be alert for the potential for extra aversion.
Realizing that not everyone has the luxury of optimal sitting conditions. The sick, the old, the dying are often stuck in less than comfortable positions. Slumped over in a wheelchair, or lying down crooked in a hospital bed, one has no other choice than to practice, right there.
Not being attached to one's idea of the perfect sitting posture. Practicing for the times when sitting up straight may no longer be an option.
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Great reminder that it doesn't always have to be perfect. I needed this - I'm always insisting that my space be perfectly arranged, candles lit, not a speck of dust on the floor, in order to sit.
ReplyDeleteBut, maybe I should let go of all that!
Yes. And since most of our lives are spent in non-optimal sitting conditions, when our awareness of mindfulness occurs, we are mindful amidst the clatter and discomfort of life. What more could be better than that?
ReplyDeleteMatt
Yes, holding in awareness all that is part of this moment, regardless. A form of informal sitting practice.
ReplyDelete