Maxed Out Mornings
Mornings are made for making the best of. (I can already here a few of my friends groan and reply “No, they are made for taking rest–as in sleeping in”.) But I just can’t do it; sleep in, that is. I adore this peaceful time of day, when the air is fresh, the birds are singing, and the cars and stereos are still slumbering.

It’s the best time for doing any kind of spiritual, aka turning inward, practice. (Kundalini yogis often get up before the sun, to do their sadhana/daily practice at 4 am. But I have no idea how I’d maintain any semblance of a life with anyone other than yogis if I started hitting the sack at 8 pm).

When I Miss The Moment
But there are days when no matter how freakin’ early I’ve hauled myself out of bed I just can’t get my going inward groove on. I daydream, I stress, I plan–all during my morning walking meditation. Like today.

How I Get it Back
So I try to just let it happen. If I’m caught up in a thought–whether it’s “Oh, the lights on that snow-covered tree are so magical” or “Oh shite, I need to plan my attack on the list of things I need to get done for work today”…I try to just let the thought come. I don’t fight it. I don’t resist it. I try really hard to not get peeved at myself for letting my mind be such a freak. I just pay a little respect to the thought. And, more often than not, it passes away as quick as it came, and I can come back to the moment of peace. As the old cliche, and Yin yoga teacher and scientist Bernie Clark says “What we resist, persists.”

Take-Away Tip
I find this lesson useful not just in meditation, but in general life, too: when dodging an unwanted phone caller, trying not to cry, avoiding an activity that makes me feel nervous (I could end up a hermit one day otherwise)…the list goes on and on.

What experiences have you had with resistance leading to persistence?