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Today in a meeting a friend shared a Zen saying about meditation that went something like: “When you meditate, you need to ‘sit’ your body, your breath, and your mind—-then your ego will ‘sit.'” Those of you who have been reading my blogs know I have trouble getting my “ego to sit.” I am learning. These days I give myself permission spend some time “just sitting” every day. I’ve been working on the mind part in centering prayer for some time now and am making some progress. The newest tool I am working on adding to my repertoire is what I call “mindful breathing” intended to make me aware of my breathing and the fact that breath is a gift God gives repeatedly. That same breath connects me with God/Great Spirit.
But, of course, the part about getting my ego “to sit” has been a constant life time struggle for me. Most of the time the rug has to be pulled out from under my ego for it to finally give up, sit down, and let God step into the driver’s seat. Come to think of it, though, all my life, the majority of my “praying” has been when I am sitting or standing still praying. Some of those prayers, I am sure, have still been afflicted with a stubborn ego, but many have allowed my ego to sit—–at least for a moment or two. So, perhaps I’ve had a “start” on this concept of the “sit” concept since an early age when I was taught to pray.
I am hoping that now as my spirit grows and matures I can remember whenever I am anxious or in the midst of a problem that I need to be still, become aware of my breathing, and connect with God. As I wrote in yesterday’s blog (http://www.semissourian.com/blogs/farwell/entry/55712), whenever I stop trying to stubbornly handle things and/or solve problems all by myself and consent to connecting with God, things get handled and problems get solved. Again, I need to focus on consciously letting go of my ego’s stubborn need to “do it myself.” I also need to work on the concept of asking for and graciously receiving help from my friends as one means of allowing the God connection to work—–my ego takes a backseat when I ask for help and receive it.
Happy sitting! Please comment and share your thoughts about spiritual “sitting.” May God bless and keep you.
Living One Day at a Time 