Some days are diamonds

You might not know this about me, but... Well, in fact, you probably don't know this about me ;)

I have been meditating from the age of... 11? 12? something like that. I have done light meditation, sword meditation, chacra meditation. za-zen, Tai-Qi, Qi-Gong, ... and why not. It's fun to do :) But meditation is more than a pastime for me, it's a necessity. I get restless and depressed if I don't meditate regularly... I know it's a bit weird.

These days, meditation gets... how do I put it ... socially acceptable (?). It's in magazines, in the news. People do it because it's fashionable. It's cool to say "Hey, I meditate." But people don't really get it. It's not about reading a bunch of books, about knowing everything the Dalai Lama said in an interview. It's not about sitting somewhere and either a) sleep or b) think about all the stuff you have to do tomorrow.

Meditation is frightening. It's not puppies and roses. It's not sitting somewhere with a happy face and rainbows shooting out of your eyes. To get to know yourself in that way is terrifying. We have a huge amount of energy at our disposal as humans and this can be tricky. This is the reason why you should take it slowly. Meditate for a few minutes, start with some breathing, some heart rate control and most important of all: stop when you feel that your not really into it. It makes absolutely no sense to sit somewhere and "meditate" and hate every minute of it.

I have really no good advice for you here. I think everyone should meditate, but I suppose most people don't really know how to do it. The key is to try again and again. To not let your psyche and your fears get the best of you. Meditation is not about knowing stuff. Not about talent. It's about stamina. You have to come back again and again. If you get distracted, try again. If you get interrupted, try again. This is not for the faint of heart ;) or the impatient.

I had problems with my meditations for about 10 years now. They've been erratic and jumpy... but I think today has been a turning point. We will see if that holds true :)

I could recommend books to you, but that wouldn't make much sense. Everyone is drawn to different kinds of meditation.

Good luck.