Why is speedskating like meditating?
At this morning’s service at the Self-Realization Fellowship temple, Brother Bhumananda offered a couple of wonderful tips for ensuring a productive meditation session. He recalled that in his high school days, the entire school gathered for a pep rally before every football game, which fired up the players to perform at their best. He also told an anecdote about watching participants warming up for the speedskating finals in the Olympics. He said there was no doubt that Bonnie Blair would be victorious—which she was—because her intense desire to win was evident in her face.
He then suggested that before each meditation session, we take a minute or two to stage our own personal pep rally. We could tell ourselves things like, “For one full minute, my attention will be completely riveted during my concentration technique” and “I am going to perform my first six repetitions of Pranayama more deeply than I ever have before.” Then, referencing the Bonnie Blair story, he asked, “Do you want God as much as Bonnie Blair wanted that gold medal?”
I like it! I am going to implement that mini-pep rally idea right away. I can see that getting in the right mindset before meditation will make a big difference. It’s a good reminder that meditation should be a joy, not an obligation. Now if I can only find some pompoms . . .
ABOUT PHIL BOLSTA
Phil is the author of Sixty Seconds: One Moment Changes Everything, a collection of 45 inspiring, life-changing stories from prominent people he interviewed, including Joan Borysenko, Deepak Chopra, geneticist Dr. Francis Collins, acclaimed sportswriter Frank Deford, Dr. Larry Dossey, Wayne Dyer, Dan Millman, Caroline Myss, Dr. Christiane Northrup, Dr. Dean Ornish, Dr. Rachel Naomi Remen, Dr. Bernie Siegel, James Van Praagh, singer Billy Vera, Doreen Virtue, Neale Donald Walsch, and bassist Victor Wooten.
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Tags: meditation, yearning
