{"id":337,"date":"2014-03-16T02:39:16","date_gmt":"2014-03-16T02:39:16","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/heartofthesoul\/?p=337"},"modified":"2014-03-16T05:57:51","modified_gmt":"2014-03-16T05:57:51","slug":"redefining-meditation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/heartofthesoul\/2014\/03\/redefining-meditation.html","title":{"rendered":"Redefining Meditation"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Jodi<\/a>I once heard Deepak Chopra say that if you don\u2019t think you can spare five minutes per day to meditate, you should meditate for 10 minutes.<\/span><\/p>\n

This resonated so deeply with me because while I write about connecting with my soul and I help others slow down and embrace their lives, I often tell myself that I\u2019m just too busy to do the same. It\u2019s a bit embarrassing to say that I don\u2019t always practice what I preach. I have the awareness down, but I\u2019ve recently realized that the practice itself could use some support.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve tried to meditate. For years, I have done what it is that I think I should do \u2013 sat in lotus position, closed my eyes, and focused on my breath. I have listened to guided meditations that helped me slow down and relax into the moment. And while I was in that moment, I did feel calmer and more alert and more relaxed and more centered.<\/p>\n

But getting me there oftentimes felt like torture. I would think of every reason and every excuse why I just didn\u2019t have time to sit still \u2013 why I didn\u2019t have time to focus on my breath \u2013 why I didn\u2019t have time to meditate.<\/p>\n

And then I started to look at my life a bit more closely. I realized that it wasn\u2019t that I was too busy \u2013 I create tons of space throughout my day, actually. I realized that it was the structure of meditation that I was rebelling against. It was the \u201cshouldness\u201d of it that I struggled with. \u201cYou should<\/em> meditate. This is how you should<\/em> do it. It\u2019s not really meditating if it\u2019s not done a certain way. It doesn\u2019t really count.\u201d<\/p>\n

All of these judgments clearly came from me. None of these thoughts have anything at all to do with meditation itself.<\/p>\n

But I realized that if I was going to embrace meditation in my life, I was going to need to redefine it. <\/strong><\/p>\n

So I began to get clear about what about meditation feels right in my soul and what doesn’t feel authentic to me (at least not right now). I let go of what I thought I was supposed to do and what others recommended or how it looked for someone else. I gave myself permission to create my own definition.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s what I came up with:<\/strong><\/p>\n