Every time I watch the fruit turn rotten

When Deepak Chopra was asked last night on television, "what is the one thing you would recommend to people that could improve their health and overall well being", his response was, "meditate." He didn't say "quit smoking", "quit drinking" or "quit overeating", though as obvious as that advice would've been, I still expected something along those lines.  So it actually came as a surprise when the number one piece of advice, above all else that he gave was to meditate.  Even if only 5 minutes a day.  Now I believe that we all have five minutes, somewhere in our day.  I usually take at least 15 or so just to stare off at nothing first thing in the morning, death grip on my coffee cup, as if my life depended on it, and some mornings, it probably does.

But then this morning as I was scurrying around the living room getting ready for work with Good Morning America on in the background, I saw Ted Williams, the homeless man with the "golden voice", turned overnight celebrity, being interviewed.  I really didn't catch that much except to notice how cleaned up he looked from the photo they had plastered of him just the day before all over the Internet.  Shaking my cynical head, figuring if he didn't get the book deal, he would soon be the next "celebrity" chosen to be on Dancing with the Stars.  Yes, right there along with the star quality likes of Bristol Palin and Mike "The Situation" Sorrentino, yes, only in America, as they say.  But the positive thought also came to my mind, "amazing - I'm happy for him.  What a difference a day makes" as I heard him talking with his radio voice about his drug and alcohol addictions and then he said something that caught my attention, he made some mention of being told at one time to "meditate before medicate" -

That stopped me in my tracks. Especially since I've been suffering with a two day migraine and I believe a pinched nerve in my lower back.  Now, there it was, laid out for me.  Another sign, a reminder that I needed to get back in the hopefully forever BMW driver's seat of my life.  I meditated daily from the beginning of my Feng Shui training until a few years ago.  To hear about meditating twice within a 12 hour period, and especially from an unsuspecting source, was sign enough for me.  More like a loud shout from above in surround sound.  The benefits of meditation have been researched, studied and touted by many and just like everything else that is good for me, I jump on the bandwagon for a short while and then secretly jump off when I think no one is looking.  Hence, the treasure chest of vitamins in my cabinet, the bottle of Bragg's unfiltered apple cider vinegar that I vow to drink each morning, the walks I intend to take daily, the green botanical print yoga mat shoved in the far end of the closet, and the crisper full of brightly colored vegetables full of vitamins A, C and K, that always seem to collapse and wilt before I get a chance to eat them.  And just like one of the lyrics in a song by Dan Fogelberg, "every time I watch the fruit turn rotten, I tell myself I'll try a little harder next time."

But meditate?  That should be easy.  I don't have to get showered, don't have to get dressed, don't have to swallow a capsule the size of a gherkin pickle that has that horrible fish oil aftertaste, don't have to exert any muscles, I just get to sit there, totally silent, relaxing, breathing, getting empty.  And yet still, it is that evasive "good thing" that is just out of reach, that I just won't treat myself to often enough.  Like a nice massage, a facial, things that once were considered a luxury but now are mere maintenance at this stage of the game, I put these things off.  Like the simple beauty of fresh flowers, which I swore I would always have in my home, on a daily basis, now I seem to wait for a holiday, a special dinner party or if lucky, they show up as a gift from a caring friend.  Is this a form of rebellion?  Is there some sort of "good to be bad" thing going on here?  Is this a form of poor self-esteem, self punishment?  Yes, yes and yes.  It doesn't make sense to me and believe me, I have tried to make sense of it, because I don't think I have any of those issues.  Okay, I know what you are thinking, maybe some heavy physcotherapy is in order.

So, no making resolutions, no setting intentions, just a simple five minute meditation that I will do each day. Just like writing in my gratitude journal, (that I haven't written in since before Christmas) and how hard is that?  To write down a few things while comfortably in bed before sleep?  Why the resistance?  Anyway, below is the simple meditation from Deepak Chopra that is a very pure and calming meditation.  There are so many ways to meditate, from focusing on the breath to saying a certain mantra, but after doing this one I felt very peaceful and knew that I wanted to do it again and thought you might want to try it too.  I'll start with 5 minutes each morning,  maybe even 10-15 minutes, and who knows, I might  get it up to 20 minutes a day in no time.

From Deepak Chopra - 

1.  Put your feet firmly on the ground so that they do not cross. (sitting in a chair or on the sofa)

2.  Put your hands on your lap with your palms facing up.

3.  Close your eyes and pay attention to your heart.

4.  Experience gratitude by thinking of blessings and counting your blessings.  Be grateful for everything good in your life.  Let your ego move out of the way.

5.  Recall an experience of love like someone you love or someone who loves you.

6.  Keep your attention on your heart and ask yourself a few questions like the following: Who Am I? Do not try to figure out the answer, just let your heart answer and guide you.  What do I want?  What is my purpose?  What makes me happy?

7.  Observe all of the sensations in your body.  This step is all about simple awareness of your body.  Bring awareness into your breathe and breathe air in through your nostrils.  Observe as the air moves in and out.

8.  Keep your eyes closed and keep your attention on your heart.  Focus on sensing your heart beat as either a sound or a sensation.

9.  Move your awareness into your open hands and finger tips.  See if you can sense your heartbeat in your fingertips as a warm, tingling sensation or mild throbbing.

10.  Bring awareness back to your heart and relax you body.  Yawn, move, or stretch if you want.  Take half a minute and gently open your eyes.