'Do not consider painful, what is good for you'

Taking a little bit of time for the 'self' has got to be one of the hardest things to achieve. A lot of the time my days turn into one big automatic whirl. I play out my scene, speak my lines when duly expected, and as the curtain closes, I wonder what on earth just went on...  The one thing I’ve always been taught to do when I’m caught up like Dorothy’s house in the Wizard of Oz, is to breathe, relax and go within myself. Yes, it’s the first dreaded word in my dictionary; Meditation.

With life outside our minds so good at entertaining us, is it any wonder that our conscious mind is happy to natter about the menial things and shout ‘Entertain me!’ whilst staring out the latest episode of Ugly Betty or the fantastic goal on Match of the Day?

Meditation is the act of stilling the conscious mind, and allowing our subconscious mind in. You know, it still surprises me in the rare occasions I do attempt to quieten my mind, just how much relief I feel.

All these things around you which make up the drama of your 'life' are definitely all parts of you – but to feel truly awake to who you really are, and more importantly, to love who you are, you need to have a good look at your sparky little spirit -  which is 100% you.

I know I’m sounding like a self-help book. Truth is – I find it really hard to Meditate. The idea of having a good bare glare at my spirit sounds a bit scary – as beautiful as I think it could be. It’s the being still I find difficult – I secretly love the hubbub and chatter of my meaningless thoughts and find it quite comforting.

I pondered this problem on the phone to my grown-up friend, Caroline last night (very good meditating healer) who shot one word my way – ‘Discipline’. (Seems that must be the second dreaded word in my dictionary...)

Choosing not to meditate is like picking a MacDonalds over your Mum’s homemade soup. You know the soup will nourish you, fill you up, and make you feel better about yourself. But my God, how much more appealing is a quick-fix Big Mac?

As Euripides said; 'Do not consider painful, what is good for you'.

Ok, you win.