Read the rest of Chapter 4 about what makes meditation H.A.R.D. (6 mins), and begin thinking about the Exchange Principle
Misconception alert
One of the biggest misconceptions with meditation is the thinking that you have to sit in a way that looks like you're meditating, and once you start sitting in this way, you're not supposed to move, and that being a bit uncomfortable is the point. And if you start to doze off, you're really doing it wrong.
Sitting like a monk is what makes meditation hard
For a householder, sitting like a monk to meditate is as bizarre as watching a monk break it down to your favorite party song
How not to make meditation unnecessarily H.A.R.D.
H stands for "holding" a position without moving in order to "look" like you're meditating. Instead, stay relaxed
A stands for being "austere" in your approach. No need to be unnecessarily uncomfortable
R stands for "resisting" sounds, noises, or anything else you may find distracting. Instead, welcome everything
D stands for "doubting" the householder approach and defaulting back to the monk approach due to position- or thought-shaming. Trust that with practice it gets easier
Today's Challenge:
Meditate for 20 minutes while troubleshooting your experience to make sure you're not making it unnecessarily H.A.R.D. Instructions:
Find a comfortable seat
You can use a soft alarm, or you can just peek at a clock from time to time until you realize that you're done
Close your eyes
Move freely to stay comfortable
Make sure you're cozy, and if you doze off go with it
Use your Settling Sound passively and sparingly, whenever it occurs to you to do so (no focusing)
Stay relaxed and enjoy
When you reach the end, take an extra minute or two before slowly opening your eyes
Assessment
Did it feel E.A.S.Y. or H.A.R.D. or neutral? Either way, you're doing great as long as you're still being consistent with your daily meditation, because this is a practice-oriented practice. And like any other skill, it takes a bit of time before it feels like second nature. No matter what happened in your meditations, I'd like for you to limit your practice time to just once a day. So after this practice, you're done for the day, and we'll explore one of the most overlooked aspects of meditating with success tomorrow. So make sure you check back in.
Accountability Exercise
Post an image that represents a process in life that you doubted at first, but now you've come to trust. Could be your daily workout, or a process associated with your job, with raising kids, with training your pet. Share your experience, and take an extra minute to "like" some of the other posts under the #blissmorechallenge hashtag and "like" or encourage a few others. Make sure to tag #blissmore and #blissmorechallenge so we can find you.
Sample accountability post
Day nine of the 21-day Bliss More meditation challenge! My meditation process reminds me of another process I initially resisted... after two books and nearly two years of writing daily posts, I've learned to trust the writing process—specifically when it comes to the notion that writing is mainly re-writing :) #blissmore #blissmorechallenge
Wanna get a head start on tomorrow's reading?
Read Chapter 5 up to Asking The Right Questions (or Chapter 9 if you're listening to the audiobook)
(7 mins)
(Follow #blissmore to see everyone’s progress)