New week Pogue,

New week, new beginning? Have you ever treated a new week as a new beginning? I’m sure you have, maybe coupled with the thought that “this new week is going to be better than the week just gone”. You’ve set a goal. We all do it most notably at the commencement of the New Year which is marked with resolutions and best intents and we commence, all full of enthusiasm. Then we begin to slip as the old ways seep back in until a sense of failure overtakes us and…what the heck, this isn’t working, what’s the point. We give up. We feel like failures.

Have good trust in yourself … not in the One that you think you should be, but in the One that you are.”

Dzigar Kongtrul Rinpoche

This shouldn’t be a surprise because we often set ourselves the task of going up against years of learnt behaviours. Pathways that have been laid down way back in our past and then walked regularly. These place make claim to our lives and we are often unaware of this because, well, it’s just what we do.

Over the years I’ve found myself trying to address some of my behaviours but it has often proved uncomfortable and challenging. On a number of occasions I’ve begun the practice of meditation or at least tried very hard to begin its practice. If you’ve ever tried you’ll know how elusive meditation can be as a barrel load of distractions come crashing in. Everything from the itch that suddenly manifest in a place I didn’t realise could itch, the thoughts about lunch, to the playback of last nights movie…and on and on.

So, I’ve come across an App this week called Waking Up designed by a favourite author of mine, Sam Harris. I have read several of his books and regularly return to his Letters To A Christian Nation for a little grounding. Being an absolute failure at my numerous attempts to embrace the practice of meditation I must admit to initially standing at a distance, looking at the App and what it offered. “Just another meditation guide” was a reoccurring thought. But it was Sam and beyond the meditation guides and lessons on the practice it has a veritable library of content from known and lesser known figures and authorities.

Once you realize that the road is the goal and that you are always on the road, not to reach a goal, but to enjoy its beauty and its wisdom, life ceases to be a task and becomes natural and simple, in itself an ecstasy.”

Nisargadatta Maharaj

So I’ve taken the plunge, taking advantage of the 14 days free use to gleam the content and the worth of the teaching before I fully commit. I’m thoroughly impressed! It’s not based on teaching that I perceived as meditation per se. Rather it teaches mindfulness, from a beginners or entry level and then goes deeper. Only four meditations in I think I’m hooked and have already had a better experience than many previous attempts at meditation. From the outset Sam deals with the reality of the distractions that beset those beginning meditation in a way that is realistic, manageable and comfortable. I’m also delving into the various teaching and experiences of other more practiced individuals.

So, I’ll keep you posted on how I progress. If you’re interested or intrigued, take a look on the App Store.

Leaving you now to try a little more mindfulness in the hope of fulfilling some previously failed resolutions🥴

Yours, not quite in a zen like state,

Wic