Saturday, March 2, 2019

March Slide of Life Challenge Day 2: Meditation Challenge

For the month of March, each day I am writing and posting a slice of my life, hosted by Two Writing Teachers



March Slice of Life Challenge Day 2: Meditation Challenge 

This past February I participated in Sharon Salzberg's Real Happiness Meditation Challenge. I spent about ten minutes each day formally meditating using guided meditations from Sharon Salzberg. This challenge covered four areas of meditation practice: concentration, mindfulness of the body, mindfulness of thoughts/emotions, and lovingkindness.


There were so many insights I gained about myself from meditating in February, including how often my mind is distracted and how devoting even a small amount of time can be incredibly helpful to my overall well-being. 

For today's slice, I used a mantra ("May I be well; May I be peaceful") I learned from Sharon Salzberg in the form of an acrostic-from-phrases poem:

May what
I gleaned from meditating
be sticky in my mind so that I can work on
being mentally and physically well and at peace.
May I remember to focus on my breath,
so I can
be more present in life's moments, 
instead of 
focusing on past events
or anticipating the future.
I strive to be more 
peaceful


I learned about writing Acrostics-From-Phrases poems in the book Poetry Everywhere. To see another acrostic-from-phrases poem I wrote, click here.

17 comments:

  1. This reminds me so much of a mantra Dani Shapiro uses.I tried find it just now so I could share it here with you... but can't. Meditating seems very powerful- I haven't tried it but want to.

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    1. Oh, I would love to know the mantra from Dani Shapiro! This makes me want to read more from her.

      I am absolutely NO expert, but I would suggest meditation in small steps. I have also used the Headspace app. There is a free part too.

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  2. I’ve tried to apply logic to meditation, but it doesn’t work. All I know is something transformative happens w/ meditation and yoga. Another wonderful poem, too.

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    1. For me, I don't think meditation is so much about logic. I think that it's more about noticing and taking time to be present. It's hard for me to not get distracted!

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  3. I am intrigued with this form of poetry. A month of mindfulness gave you a taste of what it's like. Try another month or twelve and more. "Calm" app provides daily 10-min guided mindfulness exercises and a wide selection of others.

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    1. A month of mindfulness - yes, just a taste! I could definitely use a month (or a lifetime)! I have heard about the Calm app. I have also used the Headspace app.

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  4. I've established a meditation routine during the week, and love how it grounds me and gets me ready for the day. Thanks for the recommendation of a new resource; I will have to check out Salzberg! And the poem is a lovely way to incorporate your learning.

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    1. Thanks! Meditation does really help me!

      I think Sharon Salzberg only does this challenge every February, but she also has great books!

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  5. Two loves here, the meditation Andy how you wove a mantra into the poem. You are becoming my blog mentor texts. Thank you for the wonderful ideas.

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    1. Thank you! What a lovely compliment, too...

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  6. That is a good mantra.
    What a wonderful idea to write a poem around mantras.

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    1. Thank you! I am not sure how poetic it is, but it helped me reflect for sure!

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  7. Love this, Trina. Breathe is my one little word, so of course I zoomed right in on that in your acrostic.

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  8. I really like this form and isn't one I've seen before (but I think I have that book somewhere...) I am so glad you shared some of your insights from your month of meditation! The poem is actually very beautiful.

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  9. I really like this form and isn't one I've seen before (but I think I have that book somewhere...) I am so glad you shared some of your insights from your month of meditation! The poem is actually very beautiful.Positive Psychology

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  11. I am thankful to you for sharing this plethora of useful information. I found this resource utmost beneficial for me. Thanks a lot for hard work. meditation

    ReplyDelete

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