5 minutes

Meditation: 5 minutes
Where: Zafu
When: 8:00 p.m.
How: Passage Meditation ('Twin Verses' from the Buddha, Dhamapada)
Notes: Wanted to get my meditation in before I head off to a party. Won’t be back until after midnight at least!

5 minutes

Meditation: 5 minutes
Where: Zafu
When: 7:45 p.m.
How: Passage Meditation ('Twin Verses' from the Buddha, Dhamapada)
Notes: I meditated a bit earlier in the evening. It’s a small step, but important. And I really had a good meditation. For all my struggle lately, I’ve had strong and focused meditations.

5 minutes

Meditation: 5 minutes
Where: Zafu
When: 1:00 a.m.
How: Passage Meditation ('Twin Verses' from the Buddha, Dhamapada)
Notes: Forgot about meditating until the very last minute again. Doesn’t help that I was out late. This will be easier when I’m back on a regular schedule.

5 minutes

Meditation: 5 minutes
Where: Zafu
When: 9:50 p.m.
How: Passage Meditation ('Twin Verses' from the Buddha, Dhamapada)
Notes: This was better today. I think I need to try to move my meditation into the mid-day whenever possible.

5 minutes

Meditation: 5 minutes
Where: Zafu
When: 11:45 p.m.
How: Passage Meditation ('Twin Verses' from the Buddha, Dhamapada)
Notes: Very hard to meditate when I’m feeling this frazzled!

5 minutes

Meditation: 5 minutes
Where: Zafu
When: 11:35 p.m.
How: Passage Meditation ('Twin Verses' from the Buddha, Dhamapada)

5 minutes

Meditation: 5 minutes
Where: Zafu
When: 11:50 p.m.
How: Passage Meditation ('Twin Verses' from the Buddha, Dhamapada)
Notes: Merry Christmas! I’m slacking off a bit around the holidays, trying to keep up a very abbreviated meditation practice.

5 minutes

Meditation: 5 minutes
Where: Zafu
When: 10:05 p.m.
How: Passage Meditation ('Twin Verses' from the Buddha, Dhamapada)

5 minutes

Meditation: 5 minutes
Where: Zafu
When: 11:30 p.m.
How: Passage Meditation ('Twin Verses' from the Buddha, Dhamapada)

5 minutes

Meditation: 5 minutes
Where: Zafu
When: 11:55 p.m.
How: Passage Meditation ('Twin Verses' from the Buddha, Dhamapada)
Notes: Not bad at all. I'm feeling like it may be time to move back to a 10 minute meditation practice in the evening.

5 minutes

Meditation: 5 minutes
Where: Zafu
When: 11:30 p.m.
How: Passage Meditation ('Twin Verses' from the Buddha, Dhamapada)
Notes: This was the best meditation I've had in a long time. I felt calm and centred for a change. Crazy time of year, but it's beginning to wind down for me. And I'm thinking about where I want to take my meditation practice in 2010, in terms of setting a New Year's Resolution.

5 minutes

Meditation: 5 minutes
Where: Zafu
When: 11:30 p.m.
How: Passage Meditation ('Twin Verses' from the Buddha, Dhamapada)
Notes: My mind was scattered, but at least I was at peace with being on the zafu.Good sign.

5 minutes

Meditation: 5 minutes
Where: Zafu
When: 11:50 p.m.
How: Passage Meditation ('Twin Verses' from the Buddha, Dhamapada)
Notes: I thought this would be another bad, bad meditation night, but actually, it wasn't. Given the kind of evening I had, that's pretty miraculous.

5 minutes

Meditation: 5 minutes
Where: Zafu
When: 11:40 p.m.
How: Passage Meditation ('Twin Verses' from the Buddha, Dhamapada)
Notes: *eyeroll* I can't sink any further than this. Five minutes of breathing and repeating “I'm okay, I'm okay, I'm okay” like a mantra. *sigh*

10 minutes

Meditation: 10 minutes
Where: Zafu
When: 10:50 p.m.
How: Passage Meditation ('Twin Verses' from the Buddha, Dhamapada)
Notes: Horrible, horrible, horrible. The lesson here is never wait until just before bed when I'm cranky and yawning exhausted to do my meditation. I simply did not want to do it tonight.

10 minutes

Meditation: 10 minutes
Where: Zafu
When: 10:20 p.m.
How: Passage Meditation ('Twin Verses' from the Buddha, Dhamapada)
Notes: I went to bed late and my mind was very, very busy. Still, I was able to come back from distraction again and again. I guess the practice is what counts, right?

10 minutes

Meditation: 10 minutes
Where: Zafu
When: 10:20 p.m.
How: Passage Meditation ('Twin Verses' from the Buddha, Dhamapada)
Notes: Once again, pretty good. I set a limit on the fidgeting (but worked my way through all 'three strikes' within the first three minutes). I keep my eyes closed during meditation. Tonight, I kept spontaneously opening them and looking around. I never feel sleepy in meditation anymore, but I feel tired a lot during the day. I think it's just the time of year.

10 minutes

Meditation: 10 minutes
Where: Zafu
When: 9:00 p.m.
How: Passage Meditation ('Twin Verses' from the Buddha, Dhamapada)
Notes: Bull's eye! Tonight, I resolved not to fidget during meditation - I limited myself to 3 fidgets. It worked! I guess my fidgeting was fueling my distraction.

10 minutes

Meditation: 10 minutes
Where: Zafu
When: 10:20 p.m.
How: Passage Meditation ('Twin Verses' from the Buddha, Dhamapada)
Notes: I'm almost there! I really settled into the ten minutes and felt good about it. If it goes well tonight, I may increase the duration to 20 minutes.

10 minutes

Meditation: 10 minutes
Where: Zafu
When: 1:30 a.m.
How: Passage Meditation ('Twin Verses' from the Buddha, Dhamapada)
Notes: Not bad! My mind wandered off near the end, but it's getting better. Meditation growing pains!

10 minutes

Meditation: 10 minutes
Where: Zafu
When: 9:50 p.m.
How: Passage Meditation ('Twin Verses' from the Buddha, Dhamapada)
Notes: I was doing pretty good until the last few minutes and I fell apart (Random thoughts, they're SO much fun! How can anyone resist?)

10 minutes

Meditation: 10 minutes
Where: Zafu
When: 9:30 p.m.
How: Passage Meditation ('Twin Verses' from the Buddha, Dhamapada)
Notes: I started out very focused, my wandered a lot in the middle, I managed to refocus again but it all fell apart at the very end!

10 minutes

Meditation: 10 minutes
Where: Zafu
When: 11:00 a.m.
How: Passage Meditation ('Twin Verses' from the Buddha, Dhamapada)
Notes: Best meditation I've had in ages. I became distracted a bit in the middle of the session, but came back strong!

I've become very frustrated with my meditation as of late, so I've decided to ease off a bit, meditate less and maybe even once a day if that works better for me. I'll build up again gradually, but I want to emphasis quality of meditation rather than quantity.

I just haven't been enjoying my meditation lately and I want to get back to that!

40 minutes (30/10)

Meditation: 30 minutes
Where: Zafu
When: 9:00 a.m.
How: Passage Meditation ('Twin Verses' from the Buddha, Dhamapada)
Notes: Not so great. A few minutes in, I heard a tap dripping and it was driving me nuts, then I remembered: the water was being turned off for repairs. I paused my timer and raced around filling up glasses and the tub. Then back my zafu, but my head was spinning.

Meditation: 10 minutes
Where: Zafu
When: 7:10 p.m.
How: Passage Meditation ('Twin Verses' from the Buddha, Dhamapada)
Notes: Very good meditation! This makes me wonder if maybe I should switch it up and do my longer meditation at night because the mornings don't seem to be working that well for me.

40 minutes (30/10)

Meditation: 30 minutes
Where: St. C House
When: 10:00 a.m.
How: Passage Meditation ('Twin Verses' from the Buddha, Dhamapada)
Notes: Terrible, terrible, terrible. I actually sat and picked at my nails for the last two minutes. I felt like a big meditation loser. When did this become so hard?

Meditation: 10 minutes
Where: Zafu
When: 9:45 p.m.
How: Passage Meditation ('Twin Verses' from the Buddha, Dhamapada)
Notes: Better! I was in an energetic mood and my meditation was very focused. It helped knowing I only had 10 minutes to sit.

30 minutes (10/20)

Meditation: 10 minutes
Where: Zafu
When: 10:00 a.m.
How: Passage Meditation ('Twin Verses' from the Buddha, Dhamapada)
Notes: Out late last night, but no regrets; good times and laughter with old friends made my heart very happy! I sat for 10 minutes this morning, constrained by time, but I had a good meditation.

Meditation: 20 minutes
Where: St. C House
When: 9:45 p.m.
How: Passage Meditation ('Twin Verses' from the Buddha, Dhamapada)
Notes: Not bad, not as distracted as usual, though my heart doesn't seem to be in it these days. I think I'm in a 'meditation slump'

30 minutes

Meditation: 30 minutes
Where: Zafu
When: 6:15 a.m.
How: Passage Meditation ('Twin Verses' from the Buddha, Dhamapada)
Notes: First 10 minutes: I was distracted. Second 10 minutes: I was falling asleep. Third 10 minutes: I was distracted. At least I'm not freaking out with anxiety like I was last week.

40 minutes (30/10)

Meditation: 30 minutes
Where: Zafu
When: 6:15 a.m.
How: Passage Meditation ('Twin Verses' from the Buddha, Dhamapada)
Notes: Very, very tired and drowsy. I don't know how I got through this meditation. My body was sending me a message and I got it: I took a three hour nap for the rest of the morning. Hopefully, I'm catching up on this sleep deficit.

Meditation: 10 minutes
Where: Zafu
When: 9:35 p.m.
How: Passage Meditation ('Twin Verses' from the Buddha, Dhamapada)
Notes: That wasn't bad! I wasn't falling asleep and my mind wasn't wandering quite so much. It's really not the wandering itself that bugs me, it's the part where I can bring my focus back (or I fall asleep).

40 minutes (30/10)

Meditation: 30 minutes
Where: Zafu
When: 6:15 a.m.
How: Passage Meditation ('Twin Verses' from the Buddha, Dhamapada)
Notes: A slight change to the morning schedule - I'll be starting at 6:15 to participate in a 'Virtual 15 Minute Meditation' with a group from a studio I used to frequent. I wasn't sure how it would feel to meditate with other people in this way, but I did feel a sense of camaraderie and unity during the first 15 minutes of my meditation.

Meditation: 10 minutes
Where: Zafu
When: 9:50 p.m.
How: Passage Meditation ('Twin Verses' from the Buddha, Dhamapada)
Notes: Meditation was a last minute thing tonight. I was pretty focused for the first few minutes, but less so as time went on. Usually I look forward to my meditation but tonight all I could think about was going to sleep. I wasn't sleepy, but I wanted to sleep!

40 minutes (30/10)

Meditation: 30 minutes
Where: Zafu
When: 6:45 a.m.
How: Passage Meditation ('Twin Verses' from the Buddha, Dhamapada)
Notes: Better this morning, in terms of focus, but I was SO sleepy despite an extra hour of sleep last night (and an early walk in the cold). I think I'm chronically sleep-deprived right now.

Meditation: 10 minutes
Where: Zafu
When: 9:50 p.m.
How: Passage Meditation ('Twin Verses' from the Buddha, Dhamapada)
Notes: Moderately distracted. Had to wear noise reduction headphones to block out the sounds of the party next door *eyeroll*