I have begun week two of the meditation discomfort challenge and it has been fairly uncomfortable. For one, my body is not a fan of sitting in one position for 40 minutes. Yesterday was the first 40 minute sit of my life. I struggled greatly because I was so tired. Maybe 20-30 minutes into the guided meditation, I was told to open my eyes. This revealed my fatigue very clearly because I realized how much difficulty I was having just keeping my eyes open. This physical symptom was mirrored internally by my lack of focus and alertness. I would repeatedly bring myself back to focus only for it to fade within five or ten seconds. The big moral of this story is that I have been neglecting sleep and paying for it in diminished quality of life. Get to bed early tonight, kids.
I am still plucking passages out of
The Path of Insight Meditation by Joseph Goldstein and Jack Kornfield. I'll likely finish it this week and move on to quoting something else. Here's a passage that specifically addressing sleepiness...
"Be particularly vigilant with respect to the rising of the five hindrances: desire, aversion, sleepiness, restlessness, and doubt. These are strongly conditioned in the mind, and it is easy to get lost in and become identified with them. Make a special effort to notice these particular mind states. The more quickly they can be observed, as close to the beginning as possible, the less their power will be."
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