Whenever the darkness of the night overwhelms me, I find solace in meditation. I have been doing
the basic practice of counting numbers until I drift off to sleep for six years now. I've always been
curious about different types of meditation, but I was too lazy to look it up on YouTube.
Thankfully, this class has enabled me to explore various meditations and embark on a journey of
self-discovery. The meditation that we did earlier had both positive and negative effects on me.
On the plus side, it helped me to feel more relaxed, it lightened my stress, made me feel more at
ease and it cleared my mind. I'm a little agitated before entering the class today because I have this
sense of dread about Monday. But thanks to that, I feel more energized, confident, and prepared
for my next class. Although I was initially uneasy during my meditation, one factor that contributed
to this was the environment in which I was sitting. Controlling my balance is becoming difficult
as I become drowsy and have been fighting hard not to sleep. I have a feeling I'm going to fall on
that chair at any moment, which I really don't want to happen. And also the counting part seemed
to take a long time, which made it a bit tedious. But I was proud that I was able to stay focused
and not be distracted by my thoughts or surroundings. It was satisfying to concentrate on something
tangible, like inhaling and exhaling in a certain pattern. I felt proud that I was able to block out all
the other thoughts and focus on my breathing. It's not easy for me to stay focused, so it made me
happy that I was able to achieve my goal of completing the meditation without getting distracted.
I've become extremely competitive in my ability to count perfectly, which I suppose helps my
mind focus on one thing.
Progressive relaxation was very new to me; I had never heard of it until today, which is why it
excites me. Although I am having trouble controlling my lower body muscles but I'm enjoying the
stinging sensation on those areas, particularly the buttocks part. My shoulder, neck, and jaw have
been tightening recently. I believe my sympathetic nervous system activity is increased as a result
of the cold weather in Canada, with which my body is unfamiliar about. Clenching my jaw or
grinding my teeth unconsciously to fight the cold caused my muscles to be in excruciating pain.
As I gradually apply pressure, relieving tension on those areas helps me feel more at ease and my
muscle relaxed. But after doing the meditation, I felt so tired that it felt like I was doing some
physical exercise. I believe that if you have trouble sleeping, this meditation will help you fall
asleep; I might try it. There is nothing in this meditation that I dislike; everything appeals to me.
While focusing, I'm bothered by two images. The first image is of the Centennial Building, and
the second is of this emoji 😜, specifically.
Finally, as I discover new ways to meditate, I will commit to searching for and participating in
meditative activities on my own. If I'm brave enough, I might as well share it with the class.